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The Crisis in the Federation of Metalworkers

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Alphonse Merrheim

Part of the book series: Studies in Social History ((SISH,volume 8))

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Abstract

During the years before World War I Alphonse Merrheim found himself in the middle of a crisis that wracked his own federation. After 1912, syndicalists, both inside and outside this organization, pointed to a sense of defeatism that pervaded the Federation of Metalworkers. They noted that a sense of purpose and determination seemed missing from the federation’s activities. Many syndicalisss blamed Merrheim for this state of affairs; they attacked his constant emphasis on trade union matters. This, they believed, had blunted the revolutionary will not only of the Federation of Metalworkers but of the CGT as well. So disenchanted did one metalworkers’ local become, that it expelled Merrheim from its ranks, charging him with being too conservative and cautious.

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Notes

  1. Joseph Braun, Henri Galantus, and Jean Latapie, in OM, May, 1903, p. 1.

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  2. Albert Bourchet, in OM, May, 1904, p. l.

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  3. UFOM, XIIe Congrès national des Ouvriers Métallurgistes (Paris, 1905), pp. 245–246

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  4. ‘Congrès régional des Ouvriers Métallurgistss de la région du Nord, tenu à Lille, le 19 Mars 1905’, in OM, no. 162, May 1, 1905, p. 4.

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  5. UFOM, XIIe Congrès national des Ouvriers Métallurgistes (Paris, 1905), p. 37.

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  6. CGT, XVe Congrès national corporatif (Amiens, 1906), p. 191

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  7. also ibid, see pp. 186–191, for the debate on the issue of unity in the building trades industry.

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  8. OM, no. 189, August 1, 1907, p. 2.

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  9. UFOM, XIIIe Congrès national des Ouvriers Métallurgistes (Paris, 1907), pp. 231–233.

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  10. Ibid., pp. 233–235.

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  11. Ibid., p. 171 and p. 236.

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  12. Alphonse Merrheim, ‘Vers la fusion’, in OM, October 1, 1908, pp. 1–2

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  13. ‘Confédération Générale du Travail-Section des Fédération- Séance du 7 Avril 1908’, in VP, no. 400, May, 31-June 7, 1908, p. 4.

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  14. CGT, XVIe Congrès national corporatif (Marsellle, 1908), p. 137 (the resolution, and p. 292 (the vote). For the entire debate on this issue

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  15. see ibid., pp. 122–148.

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  16. FOM, Congrès unitaire des Fédérations des Métallurgistes des Mouleurs, et des Mécaniciens, tenu à Paris, les 28, 29, et 30 Mai 1909 (Paris, n.d. [1909]).

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  17. CGT, XVIIe Congrès national corporatif (Toulouse, 1910), pp. 238–257.

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  18. FOM, Congrès unitaire (Paris, 1909).

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  19. FOM, Compte rendu du ler Congrès national (Paris, 1911), p. 7

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  20. APP, B/A 1606, note of September 24, 1908 (file no. 2000 – 1773–2), and AN, F7, 13771, note of May 30, 1909 (‘Congrès unitaire de la Métallurgie’).

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  21. AN, F7, 13771, note of May 28, 1909 (‘Congrès unitaire’).

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  22. Ibid. note of May 30, 1909 (‘Congrès unitaire’).

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  23. For the attack on the CGT, see AN, F7, 12525, note of January 1, 1909; for Ingweillerss criticism of Merrheim, see AN, F7, 13773, note of April 23, 1909.

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  24. APP, B/A 1606, note of July 23, 1908 (file no. 200–177–2.

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  25. APP, B/A 1602, note of December 3, 1908

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  26. At one meeting of the CGT’s Confederal Committee, Merrheim stated that the secretaries of his federation were willing to resign if this would facilitate unity. The proposal was not pursued further by anyone. Moreover, given Merrheim’s fierce opposition to suggestions for the limitation of the secretary’s term of office as well as his own ambitions, it is obvious he never seriously entertained this proposal. See ‘Confédération Générale du Travail-Section des Fédérations- Séance du 7 avril 1908’, in VP, no. 400, May 31-June 7, 1908, p. 4. See also UFOM, XIIIe Congrès national des Ouvriers Métallurgistes (Paris, 1907), pp. 148–150 and pp. 161–161 (for an attack on the concept of permanent secretarie)) and pp. 131–135 and p. 165 (for a rebutta).

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  27. UFOM, XIIe Congrès national des Ouvriers Métallurgistes (Paris, 1905), p. 22

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  28. FOM, Rapport moral, administratif, et financier de l’exercice du ler juillet 1909 au 31 mai 1911 (Paris, n.d.[1911]), pp. 4–5

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  29. FOM, Compte rendu du 2e Congrès national (Paris, 1913), pp. 11–20.

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  30. AN, F7, 13771, ‘XIIe Congrès national de la Métallurgie- Compte rendu’, pp. 15–17, and VP, no. 257, September 17–24, 1905, p. 3.

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  31. Louis Niel, ‘Le Parfait syndicalisme’, in VP, no. 258, September 24-October 1, 1905, pp. 1–2

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  32. Alphonse Merrheim, ‘La Crise syndicaliste’, in Le Mouvement Socialiste, nos. 215–216, Noovember-December, 1909. p. 291; Merrheim’s emphasis.

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  33. For Galantus’s and Latapie’s resignation, see AN, F7, 13773, note of January 20, 1909, M/2522. See also ibid., note of February 13, 1909, M/2624. For Blanchard’s defeat, see AN, F7, 12765, note of June 2, 1909, and note of Paris, July 2, 1909, M/3329.

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  34. AN, F7, 13773, note of Paris, June 25, 1909, M/3296.

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  35. FOM, Compte rendu du 2e Congrès national (Paris, 1913), pp. 11–20.

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  36. UFOM, XIIe Congrès national des Ouvriers Métallurgistes (Paris, 1905), pp. 32–35.

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  37. UFOM, XIIIe Congrès national des Ouvriers Métallurgistes (Paris, 1907), p. 62.

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  38. FOM, Compte rendu du 2e Congrès national (Paris, 1913) p. 23.

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  39. Ibid., p. 85.

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  40. Ibid., p. 86.

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  41. Ibid., p. 87.

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  42. Ibid., p. 92.

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  43. For what follows see Merrheim’s speech to the congress in ibid., pp. 92–98

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  44. Ibid., p. 94.

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  45. Ibid., p. 95.

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  46. Ibid., pp. 95–96.

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  47. Ibid., pp. 98–100.

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  48. Ibid., pp. 164–165.

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  49. Ibid., p. 165.

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  50. Ibid., pp. 168–169.

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  51. Ibid., pp. 169–170.

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  52. Ibid., pp. 163–164.

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  53. Ibid., pp. 169–172.

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  54. Victor Griffuelhes, in BS, no. 638, January 23, 1913, p. 1; no. 639, January 24, 1913 p. 1; no. 642, January 27, 1913, pp. 1–2; and no. 647, February 1, 1913, p. 1. These articles are reprinted in Le Mouvement Socialiste nos. 247–248, January-February, 1913, pp. 116–120.

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  55. Griffuelhes, in BS, no. 642, January 27, 1913, pp. 1–2.

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  56. Ibid., no. 639, January 24, 1913, p. 1.

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  57. Ibid., no. 642, January 27, 1913, pp. 1–2.

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  58. Ibid.

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  59. Ibid., no. 647, February 1, 1913, p. 1.

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  60. Alphonse Merrheim, in BS, no. 643, January 28, 1913. p. 1; no. 651, February 5, 1913, p. 1; no. 653, February 7, 1913, p. 1; no. 660, February 14, 1913, p. 1; no. 672, February 26, 1913, p. 1. These are reprinted in Le Mouvement Socialiste ,nos. 247–248, January-February, 1913, pp. 120–124.

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  61. Merrheim, in BS, no. 643, January 28, 1913, p. 1.

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  62. Ibid., no. 660, February 14, 1913, p. 1.

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  63. AN, F7, 13774, note of Paris, March 14, 1914, M/9054.

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  64. FOM, Compte rendu du 2e Congrès national (Paris, 1913), pp. 198–199.

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  65. What follows is covered in Christian Gras, ‘La Fédération des Métaux en 1913–1914 et l’évolution du syndicalisme révolutionnaire français’, in Le Mouvement Social, no. 77 October-December, 1971, pp. 85–111.

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  66. The expulsion case was also a major topic of discussion in the syndicalist press (see VP during 1913–1914); an important item for the police (see AN, F7, 13774, and F7, 13574, and APP, B/A 1605); an issue at several Executive Committee meetings of the CGT (these are reported in VP); and the subject of a study in Le Mouvement Socialiste (nos. 259–260 January-February, 1914, and nos. 263–264, May-June, 1914).

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Authors
  1. Nicholas Papayanis
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© 1985 Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Dordrecht

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Papayanis, N. (1985). The Crisis in the Federation of Metalworkers. In: Alphonse Merrheim. Studies in Social History, vol 8. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5155-6_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5155-6_5

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-8781-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-5155-6

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