Red International of Labour Unions

2 volumes of RILU magazine.

Also known as the Profintern, the RILU was an international body established with the aim of co-ordinating Communist activities within trade unions. It was intended to act as a counterweight to the influence of the 'Amsterdam International', the Social Democratic International Federation of Trade Unions (branded as the 'Yellow International' by the Comintern). Its formation was proposed by Grigory Zinoviev at the Congress of the Russian Communist Party (Bolshevik) in March 1920, but the founding conference, attended by national delegations from a large number of countries, did not take place until July 1921.

In addition to its Moscow headquarters, RILU established four overseas offices in Berlin, Paris, Bulgaria and the United Kingdom. In Britain, the Bureau worked closely with the National Minority Movement.

The Profintern was dissolved in 1937.

This collection is available to researchers by appointment at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick. See https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/using/

Link to full catalogue: https://mrc-catalogue.warwick.ac.uk/records/RLU