-----+---------+------------+-------------+-------------+------------- | | | Number of | | | Total |Total Number| Federations | | |Number of|of Organized| of industry | Syndicats | |Syndicats| Workingmen | adhering to | adhering to | Members of Year |in France| in France |Confederation|Confederation|Confederation -----+---------+------------+-------------+-------------+------------- 1902 | 3,680 | 614,204 | 30 | 1,043 | | | | | | 1904 | 4,227 | 715,576 | 53 | 1,792 | 150,000 | | | | | 1906 | 4,857 | 836,134 | 61 | 2,399 | 203,273 | | | | | 1908 | 5,524 | 957,102 | 63 | 2,586 | 294,398 | | | | | 1910 | 5,260 | 977,350 | 57 | 3,012 | 357,814 | | | | | 1912 | 5,217 | 1,064,000 | 53 | 2,837 | 400,000 -----+---------+------------+-------------+-------------+-------------
The slackening in the growth of the Confederation was attributed partly to the persistent persecutions of the government, but in the main to internal dissensions and struggles. As a result of the latter, many of the old militants who had taken a leading part in the syndicalist organizations had become disillusioned and had left the movement. Many of the syndicats had lost in membership, and new syndicats were formed with great difficulty.
The supreme effort of the Congress of Toulouse was, therefore, to assert once more the leading ideas of syndicalism and to unite all labor elements upon a common platform of action. A long debate between representatives of the various tendencies took place in consequence of which the Congress reaffirmed the resolution of Amiens (1906) known as the "charter of syndicalism."[210] The most important resolution, however, was that in favor of a general movement for the reduction of hours of labor, particularly for the establishment of the "English week" (La semaine Anglaise, i. e. half holiday on Saturday). The Confederal Committee was authorized to carry on a campaign similar in character to the Campaign of 1906 in favor of the eight hour day. To meet the necessary expenses the dues were raised to ten francs per thousand members for each Federation of industry and to seven francs per thousand members for each Departmental Union.
The discussion at the Congress of Toulouse showed very clearly that the leaders of the syndicalist organizations were becoming tired of perennial debates and that they were anxious to save the Confederation from its present critical condition by a vigorous campaign for shorter hours, which would appeal to the mass of working men and women. The Confederal Committee, however, has not been very successful in this since the congress of Toulouse, for two principal reasons: the militaristic excitement of Europe and the general industrial depression. During 1913, the Confederation was engaged in fighting the increase in military expenses and particularly the passage of the three years' military service law. In May and June a number of revolts took place in the barracks, mainly among the soldiers who would have been released in 1913, had not the new law been made retroactive. The government accused the Confederation of instigating the revolts of the soldiers, and made numerous arrests among the leaders of the principal syndicats in Paris and in the province. The Confederation repudiated complicity in the revolts, but asserted its right to maintain relations with the soldiers by means of the _Sou du Soldat_. A number of protest meetings were held in Paris and other cities against the new military law, and there can be little doubt that this agitation resulted in the modifications of the law which practically reduced the actual time of service by several months.