[Marxism] Invitation to join http://groups.yahoo.com/group/swp_usa/

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx>]

Description

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/swp_usa/

The SWP was a very influential Trotskyist group from the 1930s to the late
1970s, when it embarked on a sweeping series of changes both politically
and organizationally. Politically, it began to disavow any connections with
Trotskyism and defined itself as a kind of Castroist current that was part
of an emerging new international movement that included the FLSN of
Nicaragua, the FMLN of EL Salvador, the New Jewel Movement of Grenada, the
ANC, etc. Despite its proclaimed willingness to become part of a political
movement that was distinguished by its lack of sectarianism, the SWP
actually became more sectarian. The turn toward broader political forces
globally was accompanied by a workerist "turn to basic industry" inside the
USA which resulted in a growing abstention from various mass movements
located outside of basic industry.

Organizationally, this turn was accompanied by a steadily increasing
crackdown on the membership's right to criticize various aspects of the
turn. Long-time members of the party who still saw value in the theory of
Permanent Revolution were not allowed to answer the party leadership, which
was consolidating itself around National Chairman Jack Barnes. Many members
either left out of a feeling of alienation from the party's growing
sectarian drift or were expelled in a series of purges that were
reminiscent of how Stalinist parties functioned.

The purpose of the mailing list is to come to terms with this legacy. Was
it inevitable as some suggest or was it a function of a powerful
personality subverting what was basically a healthy organism?

We will discuss the party's past and its current activity and ideas as
reflected in the Militant newspaper. In addition, we will try to come to
grips with the problem of party-building in general with an eye to building
a new movement that avoids the mistakes of the past.

Group Email Addresses
Post message:   swp_usa@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subscribe:      swp_usa-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Unsubscribe:    swp_usa-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
List owner:     swp_usa-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


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