Workers World Party
Encyclopedia
Workers World Party is a far-left political party
in the United States
, founded in 1959 by a group led by Sam Marcy
. Marcy and his followers split from the Socialist Workers Party
in 1958 over a series of long-standing differences, among them Marcy's group's support for Henry A. Wallace
's Progressive Party
in 1948, the positive view they held of the Chinese Revolution led by Mao Zedong
, and their defense of the 1956 Soviet intervention in Hungary
, all of which the SWP opposed.
WWP describes itself as a party that has, since its founding, "supported the struggles of all oppressed
peoples". It has recognized the right of nations to self-determination
, including the nationally oppressed peoples inside the United States
. It supports affirmative action
as necessary in the fight for equality
. As well, it opposes all forms of racism
and religious bigotry
.
Workers World and YAWF were noted for their consistent defense of the Black Panthers
and the Weather Underground
along with Vietnam Veterans Against the War
and the Puerto Rican Independence movement
. Workers World Party was also an early advocate of gay rights, and remains active in this area.
The WWP has published Workers World newspaper since 1959, a weekly since 1974.
and Vincent Copeland, within the Socialist Workers Party
. This group first crystallized during the presidential election of 1948 when they urged the SWP to back Henry Wallaces's Progressive Party
campaign, rather than field their own candidates. Throughout the 1950s the GCWT expressed positions at odds with official SWP policy, categorizing the Korean War
as a class, rather than imperialist, conflict; support of the People's Republic of China
as a workers' state, if not necessarily supporting the Mao leadership; and supporting the suppression of the Hungarian Revolution by the Soviet Union in 1956.
The Global Class War Tendency left the SWP in early 1959. In their May day issue of their new periodical, its third number, the group proclaimed "We are THE Trotskyists. We stand 100% with all the principled positions of Leon Trotsky, the most revolutionary communist since Lenin". The sect appears to have organized officially as the Workers World Party in February 1960. At its inception the WWP was concentrated among among the "working class" in Buffalo, Youngstown, Seattle and New York. A youth organization, first known as the Anti-Fascist Youth Committee, and later as Youth Against War and Fascism was created in April 1962.
From the beginning both the WWP and the YAWF concentrated their energies on street demonstrations. Early campaigns focused on support of Patrice Lumumba
, opposition to the House Un-American Activities Committee
, and against racial discrimination in housing. The group claims to have conducted the first protest against American involvement in Vietnam on August 2, 1962. Their opposition to the war also included the tactics of "draft resistance" and "GI resistance". After organizing demonstrations at Fort Sill, Oklahoma
in support of a soldier being tried for possessing anti-war literature, they founded the American Servicemens Union, intended to be a mass organization of American soldiers. However, the group was completely dominated by the WWP and YAWF.
During the late 1960s and 1970s the Party threw itself into protests for a number of other causes, including "defen[se] of the heroic black uprisings in Watts
, Newark
, Detroit, Harlem" and women's liberation. During the Attica Prison riot the rioters asked for a YAWF member, Tom Soto to present their grievances for them. The WWP was most successful in organizing demonstrations in support of desegregation "busing" in the Boston schools in 1975. Nearly 30,000 people attended the Boston March Against Racism, which they had organized. Also during the 1970s they attempted to begin work inside organized labor, but apparently were not very successful.
In 1980 the WWP began to participate in electoral politics, naming a presidential ticket, as well as candidates for New York Senate, congressional and state legislature seats. In California they ran their candidate, Deidre Griswold, for in the primary for the Peace and Freedom Party nomination. They came in last with 1,232 votes out of 9,092. In 1984 the WWP supported Jesse Jacksons bid for the Democratic nomination, but when he lost in the primaries they nominated their own presidential ticket, along with a handful of congressional and legislative nominees.
, while still considered itself to have "the kind of political independence that enables revolutionaries to speak up if they see that the cause is being damaged by the policies of the leadership of socialist countries." They supported the Peoples Republic of China on the issues of the 1959 Tibetan uprising
and the Sino-Indian Border War of 1962
, and endorsed both the Great Leap Forward
and the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, but criticized their characterization of the USSR as social imperialist
, fearing that it would lead to Sino-American reproachment
. The party was particularly attracted to Lin Biao
, praising the inclusion of him in the preamble to the 1969 Chinese Constitution. They felt that the disappearance of Lin and his associates mark "the end of an entire stage of the Cultural Revolution." They grew increasingly critical of Communist China after 1971, especially their closer relations to the west and supported the "radical faction" within China that opposed this course. After the fall of the Gang of Four
in 1976 they considered the Chinese leaders "reaction" and "attacking the revolutionary domestic achievements of the Mao era". By the mid 1980s the only trace of Trotskyist ideology still espoused by the WWP was the idea of the USSR and other Communist controlled countries as degenerated workers' states
who had to be defended against imperialism even if their leaderships needed to be criticized..
Ideologically, the WWP is orthodox Marxist-Leninist. The Party's Trotskyist origins are reflected in much of Sam Marcy's early literature. However, Marcy also continued to uphold the USSR as a socialist state until the very end. When the Provisional Organizing Committee to Reconstitute a Marxist-Leninist Communist Party was formed, the WWP included a friendly headline directed to them, "Welcome, Comrades!" in Workers World newspaper. The Provisional Organizing Committee replied by telling them, "Trotskyism is Counter-Revolution and Nothing Else!". Following this, "virtually all mention of Trotsky vanished forever from its pages." These things led some individuals and organizations to accuse both Marcy and the party of being "Stalinist," yet the Party was never simply a "pro-Soviet" organization. They were never following the line of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
without discussions: Marcy was always critical of Stalin's leadership and the Party remains largely Trotskyist in many areas. Marcy also firmly criticized Khrushchev for starting the Sino-Soviet split
and called for the unity of all of the socialist states at the time (i.e. the Warsaw Pact
countries, China
, Yugoslavia, Albania
and the DPRK
.http://www.workers.org/marcy/books.html Their program of supporting all of the socialist states and calling for a united socialist bloc, rather than simply following the line of one of the large, ruling Communist parties (e.g. Chinese or Soviet), was part of what made the WWP unique during the Cold War era, and independence remains a defining trait of the Party. The ideological positions of Workers World Party developed through the theoretical analyses of Marcy and co-founder Vince Copeland over the course of 37 years - by 1998 they were both deceased. The Party hasn't strayed from the line in the years since, but longtime cadre and Secretariat member Fred Goldstein
has proven to be a leading Marxist economics writer who builds upon the political theories that have always defined WWP. Today as always, the Party is much more involved with getting to know and build solidarity with ordinary working-class and oppressed peoples on the strength of constant activism than in debating. The relatively low priority given to recruitment during intermittent periods is due to a lack of time when various important actions are taking place rather than any view of elitism. WWP adheres strongly to the Leninst concept of a cadre membership but seeks to become a revolutionary mass party through Marxist political analysis as well as deep involvement in organizing movements and protests. The party platform
includes guaranteed rights of work, housing, education; justice for oppressed social groups; release of political prisoners; and working class solidarity
, which counts many WWP members as leading activists, founded the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism
(ANSWER) coalition shortly after 9/11, and has run both the All People's Congress (APC) and the International Action Center
(IAC) for many years. The APC and the IAC in particular share a large degree of overlap in their memberships with cadre in the WWP. In 2004, a youth group
close to the WWP called Fight Imperialism Stand Together (FIST) was founded.
Workers World Party has regional branches in 20 major US cities. The Party receives donations and contributions as the source of its funding, while volunteers/cadres run the day to day operations of the Party. WWP is led by an internally elected secretariat. Currently, the Secretariat is made up of six people: Deirdre Griswold
, Larry Holmes
, Fred Goldstein
, Monica Moorehead
, Sara Flounders
, and Teresa Gutierrez
.
The WWP has participated in presidential election campaigns since the 1980 election, though its effectiveness in this area is limited as it has not been able to get on the ballots of many states. The Party also has run some campaigns for other offices. One of the most successful was in 1990, when Susan Farquhar got on the ballot as a US Senate candidate in Michigan
and received 1.3% of the vote. However, the Party's best result was in the 1992 Ohio
US Senate election, when the WWP candidate received 6.7% of the vote, running against a Democrat and a Republican.
A U.S. congressional review of the WWP by the House Committee on Internal Security, dated April 1974, details the international relationships and operational activities that WWP was currently engaged in at the time. This report shows the origins and development of the WWP and their connection to domestic and international groups, including North Korea and its leaders. The 1974 congressional report detailed WWP's international relationships and affliations: “Workers World has developed warm working relationships with many organizations representing the national liberation struggles of oppressed people. These include the Carlos Feliciano Defense Committee, the Humberto Pagan Defense Committee, and the Puerto Rican Socialist Party; the Arab Liberation Front, the Iranian Students Association, the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Arab Gulf, the Eritreans for Liberation, the Ethipian NLF, the Organization for Arab students, the Committee to Support the Revolution in the Gulf, the Democratic Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DPF), the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen. We have also met a number of times since 1965 with representatives of the National Liberation Front on South Vietnam and the DRV to express our solidarity.”
One of the front organizations of the WWP during this time was the American Servicemen’s Union (ASU). This congressional study documented the visit of chairman of ASU, Andy Stapp, to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in 1971 with the intent to open friendly discussions with the party. Before becoming a prominent activist, Stapp was a private in the U.S. army at Fort Sill, Oklahoma where he was court-martialed for his anti-war views and demonstrations. Deirdre Griswold told the Cuban Communists in July of 1972, that Stapp’s visit to Communist North Korea was an example of the “International Relationships” maintained by the Workers World Party. During his time in North Korea, Stapp was one of the signers of a statement broadcast over Radio Pyongyang on July 23, 1971, which read, “We saw an abnormal situation where the people in the northern half of the republic are enjoying happiness under the advanced socialist system to their heart’s [sic] content but are unable to share it with the fellow countrymen of South Korea within a calling distance due to the U.S. imperialists occupation of South Korea. We cannot keep down burning hatred and wrath against the U.S. imperialist aggressors.”
Radio Pyongyang is a radio station owned by the government of North Korea and is currently called Voice of Korea. On June 24, 1971, Radio Pyongyang broadcast a speech given by Andy Stapp to the 6th Congress of the League of Socialist Working Youth of Korea, the official North Korean Communist youth organization. Stapp starts his speech with this declaration, “On behalf of the entire membership of the American Servicemen’s Union, I’d like to avail myself of this opportunity to extend the greatest honor and thanks to the great leader of the 40 million Korean people, Comrade Kim Il-song, ever-victorious, iron-willed, brilliant commander and outstanding leader of the international communist and working-class movements, who has shown such a warm solicitude as to invite me to the congress and make it possible for me to stand on this high rostrum.” In the same speech, Stapp continues to express his indignation against US imperialism and encourages the reading of “the works of genius of Marshal Kim Il-song [sic], outstanding Marxist-Leninist of present times, books which contain the basic positions, attitudes, strategy, and tactics that should be adopted by revolutionaries in any country or in any part of the world.” In closing, Stapp promised to return to America and “share with my comrades the great chuche idea that they may be aroused to struggle more vigorously against the U.S. policy of aggression.” Kim Sung Il was regarded by the WWP and its front organizations as the great leader of modern times, and their closest friend and instructor, who was able to guide the WWP in their struggle for solidarity.
It was the aim of the WWP to build a multi-national organization, without compromising its principles of self-determination. To this date, the WWP still cultivates its international relationships and efforts. The WWP has not stopped adamantly supporting North Korea. The WWP maintains its role as a vocal and strong advocate for Kim Jong Il and the legacy of his father, and the nation of North Korea. In 1994, Sam Marcy sent a letter to Comrade Kim Jong Il expressing his condolences on behalf of the WWP with the passing of his father Kim Il Sung. Marcy’s letter affirms that the Workers World Party values their close relationship with Workers Party of Korea and considers Kim Il Sung a great leader and comrade in the international communist movement. In the letter Marcy wrote that it was U.S. imperialism that “tried at every opportunity to blockade, threaten, and sabotage the construction of socialism in the north, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea stands strong.”
Since its inception, the WWP has continued to work through front organizations to accomplish its goals. WWP can be considered the parent organization to Ramsey Clark’s International Action Center (IAC), which was originally set up to oppose U.S. invasion of Iraq. WWP worked through IAC in founding the A.N.S.W.E.R. coalition, only a few days after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2011 in opposition to the U.S. invasion in Afghanistan. All three organizations stand in solidarity to the plight of North Korea against the "imperialist aggressor", the United States.
Sam Marcy was more than just the founder and figurehead of WWP, his influence and involvement was instrumental in the development of WWP. Currently, an important figurehead worth noting is Brian Becker, who seems to have become indispensible to WWP and its front organizations. Brian Becker is the national coordinator of International A.N.S.W.E.R. and the IAC and is also a member of the Secretariat of the WWP. Brian Becker spends extensive time in North Korea and was elected vice-chairman of the Committee of the International Liaison for Reunification and Peace in Korea (CILRECO). In 2001, Brian Becker traveled with IAC’s Ramsey Clark to Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, where they held a news conference to denounce the United States for 50 years of “war crimes” against Korea. After the trip to Pyongyang, the IAC sponsored the Korean Truth Commission International War Crimes Tribunal where Becker served as the tribunal's co-coordinator.
In December 2000, Becker addressed the WWP at a conference in New York stating the ultimate goal of WWP and its front groups: "We know that the biggest single contribution that we can we make to the final transition to socialism everywhere is to build a truly revolutionary party that can lead the struggle to overthrow imperialism at its center." This begs the question: Where does the WWP consider the center of imperialism?
, North Korea
or the People's Republic of China
) and also positions historically held by the Party (e.g., support for Soviet intervention in Afghanistan
, Czechoslovakia
and Hungary
). It is also seen in disagreements over WWP calls for solidarity with governments that it sees as being socialist, anti-imperialist, or any country facing the threat of being attacked by the United States.
WWP also faces opposition from ideological groups that are critical of other Marxist-Leninist and Trotskyist parties. On the political left, this criticism comes from anarchists
, social democrats
and the liberal left. The political right is also often opposed to any communist party or socialist organization. When the WWP was playing a role in organizing anti-war protests before the US attack on Iraq in 2003, many newspapers and TV shows attacked the WWP specifically.
.
In 2004, the WWP suffereed it's most serious split when close to a hundred members of WWP left to form the Party for Socialism and Liberation
. The ANSWER coalition aligned itself with the PSL and Workers World Party then founded the Troops Out Now Coalition
. The split included many of the top leaders of the WWP which included most of the membership of the WWP on the West Coast.
To date, neither party has officially given any reason for the split. PSL maintains a nearly identical political line.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, founded in 1959 by a group led by Sam Marcy
Sam Marcy
Sam Marcy was an American Marxist of the post-World War II era. In 1959, a group he led founded the Workers World Party, which continues to the present day....
. Marcy and his followers split from the Socialist Workers Party
Socialist Workers Party (United States)
The Socialist Workers Party is a far-left political organization in the United States. The group places a priority on "solidarity work" to aid strikes and is strongly supportive of Cuba...
in 1958 over a series of long-standing differences, among them Marcy's group's support for Henry A. Wallace
Henry A. Wallace
Henry Agard Wallace was the 33rd Vice President of the United States , the Secretary of Agriculture , and the Secretary of Commerce . In the 1948 presidential election, Wallace was the nominee of the Progressive Party.-Early life:Henry A...
's Progressive Party
Progressive Party (United States, 1948)
The United States Progressive Party of 1948 was a left-wing political party that ran former Vice President Henry A. Wallace of Iowa for president and U.S. Senator Glen H. Taylor of Idaho for vice president in 1948.-Foundation:...
in 1948, the positive view they held of the Chinese Revolution led by Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
, and their defense of the 1956 Soviet intervention in Hungary
1956 Hungarian Revolution
The Hungarian Revolution or Uprising of 1956 was a spontaneous nationwide revolt against the government of the People's Republic of Hungary and its Soviet-imposed policies, lasting from 23 October until 10 November 1956....
, all of which the SWP opposed.
WWP describes itself as a party that has, since its founding, "supported the struggles of all oppressed
Oppression
Oppression is the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner. It can also be defined as an act or instance of oppressing, the state of being oppressed, and the feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles, adverse conditions, and...
peoples". It has recognized the right of nations to self-determination
Self-determination
Self-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...
, including the nationally oppressed peoples inside the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It supports affirmative action
Affirmative action
Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination.-Origins:The term...
as necessary in the fight for equality
Social equality
Social equality is a social state of affairs in which all people within a specific society or isolated group have the same status in a certain respect. At the very least, social equality includes equal rights under the law, such as security, voting rights, freedom of speech and assembly, and the...
. As well, it opposes all forms of racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
and religious bigotry
Bigotry
A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially one exhibiting intolerance, and animosity toward those of differing beliefs...
.
Workers World and YAWF were noted for their consistent defense of the Black Panthers
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....
and the Weather Underground
Weatherman (organization)
Weatherman, known colloquially as the Weathermen and later the Weather Underground Organization , was an American radical left organization. It originated in 1969 as a faction of Students for a Democratic Society composed for the most part of the national office leadership of SDS and their...
along with Vietnam Veterans Against the War
Vietnam Veterans Against the War
Vietnam Veterans Against the War is a tax-exempt non-profit organization and corporation, originally created to oppose the Vietnam War. VVAW describes itself as a national veterans' organization that campaigns for peace, justice, and the rights of all United States military veterans...
and the Puerto Rican Independence movement
Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional (Puerto Rico)
The Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional was a Puerto Rican clandestine paramilitary organization that, through direct action, advocated complete independence for Puerto Rico. At the time of its dissolution, the FALN was responsible for more than 120 bomb attacks on United States targets between...
. Workers World Party was also an early advocate of gay rights, and remains active in this area.
The WWP has published Workers World newspaper since 1959, a weekly since 1974.
History
The distant origins of the WWP go back to the Global Class War Tendency, led by Sam MarcySam Marcy
Sam Marcy was an American Marxist of the post-World War II era. In 1959, a group he led founded the Workers World Party, which continues to the present day....
and Vincent Copeland, within the Socialist Workers Party
Socialist Workers Party (United States)
The Socialist Workers Party is a far-left political organization in the United States. The group places a priority on "solidarity work" to aid strikes and is strongly supportive of Cuba...
. This group first crystallized during the presidential election of 1948 when they urged the SWP to back Henry Wallaces's Progressive Party
Progressive Party (United States, 1948)
The United States Progressive Party of 1948 was a left-wing political party that ran former Vice President Henry A. Wallace of Iowa for president and U.S. Senator Glen H. Taylor of Idaho for vice president in 1948.-Foundation:...
campaign, rather than field their own candidates. Throughout the 1950s the GCWT expressed positions at odds with official SWP policy, categorizing the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
as a class, rather than imperialist, conflict; support of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
as a workers' state, if not necessarily supporting the Mao leadership; and supporting the suppression of the Hungarian Revolution by the Soviet Union in 1956.
The Global Class War Tendency left the SWP in early 1959. In their May day issue of their new periodical, its third number, the group proclaimed "We are THE Trotskyists. We stand 100% with all the principled positions of Leon Trotsky, the most revolutionary communist since Lenin". The sect appears to have organized officially as the Workers World Party in February 1960. At its inception the WWP was concentrated among among the "working class" in Buffalo, Youngstown, Seattle and New York. A youth organization, first known as the Anti-Fascist Youth Committee, and later as Youth Against War and Fascism was created in April 1962.
From the beginning both the WWP and the YAWF concentrated their energies on street demonstrations. Early campaigns focused on support of Patrice Lumumba
Patrice Lumumba
Patrice Émery Lumumba was a Congolese independence leader and the first legally elected Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo after he helped win its independence from Belgium in June 1960. Only ten weeks later, Lumumba's government was deposed in a coup during the Congo Crisis...
, opposition to the House Un-American Activities Committee
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
, and against racial discrimination in housing. The group claims to have conducted the first protest against American involvement in Vietnam on August 2, 1962. Their opposition to the war also included the tactics of "draft resistance" and "GI resistance". After organizing demonstrations at Fort Sill, Oklahoma
Fort Sill
Fort Sill is a United States Army post near Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.Today, Fort Sill remains the only active Army installation of all the forts on the South Plains built during the Indian Wars...
in support of a soldier being tried for possessing anti-war literature, they founded the American Servicemens Union, intended to be a mass organization of American soldiers. However, the group was completely dominated by the WWP and YAWF.
During the late 1960s and 1970s the Party threw itself into protests for a number of other causes, including "defen[se] of the heroic black uprisings in Watts
Watts Riots
The Watts Riots or the Watts Rebellion was a civil disturbance in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California from August 11 to August 15, 1965. The 5-day riot resulted in 34 deaths, 1,032 injuries, and 3,438 arrests...
, Newark
1967 Newark riots
The 1967 Newark riots were a major civil disturbance that occurred in the city of Newark, New Jersey between July 12 and July 17, 1967. The six days of rioting, looting, and destruction left 26 dead and hundreds injured.-Social unrest:...
, Detroit, Harlem" and women's liberation. During the Attica Prison riot the rioters asked for a YAWF member, Tom Soto to present their grievances for them. The WWP was most successful in organizing demonstrations in support of desegregation "busing" in the Boston schools in 1975. Nearly 30,000 people attended the Boston March Against Racism, which they had organized. Also during the 1970s they attempted to begin work inside organized labor, but apparently were not very successful.
In 1980 the WWP began to participate in electoral politics, naming a presidential ticket, as well as candidates for New York Senate, congressional and state legislature seats. In California they ran their candidate, Deidre Griswold, for in the primary for the Peace and Freedom Party nomination. They came in last with 1,232 votes out of 9,092. In 1984 the WWP supported Jesse Jacksons bid for the Democratic nomination, but when he lost in the primaries they nominated their own presidential ticket, along with a handful of congressional and legislative nominees.
Ideological background and platform
While the party originally considered itself Trotskyist, is soon began to cease referring to Trotsky in their organ or to carry much, if any, Trotskyist literature. In its first decade the group leaned more to MaoismMaoism
Maoism, also known as the Mao Zedong Thought , is claimed by Maoists as an anti-Revisionist form of Marxist communist theory, derived from the teachings of the Chinese political leader Mao Zedong . Developed during the 1950s and 1960s, it was widely applied as the political and military guiding...
, while still considered itself to have "the kind of political independence that enables revolutionaries to speak up if they see that the cause is being damaged by the policies of the leadership of socialist countries." They supported the Peoples Republic of China on the issues of the 1959 Tibetan uprising
1959 Tibetan uprising
The 1959 Tibetan uprising, or 1959 Tibetan Rebellion began on 10 March 1959, when a revolt erupted in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, which had been under the effective control of the Communist Party of China since the Seventeen Point Agreement in 1951...
and the Sino-Indian Border War of 1962
Sino-Indian War
The Sino-Indian War , also known as the Sino-Indian Border Conflict , was a war between China and India that occurred in 1962. A disputed Himalayan border was the main pretext for war, but other issues played a role. There had been a series of violent border incidents after the 1959 Tibetan...
, and endorsed both the Great Leap Forward
Great Leap Forward
The Great Leap Forward of the People's Republic of China was an economic and social campaign of the Communist Party of China , reflected in planning decisions from 1958 to 1961, which aimed to use China's vast population to rapidly transform the country from an agrarian economy into a modern...
and the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, but criticized their characterization of the USSR as social imperialist
Social-imperialism
Social-imperialism is a Marxist expression, typically used in a derogatory fashion, to describe people, parties, or nations that are "socialist in words, imperialist in deeds"...
, fearing that it would lead to Sino-American reproachment
Sino-American relations
For the article on U.S.-Taiwan relations, see Republic of China – United States relations.Sino-American or People's Republic of China–United States relations refers to international relations between the United States of America and the government of People's Republic of China...
. The party was particularly attracted to Lin Biao
Lin Biao
Lin Biao was a major Chinese Communist military leader who was pivotal in the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, especially in Northeastern China...
, praising the inclusion of him in the preamble to the 1969 Chinese Constitution. They felt that the disappearance of Lin and his associates mark "the end of an entire stage of the Cultural Revolution." They grew increasingly critical of Communist China after 1971, especially their closer relations to the west and supported the "radical faction" within China that opposed this course. After the fall of the Gang of Four
Gang of Four
The Gang of Four was the name given to a political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution and were subsequently charged with a series of treasonous crimes...
in 1976 they considered the Chinese leaders "reaction" and "attacking the revolutionary domestic achievements of the Mao era". By the mid 1980s the only trace of Trotskyist ideology still espoused by the WWP was the idea of the USSR and other Communist controlled countries as degenerated workers' states
Degenerated workers' state
In Trotskyist political theory the term degenerated workers' state has been used since the 1930s to describe the state of the Soviet Union after Joseph Stalin's consolidation of power in or about 1924...
who had to be defended against imperialism even if their leaderships needed to be criticized..
Ideologically, the WWP is orthodox Marxist-Leninist. The Party's Trotskyist origins are reflected in much of Sam Marcy's early literature. However, Marcy also continued to uphold the USSR as a socialist state until the very end. When the Provisional Organizing Committee to Reconstitute a Marxist-Leninist Communist Party was formed, the WWP included a friendly headline directed to them, "Welcome, Comrades!" in Workers World newspaper. The Provisional Organizing Committee replied by telling them, "Trotskyism is Counter-Revolution and Nothing Else!". Following this, "virtually all mention of Trotsky vanished forever from its pages." These things led some individuals and organizations to accuse both Marcy and the party of being "Stalinist," yet the Party was never simply a "pro-Soviet" organization. They were never following the line of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
without discussions: Marcy was always critical of Stalin's leadership and the Party remains largely Trotskyist in many areas. Marcy also firmly criticized Khrushchev for starting the Sino-Soviet split
Sino-Soviet split
In political science, the term Sino–Soviet split denotes the worsening of political and ideologic relations between the People's Republic of China and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during the Cold War...
and called for the unity of all of the socialist states at the time (i.e. the Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
countries, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, Yugoslavia, Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
and the DPRK
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
.http://www.workers.org/marcy/books.html Their program of supporting all of the socialist states and calling for a united socialist bloc, rather than simply following the line of one of the large, ruling Communist parties (e.g. Chinese or Soviet), was part of what made the WWP unique during the Cold War era, and independence remains a defining trait of the Party. The ideological positions of Workers World Party developed through the theoretical analyses of Marcy and co-founder Vince Copeland over the course of 37 years - by 1998 they were both deceased. The Party hasn't strayed from the line in the years since, but longtime cadre and Secretariat member Fred Goldstein
Fred Goldstein
Fred Goldstein is a leader of Workers World Party. He is a member of the Secretariat, a six member leading body of Workers World Party. He is a contributing editor of Workers World newspaper, and frequently writes economic analysis for the paper...
has proven to be a leading Marxist economics writer who builds upon the political theories that have always defined WWP. Today as always, the Party is much more involved with getting to know and build solidarity with ordinary working-class and oppressed peoples on the strength of constant activism than in debating. The relatively low priority given to recruitment during intermittent periods is due to a lack of time when various important actions are taking place rather than any view of elitism. WWP adheres strongly to the Leninst concept of a cadre membership but seeks to become a revolutionary mass party through Marxist political analysis as well as deep involvement in organizing movements and protests. The party platform
Party platform
A party platform, or platform sometimes also referred to as a manifesto, is a list of the actions which a political party, individual candidate, or other organization supports in order to appeal to the general public for the purpose of having said peoples' candidates voted into political office or...
includes guaranteed rights of work, housing, education; justice for oppressed social groups; release of political prisoners; and working class solidarity
Activities and organizational structure
The WWP has organized, directed or participated in many coalition organizations for various causes, typically anti-imperialist in nature. The International Action CenterInternational Action Center
The International Action Center is an activist group founded by former United States Attorney General Ramsey Clark. It supports anti-imperialist movements around the world, and opposes U.S. military intervention in all circumstances....
, which counts many WWP members as leading activists, founded the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism
A.N.S.W.E.R.
Act Now to Stop War and End Racism , also known as International A.N.S.W.E.R. and the ANSWER Coalition, is a United States-based protest umbrella group consisting of many antiwar and civil rights organizations...
(ANSWER) coalition shortly after 9/11, and has run both the All People's Congress (APC) and the International Action Center
International Action Center
The International Action Center is an activist group founded by former United States Attorney General Ramsey Clark. It supports anti-imperialist movements around the world, and opposes U.S. military intervention in all circumstances....
(IAC) for many years. The APC and the IAC in particular share a large degree of overlap in their memberships with cadre in the WWP. In 2004, a youth group
Youth group
Youth group may refer to:* Youth Group, an Australian band* Youth club, a social and activities club for young people* Youth ministry, an age-specific type of religious ministry...
close to the WWP called Fight Imperialism Stand Together (FIST) was founded.
Workers World Party has regional branches in 20 major US cities. The Party receives donations and contributions as the source of its funding, while volunteers/cadres run the day to day operations of the Party. WWP is led by an internally elected secretariat. Currently, the Secretariat is made up of six people: Deirdre Griswold
Deirdre Griswold
Deirdre Griswold was a third-party candidate for President of the United States in the United States presidential election, 1980, representing the communist Workers World Party. Her running mate was Gavrielle Holmes....
, Larry Holmes
Larry Holmes (Marxist)
Larry Holmes is the co-founder of International ANSWER and founder of , which seeks the release of Mumia Abu-Jamal.He is a member of the Secretariat of Workers World Party, and an activist for the Troops Out Now Coalition...
, Fred Goldstein
Fred Goldstein
Fred Goldstein is a leader of Workers World Party. He is a member of the Secretariat, a six member leading body of Workers World Party. He is a contributing editor of Workers World newspaper, and frequently writes economic analysis for the paper...
, Monica Moorehead
Monica Moorehead
Monica Gail Moorehead is a frequent candidate of the Workers World Party, a U.S. Communist party. An African American, she is a former school teacher, and has been a political activist since high school. She distributed newspapers for the Black Panther Party and subsequently joined the WWP in 1972...
, Sara Flounders
Sara Flounders
Sara Flounders is a member of the Secretariat of Workers World Party. She is also a principal leader of the International Action Center. She has had several books published on different topics. She also frequently writes for Workers World newspaper. In January, she appeared on local radio station...
, and Teresa Gutierrez
Teresa Gutierrez
Teresa Gutiérrez was a third-party candidate for Vice President of the United States in the United States presidential election, 2004, representing the Workers World Party as the running mate of John Parker...
.
The WWP has participated in presidential election campaigns since the 1980 election, though its effectiveness in this area is limited as it has not been able to get on the ballots of many states. The Party also has run some campaigns for other offices. One of the most successful was in 1990, when Susan Farquhar got on the ballot as a US Senate candidate in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and received 1.3% of the vote. However, the Party's best result was in the 1992 Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
US Senate election, when the WWP candidate received 6.7% of the vote, running against a Democrat and a Republican.
WWP and North Korea
Since 1959, the Workers World Party (WWP) has remained true to its founding and origins by continuing to encourage solidarity in fighting for socialism and against oppression. Today the WWP is actively Marxist-Leninist and continues Sam Marcy’s intention to apply communist ideology to contemporary, international issues. WWP is closely affiliated with International A.N.S.W.E.R. and International Action Center (IAC). These organizations consider themselves “peace” or “anti-war” movements, and are used to spread anti-American sentiment and encourage fighting against the “imperialistic” policies of the United States. “The rallies they organized are designed to influence American foreign policy favorably for their foreign dictator benefactors.”A U.S. congressional review of the WWP by the House Committee on Internal Security, dated April 1974, details the international relationships and operational activities that WWP was currently engaged in at the time. This report shows the origins and development of the WWP and their connection to domestic and international groups, including North Korea and its leaders. The 1974 congressional report detailed WWP's international relationships and affliations: “Workers World has developed warm working relationships with many organizations representing the national liberation struggles of oppressed people. These include the Carlos Feliciano Defense Committee, the Humberto Pagan Defense Committee, and the Puerto Rican Socialist Party; the Arab Liberation Front, the Iranian Students Association, the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Arab Gulf, the Eritreans for Liberation, the Ethipian NLF, the Organization for Arab students, the Committee to Support the Revolution in the Gulf, the Democratic Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DPF), the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen. We have also met a number of times since 1965 with representatives of the National Liberation Front on South Vietnam and the DRV to express our solidarity.”
One of the front organizations of the WWP during this time was the American Servicemen’s Union (ASU). This congressional study documented the visit of chairman of ASU, Andy Stapp, to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in 1971 with the intent to open friendly discussions with the party. Before becoming a prominent activist, Stapp was a private in the U.S. army at Fort Sill, Oklahoma where he was court-martialed for his anti-war views and demonstrations. Deirdre Griswold told the Cuban Communists in July of 1972, that Stapp’s visit to Communist North Korea was an example of the “International Relationships” maintained by the Workers World Party. During his time in North Korea, Stapp was one of the signers of a statement broadcast over Radio Pyongyang on July 23, 1971, which read, “We saw an abnormal situation where the people in the northern half of the republic are enjoying happiness under the advanced socialist system to their heart’s [sic] content but are unable to share it with the fellow countrymen of South Korea within a calling distance due to the U.S. imperialists occupation of South Korea. We cannot keep down burning hatred and wrath against the U.S. imperialist aggressors.”
Radio Pyongyang is a radio station owned by the government of North Korea and is currently called Voice of Korea. On June 24, 1971, Radio Pyongyang broadcast a speech given by Andy Stapp to the 6th Congress of the League of Socialist Working Youth of Korea, the official North Korean Communist youth organization. Stapp starts his speech with this declaration, “On behalf of the entire membership of the American Servicemen’s Union, I’d like to avail myself of this opportunity to extend the greatest honor and thanks to the great leader of the 40 million Korean people, Comrade Kim Il-song, ever-victorious, iron-willed, brilliant commander and outstanding leader of the international communist and working-class movements, who has shown such a warm solicitude as to invite me to the congress and make it possible for me to stand on this high rostrum.” In the same speech, Stapp continues to express his indignation against US imperialism and encourages the reading of “the works of genius of Marshal Kim Il-song [sic], outstanding Marxist-Leninist of present times, books which contain the basic positions, attitudes, strategy, and tactics that should be adopted by revolutionaries in any country or in any part of the world.” In closing, Stapp promised to return to America and “share with my comrades the great chuche idea that they may be aroused to struggle more vigorously against the U.S. policy of aggression.” Kim Sung Il was regarded by the WWP and its front organizations as the great leader of modern times, and their closest friend and instructor, who was able to guide the WWP in their struggle for solidarity.
It was the aim of the WWP to build a multi-national organization, without compromising its principles of self-determination. To this date, the WWP still cultivates its international relationships and efforts. The WWP has not stopped adamantly supporting North Korea. The WWP maintains its role as a vocal and strong advocate for Kim Jong Il and the legacy of his father, and the nation of North Korea. In 1994, Sam Marcy sent a letter to Comrade Kim Jong Il expressing his condolences on behalf of the WWP with the passing of his father Kim Il Sung. Marcy’s letter affirms that the Workers World Party values their close relationship with Workers Party of Korea and considers Kim Il Sung a great leader and comrade in the international communist movement. In the letter Marcy wrote that it was U.S. imperialism that “tried at every opportunity to blockade, threaten, and sabotage the construction of socialism in the north, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea stands strong.”
Since its inception, the WWP has continued to work through front organizations to accomplish its goals. WWP can be considered the parent organization to Ramsey Clark’s International Action Center (IAC), which was originally set up to oppose U.S. invasion of Iraq. WWP worked through IAC in founding the A.N.S.W.E.R. coalition, only a few days after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2011 in opposition to the U.S. invasion in Afghanistan. All three organizations stand in solidarity to the plight of North Korea against the "imperialist aggressor", the United States.
Sam Marcy was more than just the founder and figurehead of WWP, his influence and involvement was instrumental in the development of WWP. Currently, an important figurehead worth noting is Brian Becker, who seems to have become indispensible to WWP and its front organizations. Brian Becker is the national coordinator of International A.N.S.W.E.R. and the IAC and is also a member of the Secretariat of the WWP. Brian Becker spends extensive time in North Korea and was elected vice-chairman of the Committee of the International Liaison for Reunification and Peace in Korea (CILRECO). In 2001, Brian Becker traveled with IAC’s Ramsey Clark to Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, where they held a news conference to denounce the United States for 50 years of “war crimes” against Korea. After the trip to Pyongyang, the IAC sponsored the Korean Truth Commission International War Crimes Tribunal where Becker served as the tribunal's co-coordinator.
In December 2000, Becker addressed the WWP at a conference in New York stating the ultimate goal of WWP and its front groups: "We know that the biggest single contribution that we can we make to the final transition to socialism everywhere is to build a truly revolutionary party that can lead the struggle to overthrow imperialism at its center." This begs the question: Where does the WWP consider the center of imperialism?
Disagreement with other leftists
Not all groups, organizations and parties on the radical left agree with WWP's political positions or tactics. This is seen in disagreements over analysis of whether or not a particular country is socialist (e.g. CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
or the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
) and also positions historically held by the Party (e.g., support for Soviet intervention in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
and Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
). It is also seen in disagreements over WWP calls for solidarity with governments that it sees as being socialist, anti-imperialist, or any country facing the threat of being attacked by the United States.
WWP also faces opposition from ideological groups that are critical of other Marxist-Leninist and Trotskyist parties. On the political left, this criticism comes from anarchists
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
, social democrats
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
and the liberal left. The political right is also often opposed to any communist party or socialist organization. When the WWP was playing a role in organizing anti-war protests before the US attack on Iraq in 2003, many newspapers and TV shows attacked the WWP specifically.
Splits
In 1968 the WWP absorbed a small faction of the Spartacist League that had worked with it in the Coalition for an Anti-Imperialist Movement called the Revolutionary Communist League. This group left the WWP in 1971 as the New York Revolutionary Committee. The NYRCs newspaper provided rare details about the internal functioning of the group that have subsequently been used by scholars as a primary source. The NYRC later reconsitituted as the Revolutionary Communist League (Internationalist)Revolutionary Communist League (Internationalist)
The Revolutionary Communist League- was a small Trotskyist group which existed in various forms between 1968 and the late 1980s.- Organizational history :...
.
In 2004, the WWP suffereed it's most serious split when close to a hundred members of WWP left to form the Party for Socialism and Liberation
Party for Socialism and Liberation
The Party for Socialism and Liberation is a Marxist-Leninist political party in the United States. It was originally created as the result of a split within the ranks of Workers World Party , although their political line is nearly identical. The San Francisco branch as well as several other...
. The ANSWER coalition aligned itself with the PSL and Workers World Party then founded the Troops Out Now Coalition
Troops Out Now Coalition
The Troops Out Now Coalition is a United States anti-war organization, which describes itself as "a national grassroots coalition of antiwar activists, trade unionists, solidarity activists and community organizers." Closely associated with the revolutionary communist Workers World Party, TONC...
. The split included many of the top leaders of the WWP which included most of the membership of the WWP on the West Coast.
To date, neither party has officially given any reason for the split. PSL maintains a nearly identical political line.
Presidential Tickets
| Year | President | Vice-President | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 United States presidential election, 1980 The United States presidential election of 1980 featured a contest between incumbent Democrat Jimmy Carter and his Republican opponent, Ronald Reagan, as well as Republican Congressman John B. Anderson, who ran as an independent... |
Deirdre Griswold Deirdre Griswold Deirdre Griswold was a third-party candidate for President of the United States in the United States presidential election, 1980, representing the communist Workers World Party. Her running mate was Gavrielle Holmes.... |
Gavrielle Holmes Gavrielle Holmes Gavrielle Holmes was a third-party candidate for President of the United States in the U.S. presidential election, 1984, receiving votes in Ohio and Rhode Island. For other states, the presidential candidate that year was Larry Holmes.She had also been the running mate for Deirdre Griswold in... |
13,285 (0,02%) |
| 1984 United States presidential election, 1984 The United States presidential election of 1984 was a contest between the incumbent President Ronald Reagan, the Republican candidate, and former Vice President Walter Mondale, the Democratic candidate. Reagan was helped by a strong economic recovery from the deep recession of 1981–1982... |
Larry Holmes Larry Holmes (Marxist) Larry Holmes is the co-founder of International ANSWER and founder of , which seeks the release of Mumia Abu-Jamal.He is a member of the Secretariat of Workers World Party, and an activist for the Troops Out Now Coalition... , in some states Gavrielle Holmes Gavrielle Holmes Gavrielle Holmes was a third-party candidate for President of the United States in the U.S. presidential election, 1984, receiving votes in Ohio and Rhode Island. For other states, the presidential candidate that year was Larry Holmes.She had also been the running mate for Deirdre Griswold in... |
Gloria LaRiva Gloria LaRiva Gloria Estela La Riva is an American politician associated with the Party for Socialism and Liberation. She was the party's 2008 presidential candidate, and was also vying for the nomination of the Peace and Freedom Party in California, but lost the bid to Ralph Nader... |
17,985 (0,02%) |
| 1988 United States presidential election, 1988 The United States presidential election of 1988 featured no incumbent president, as President Ronald Reagan was unable to seek re-election after serving the maximum two terms allowed by the Twenty-second Amendment. Reagan's Vice President, George H. W. Bush, won the Republican nomination, while the... |
Larry Holmes Larry Holmes (Marxist) Larry Holmes is the co-founder of International ANSWER and founder of , which seeks the release of Mumia Abu-Jamal.He is a member of the Secretariat of Workers World Party, and an activist for the Troops Out Now Coalition... |
Gloria La Riva | 7,846 (0,01%) |
| 1992 United States presidential election, 1992 The United States presidential election of 1992 had three major candidates: Incumbent Republican President George Bush; Democratic Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton, and independent Texas businessman Ross Perot.... |
Gloria La Riva | Larry Holmes Larry Holmes (Marxist) Larry Holmes is the co-founder of International ANSWER and founder of , which seeks the release of Mumia Abu-Jamal.He is a member of the Secretariat of Workers World Party, and an activist for the Troops Out Now Coalition... |
181 (0,00%) |
| 1996 United States presidential election, 1996 The United States presidential election of 1996 was a contest between the Democratic national ticket of President Bill Clinton of Arkansas and Vice President Al Gore of Tennessee and the Republican national ticket of former Senator Bob Dole of Kansas for President and former Housing Secretary Jack... |
Monica Moorehead Monica Moorehead Monica Gail Moorehead is a frequent candidate of the Workers World Party, a U.S. Communist party. An African American, she is a former school teacher, and has been a political activist since high school. She distributed newspapers for the Black Panther Party and subsequently joined the WWP in 1972... |
Gloria LaRiva Gloria LaRiva Gloria Estela La Riva is an American politician associated with the Party for Socialism and Liberation. She was the party's 2008 presidential candidate, and was also vying for the nomination of the Peace and Freedom Party in California, but lost the bid to Ralph Nader... |
29,083 (0.03%) |
| 2000 United States presidential election, 2000 The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Republican candidate George W. Bush, then-governor of Texas and son of former president George H. W. Bush , and Democratic candidate Al Gore, then-Vice President.... |
Monica Moorehead Monica Moorehead Monica Gail Moorehead is a frequent candidate of the Workers World Party, a U.S. Communist party. An African American, she is a former school teacher, and has been a political activist since high school. She distributed newspapers for the Black Panther Party and subsequently joined the WWP in 1972... |
Gloria LaRiva Gloria LaRiva Gloria Estela La Riva is an American politician associated with the Party for Socialism and Liberation. She was the party's 2008 presidential candidate, and was also vying for the nomination of the Peace and Freedom Party in California, but lost the bid to Ralph Nader... |
4,795 (0,00%) |
| 2004 United States presidential election, 2004 The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator... |
John Parker John Parker (activist) John Parker was the candidate of the Workers World Party, a U.S. communist political party, for President of the United States in 2004. Parker and his running mate was Teresa Gutierrez received 1,330 votes . The ticket was endorsed by the Liberty Union Party of Vermont... |
Teresa Gutierrez Teresa Gutierrez Teresa Gutiérrez was a third-party candidate for Vice President of the United States in the United States presidential election, 2004, representing the Workers World Party as the running mate of John Parker... |
1,646 (0,00%), includes votes on the Liberty Union Party Liberty Union Party The Liberty Union Party of Vermont, founded in 1970 by former Congressman William H. Meyer, Peter Diamondstone and others, originated in the anti-war and People's Party movements of the late 1960s and defines itself as a nonviolent socialist party.-History:... line in Vermont Vermont Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England... |
| 2008 United States presidential election, 2008 The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365... |
No candidate, endorsed Cynthia McKinney Cynthia McKinney Cynthia Ann McKinney is a former US Congresswoman and a member of the Green Party since 2007. As a member of the Democratic Party, she served six terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives. In 2008, the Green Party nominated McKinney for President of the United States... |
No candidate, endorsed Rosa Clemente Rosa Clemente Rosa Alicia Clemente is a United States community organizer, independent journalist and hip-hop activist. She was the vice presidential running mate of 2008 Green Party Presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election.Clemente was born and raised in South Bronx, New... |
n.a. |
Further reading
- Roots of the Workers World Party by Ken Lawrence, Marxmail Discussion List. January 1999. Retrieved April 12, 2005.
- Politics 1 Guide to US Political parties contains brief entry on WWP.
- "A Clarification on Sam Marcy and Henry Wallace" correspondence on the early history of the Global Class War tendency
- "Peace Activists" with a Secret Agenda Part Three: Stealth Trotskyism and the Mystery of the WWP“ by Kevin CooganKevin CooganKevin Coogan is an American investigative journalist. He is the author of the biography Dreamer of the Day: Francis Parker Yockey and the Postwar Fascist International....
External links
- Workers World newspaper
- Workers World Party homepage
- Fight Imperialism - Stand Together, Youth group affiliated with Workers World Party
- Troops Out Now Coalition
- Left Books - WWP bookstore and publishing house
- The global class war and the destiny of American labor by Sam MarcySam MarcySam Marcy was an American Marxist of the post-World War II era. In 1959, a group he led founded the Workers World Party, which continues to the present day....
New Haven, CT : Distributed by Revolutionary Communist League (Internationalist), 1979 (a foundational document of the "Global Class War tendency") - The class character of the Hungarian uprising : proposed resolution on the class character of the Hungarian uprising : November 3, 1956 by V. Grey New York, reissued by Workers World, 1959 (another foundational document of the "Global Class War tendency")