Published: The Workers’ Advocate, Vol. 2, No. 2, February 1970.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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The American Student Movement, started by working class communists, is being joined and supported by progressive students all over the U.S.A. Formed at the Dec. 1969 North American Anti-Imperialists Conference at Vancouver, B.C., the American Student Movement is being built by communist students under the guidance of the American Communist Workers Movement (Marxist-Leninist).
After a fierce struggle against the old mass bureaucratic method of work (see last month’s Workers’ Advocate on the Vancouver conference) communist students went forth from Vancouver on a Learn from the People Organizing campaign on U.S. campuses with the slogans ORGANIZE TO CHANGE THE WORLD! SMASH THE OLD TO BUILD THE NEW!
On the Learn from the People Campaign, ASM members have been both learning from students all across the U.S. and teaching them. That is, while ASM members have been spreading the program of mass democratic struggles against fascist and other anti-people ideas and practices on the campus, they have been learning the history of students’ struggles against U.S. imperialism. The main fact we have found is that time and again the masses of sincere and honest students have been criminally misled by the New Leftists, the Trotskyites, and various revisionists and opportunists. Up until now, students who wanted to fight imperialism have had only two choices – bureaucratic, single issue reform movements (like the antiwar movement) or little cliques of adventurist “heroes” (like many SDS groups). Because they haven’t provided a real alternative these so-called “left” movements have bred pessimism and political cynicism.
The ASM has been able to break through all this despair, muck, and confusion by pointing out that on the campus the main fight students must take up is against all the incorrect, anti-working class, racist, anti-people, and fascist ideas which are being spread there. Secondly ASM has been encouraging students to give direct support to the struggles of working and oppressed people in the U.S. and around the world. Above all the ASM has been showing how students and all oppressed people must concretely study and apply Mao Tsetung Thought, the highest development of working class ideology, as the only guide to action in fighting imperialism.
An example of the method of work followed by the ASM occurred at Stanford University when communist students found a meeting organized to introduce “meditation” classes by a maharishi from India. The decadent feudal classes that this man represents in India are being smashed by armed agrarian revolution so he has come running to U.S. imperialism looking for his decadent way of life. The ideas he is pushing (blaming the people for their oppression, saying people’s problems are “in their heads” and encouraging people to abandon struggle against imperialism) help the U.S. monopoly capitalist class by laying the basis in ideology and culture for a fascist state. Many progressive students came to the meeting with a sincere interest in changing the world, since the maharishi covers his fascist ideology with crocodile tears for “the pain and suffering of humanity” The ASM members vigorously exposed and denounced the maharishi’s fascist cult. Many students agreed with this analysis and a lively debate over ideas took place. As a result many people were filled with optimism for the world-wide victory of socialism and resolved to oppose all such fascists in the future.
At the University of Iowa in Ames city, the ASM showed the correct method for developing mass democracy over revolutionary ideas. “Violence in Society” was the topic of discussion at a meeting of several hundred peopled The first obstacle to developing revolutionary ideas was an alliance of a handful of pacifists, anarchists, and fascists who were attacking everyone who wanted any kind of real change in the oppressive conditions under which most of the American people are forced to live. They were particularly attacking a Puerto Rican organizer from Chicago who vividly described the oppression of his people and who said there had to be “some kind of a revolution”. The ASM members sharply denounced and opposed these reactionaries and stood up for the interest of the majority who wanted to discuss the concrete alternative to continued violent oppression of the people.
With the open reactionaries isolated and defeated a vigorous mass democracy developed after the meeting over the difference between reformist and revolutionary politics. The Chicago organizer1s method was to build mass organizations around various “issues” without building a revolutionary core .of leadership. ASM clearly showed how a revolutionary party of the working class — a genuine Communist party – was absolutely necessary to carry through the struggle to real victory. Without building a Communist Party to lead the struggle against imperialism no real success can be achieved.
Students began to enthusiastically grasp these revolutionary ideas and began to discuss the role of their university in training future oppressors of the working class. Many students bought the Workers’ Advocate and various works of Chairman Mao. Thus revolutionary ideas were spread among the students by first of all attacking and isolating the reactionaries who 3tood against all change and their showing real change can occur only by following the bright red revolutionary banner of Mao Tsetung Thought.
Such struggles as these against the fascist ideas being put forward by the universities, as well as the widespread dissemination of Mao Tsetung Thought and the program of the ASM have brought excellent results. Units of the ASM have been formed in Iowa, serving the mid-west, in Colorado, serving the Rocky Mountain States, and in Washington State, serving the West Coast, putting the ASM on a firm national basis. The political program of the ASM is now being discussed and carried out on various levels by progressive students all over the U.S. and widespread interest in the Cleveland conference has been generated. By relying firmly on Mao Tsetung Thought as a guide to action and by following the political leadership of the ACWM (M-L), the American Student Movement will play an important role in building a Marxist-Leninist Party in the U.S. The struggles it is initiating against bourgeois ideology, and particularly against fascist ideology, in the universities are attacking the U.S. monopoly capitalists where they are weakest, in the sphere of ideology, literature, art, culture, and social form. This will bring masses of students into principled unity with the working and oppressed people of America, it will defeat the mis-leadership which has been repressing the revolutionary initiative of the people, by attacking the mis-leadership at its source in the universities; and it will provide a reserve of cadre for the working class movement when communist intellectuals integrate among the working people at the place of work and in the communities. All working class people should joyfully hail the development of this student movement as another step down the bright red road of proletarian revolution.
ORGANIZE TO CHANGE THE WORLD!
SMASH THE OLD TO BUILD THE NEW!
VICTORY TO THE STRUGGLES OF THE WORKING AND OPPRESSED PEOPLE OF AMERICA
LONG LIVE MAO TSETUNG THOUGHT, BRIGHT RED PATH OF THE PROLETARIAN REVOLUTION!!!