First Published: Revolutionary Cause, Vol. 3, No. 5, May 1978.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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The August 29th Movement (Marxist-Leninist) is proud to join with I Wor Kuen and the Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist) in calling for communist unity in the U.S. All the contradictions in the world are sharpening, particularly the factors for war and revolution.
The U.S. bourgeoisie is increasing its attacks on workers and oppressed nationalities. Workers and oppressed people are exploding with anger. In just the last year we’ve see the coal miners strike, growing movements against police repression and the struggle against the Bakke decision. But the masses lack a unified communist party capable of diverting the spontaneous rebellions into a class conscious struggle for socialism. While the proletariat has needed its unified party for many years, the struggles of the masses makes Marxist-Leninist unity even more acute.
In response to heightening class struggle, definite trends are emerging around the world. The revisionists have their parties. They call for the peaceful transition to socialism and unashamedly support Soviet social-imperialism. In the U.S., the Communist Party USA is the father of this trend. The Trotskyites have their parties. Worldwide and within the U.S. these groups refuse to uphold the dictatorship of the proletariat and liquidate the national question. Since the mid-1970’s another trend has developed worldwide: centrism. This trend pretends to oppose both superpowers and oppose revisionism. In fact, however, they ignore the danger of Soviet-social imperialism and conciliate with the revisionists. In the U.S. this trend is headed by the Guardian newspaper. In recent years the Guardian has attacked the Peoples Republic of China, consistently allied with the revisionist CPUSA, incorrectly viewed “leftism” as the main danger in the communist movement, and liquidated the national question by refusing to uphold the right of Afro-Americans to self-determination. The Guardian recently announced plans to form itself into a party.
Throughout the world, genuine communists are facing the same task: oppose the opportunist trends and unite the Marxist-Leninist trend. In different countries communists are struggling to develop correct theory and practice for making proletarian revolution. In many countries where two or more Marxist-Leninist groups exist, they are striving for unity. In France, for example, the Marxist-Leninist Revolutionary Communist Party and the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of France have recently announced plans to build a unified vanguard party.
ATM(M-L), IWK and CP(M-L), other organizations and individuals are part of a worldwide trend. We strive to carry out Marxism-Leninism in theory and practice. We have a common basis for unity in our support for the Theory of Three Worlds and the Communist Party of China, our upholding the unity of the proletariat and oppressed nationalities, our upholding the right of self-determination for oppressed nations, our view on the need for a Leninist vanguard party, and other important questions. With principled and above board struggle, we are confident that a single, vanguard party will emerge from this trend.
In the past our organizations have had many disagreements, some quite sharp. In fact the ATM(ML) characterized the October League (the leading group which formed the CP-ML) as “right opportunist”. This was a serious error. We believe that the OL did make certain rightist errors. However, these deviations did not warrant declaring CP-ML as right opportunists. We incorrectly placed them in the camp of the enemy, when in fact they were in the camp of the people. Looking back over the 1970’s the OL (and now the CP-ML) have held consistently to a Marxist-Leninist general line. They repudiated certain incorrect lines. While certain disagreements remain, we are confident that these questions will be struggled out within the Committee to Unite Marxist-Leninists.
The building of a single, united party will not occur overnight. The three initiating organizations believe that this unity mist be forced in the course of both theoretical and practical struggle. In addition to struggle on major theoretical questions facing the communist movement, the committee will discuss the history of each participating group. In this way all groups will be able to better understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses, our past errors and how we corrected them.
A proposal for M-L unity will be circulated among Marxist-Leninist groups throughout the U.S. Any party building effort must be based on equality among groups and mutual respect. The call for unity, its principles and rules will be decided only after discussion and consultation among many Marxist-Leninists.
Comrades, for the first time in many years we can foresee the establishment of a single, vanguard party in the U.S. This party will be consistent in principle and tested in practice. Both the objective and subjective conditions worldwide and domestically cry out for Marxist-Leninist unity. The August 29th Movement (M-L) pledges itself to help build this unity.
MARXIST-LENINISTS UNITE!
BUILD A UNIFIED MARXIST-LENINIST PARTY!