First Published: Resistance Vol. 10, No. 5, April 1979.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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For some time now the League for Proletarian Revolution (M-L) and the Colorado Organization for Revolutionary Struggle (M-L-M) have had fraternal relations based on Marxism-Leninism Mao Zedong-Thought and our commitment to the struggle for socialism in the United States. These fraternal relations have strengthened in the course of joint theoretical work and practice in the communist and mass movements. Today we feel that the unity on ideological and political line that does exist between our organizations should be raised to a higher level – that of organizational unity. Therefore, we have agreed in principle that the conditions exist for the merger of our two organizations.
The proposed merger of the LPR (M-L) and the COReS (M-L-M) into a single pre-party formation will, to a greater degree, improve our total capacity to carry out the tasks facing the U.S. Marxist-Leninists in this period. Be it in the struggle for M-L unity and party building, the struggle against revisionism, Trotskyism and all forms of opportunism, the struggle to provide communist leadership to the spontaneous struggles of the masses, the struggle to defend the countries under the dictatorship of the proletariat and the national liberation struggles of the third world, or in the struggle against national oppression and women’s oppression, it is an indisputable fact that, as a single organization, we will be better prepared and more effective in carrying out our revolutionary work.
Being under the democratic centralism of a single pre-party formation will allow for a better and more centralized leadership, for a better and more centralized propaganda apparatus, better and more centralized cadre training. The overall theoretical, political and organizational ability of the resulting organization to participate in the overall class struggle in this country will qualitatively increase. And we have no doubt that in the course of the struggle to merge our two organizations, our ideological and political line will also improve a great deal. This is so because of the correct Marxist-Leninist way in which we are approaching the merger.
In approaching our merger we have taken into consideration both the experience of the international communist movement, as well as the experience of previous merger processes in the U.S. We were able to sum-up that in the main, previous merger attempts in our country have been characterized by a lack of an open and vigorous ideological struggle among the participants, by an attitude of “all unity, no struggle,” of praising each other and sweeping under the rug important ideological and political differences.
Another characteristic of those mergers have been the lack of participation of cadres and contacts of the organizations involved in the merger process. The mergers have been viewed as secret negotiations between the top leadership of the organizations involved. You can take those that failed, like that of the National Liaison Committee, (RU, PRRWO, BWC, IWK), or the Revolutionary Wing of PRRWO, RWL, WVO and ATM, and those that did succeed, like that of O.L. with a series of collectives that formed the CPML, and that of IWK and ATM who formed the League for Revolutionary Struggle, and you will find the same thread running through all of them: unity over the table, without real participation of cadres and contacts and the rest of the communist movement.
Our merger plan avoids committing this serious mistake. First of all since the beginning of our relationship; unities and differences between both organizations have been kept in the open for cadres and contacts to see. Furthermore, they have been involved in the relations all along. Cadres and contacts of each organization have visited the other organization’s areas, have participated in propaganda conferences, study circles, events, etc. of both organizations. Furthermore, both organizations have been carrying out joint theoretical and practical work for some time now. We have held joint propaganda conferences, seminars, closed and open forums and other events on party building, the international situation, the trade union question, the Chicano national question, the woman question, etc. We have also carried out joint work in support of national liberation struggles of Puerto Rico, and Kampuchea. We have also jointly published leaflets on a number of questions. All of these activities have provided the cadres and contacts of each organization with an understanding of the line and practice of the other organization. Cadre and contacts are actively participating in the struggle for unity.
Another very important feature of our merger process is that it is being carried out in the midst of a major rectification campaign of both organizations. As we said in RESISTANCE, Vol. 10, No. 2, “With all probability the most significant early success in relation to M-L unity has been the decision of the comrades of the Colorado Organization for Revolutionary Struggle to also initiate a rectification campaign.” This is a crucial step in building genuine and principled unity. We are both “getting rid of the old baggage and starting up the machinery,” on the road towards merging.
The active participation of cadre at all levels, and contacts, in the merger process will guarantee that all fundamental questions are dealt with in a thorough way, that criticism, self-criticism as the correct method of dealing with non-antagonistic contradictions is used to reach higher unity, and that the merger of the two organizations paves the way for the further participation of our contacts in the party building process and in all aspects of the class struggle.
LPR (M-L) and COReS (M-L-M) unite, first and foremost around the following fundamental questions:
1. We base ourselves on Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong-Thought. This for us represents the highest present-day development of dialectical and historical materialism.
2. We are firmly committed to the task of overthrowing the U.S. bourgeoisie, to establish the dictatorship of the proletariat and build socialism in the U.S.
3. We uphold the three worlds theory.
4. We have fundamental unity on line, and practice around the trade union, national and woman questions.
5. We see that party building is the central task of U.S. Marxist-Leninists and that all work has to be placed in the context of party building in this period. Furthermore, we consider right opportunism, revisionism, as the main danger; propaganda as the chief form of activity; and theory as being primary over practice in this period.
These unities have been developed in the course of our joint theoretical and practical work in the communist and mass movements, by summing-up our practice, by criticism, self-criticism, repudiations and rectification. In the pages of RESISTANCE some of these questions have been treated, and will continue to be treated, as well as unities being clearly established.
In briefly stating the present unities between our two organizations, which call for a merger, we recognize that uneven development has existed and does exist between us. In many of these areas, it is LPR who has played the leading role or has the better grasp and ability to implement the line. COReS has also contributed to the advancement of the line and practice. At the same time, we both recognize that our cumulative grasp, experience and ability on the many questions falls yet short of what it means to be communist leadership. We still need to emphasize even more the tasks of study, training, summing up, investigation, rectification, criticism-self-criticism, etc. so as to improve ourselves as Marxist-Leninists.
We hope to create a situation that facilitates the participation of other Marxist-Leninists in our merger process. We urge M-L organizations and individuals to involve themselves in this process, by expressing their criticism, and suggestions. In writing, or through meetings, others can help to clarify the level of unity and line differences in the process. The “Communist Forum” in RESISTANCE will be open for the exchange of views on these fundamental questions.
We are now in the process of jointly writing unity positions around the international situation, the trade union question, the national question and party building. These documents will represent the result of our struggle for unity on these questions. We will be distributing them widely in the near future and will expect criticisms from comrades and friends in order to improve them.
The views on the merger of other organizations and individuals will be incorporated into our joint and internal discussion. Timely responses are promised to any criticism received. The communist movement has the responsibility to encourage and participate in this merger attempt if they see it as a positive step for party building. Likewise, the communist movement has a responsibility to point out where they see it is being done incorrectly.
Joint work for the two organizations will continue alongside this merger work. Indeed, we will be expanding our joint work in several areas as part of the effort to continue deepening our unities. Generally, this will include joint work on the newspaper, RESISTANCE, commemoration of revolutionary holidays, theoretical work on the international and national questions, coordinating the rectification campaigns, support for national liberation struggles, joint campaigns, etc.
At the end of all this process described, we hope to emerge as one organization based on a more clearly-established and deepened line, with cadre firmly consolidated on that line. We intend to publish periodic accounts of the progress and the line struggle that occurs. We urge other M-Ls to take up this struggle with us.
MARXIST-LENINISTS, UNITE!
WIN THE ADVANCED TO COMMUNISM!