First Published: Workers’ Herald, Vol. 1, No. 1, April 1980.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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In presenting the first issue of WORKERS’ HERALD, the Editorial Board feels that a few words of introduction are necessary concerning the Revolutionary Political Organization (Marxist-Leninist) and our view of the nature, tasks and objectives of WORKERS’ HERALD.
The RPO/ML is a collective that resulted from a split in the now corrupt CPUSA/ML (formerly the Marxist-Leninist Organizing Committee). The leadership of the RPO/ML were members of both these organizations and, as such, struggled to carry out revolutionary work under the guidance of Marxism-Leninism. In the MLOC some progress was made toward developing a correct political and ideological stand on a number of questions arid moving to concentrate in industries where the most important ties with the U.S. working class could be built. But in the course of this work it was necessary to struggle continuously against the deviations of Barry Weisberg and the opportunist clique he had assembled around him. In the course of these struggles Weisberg revealed himself as a rank careerist and a right opportunist. Fundamentally, his clique sought to subordinate the work of the communists to the leadership of the liberal bourgeoisie: on questions of tactics, on the national questions, on the woman question and other issues he deviated sharply from the Marxist-Leninist position. Finally, his continuing and ever more serious violations of democratic centralism forced the Marxist-Leninists to split with the CPUSA/ML (For an account of this split and the specific questions involved see AGAINST RIGHT LIQUIDATIONISM and THESIS ADOPTED AT THE FOUNDING CONFERENCE OF THE RPO/ML, December, 1979. Both are available upon request).
It is the intention of the RPO/ML to continue the movement of Marxist-Leninists in this country to build a genuine communist party to lead the revolution to victory. With that intent, we issue the first number of WORKERS’ HERALD, a revolutionary political magazine aimed at the advanced workers and revolutionary-minded intellectuals. The Editorial Board will strive to speak to the main ideological, political and organizational questions facing our movement. By developing this analysis of the concrete conditions in conformity with the basic principles of Marxism-Leninism we aim to raise the political level of the movement as a whole and develop a basis for greater unity among Marxist-Leninists.
Today, the objective factors are moving rapidly toward a new period of upsurge in the spontaneous movement of workers and oppressed peoples. The deepening of the general crisis is intensifying the hardships suffered by the workers and is beginning to erode the privileged position of the labor aristocracy in the U.S. The political crisis has already resulted in a dramatic increase in war preparations and fascist activity. While the liberals are capitulating to the demands of the open reactionaries, the opportunists and revisionists of all types are lining up behind the liberals.
Under these conditions it is essential that all Marxist-Leninists elucidate and defend fundamental principles of Marxism-Leninism and move aggressively to unite. Only by combining our forces on the basis of Marxist-Leninist principles can we hope to withstand the increasing bourgeois offensive and position ourselves to lead the masses in the new waves of resistance which must inevitably result from the in¬creased oppression and exploitation in the coming period.
The rise in social-chauvinism, exhibited in ever greater proportions by the advocates of “Mao Tse-tung Thought” must be countered by more forceful agitation for proletarian internationalism. U.S. imperialist war preparations must be met with preparations for proletarian revolution. Clearly, this is only possible if we unite on the basis of principle.
The subjective conditions for unity among Marxist-Leninists in the U.S. have been greatly improved by the publication of the important works of the Party of Labor of Albania, especially Enver Hoxha’s 7th PARTY CONGRESS DOCUMENTS, IMPERIALISM AND THE REVOLUTION and REFLECTIONS ON CHINA (Vols. I and II). These writings have opened up the debate which had been brewing for some time and encouraged the revolutionaries in the U.S. to break with the revisionism of “Mao Tse-tung Thought” and the Theory of the Three Worlds. The correct road is now clearly charted if we have but the courage to follow it.
On the other hand, the Marxist-Leninist movement in the U.S. is plagued with a number of problems which must be overcome in order to form a van¬guard party. Among the small collectives which are gravitating toward the correct line deviations toward small circle mentality remain a major stumbling block. Bourgeois passive moods have overtaken some comrades. Ideological vacillation, especially in making a complete break with “Mao Tse-tung Thought”, the Three Worlds Theory and Chinese Revisionism is a problem for some. Much of the agitation put out by Marxist-Leninist circles and collectives is of a narrow, local and mainly economic character. Organizational amateurism abounds in our movement. This is a condition which must be fought with the utmost vigor. All genuine Marxist-Leninists must take the initiative to overcome these problems and lay the basis for genuine unity.
To this end we call on all revolutionary-minded intellectuals and advanced workers to join us in developing revolutionary propaganda, distributing it widely among the working class; seeking to solve the most pressing theoretical questions of the day; giving organizational leadership to the workers' struggles and ultimately moving toward organizational unity. WORKERS’ HERALD welcomes letters, contributions and criticisms toward this goal.