Progressive Labor Party

[abstractmentality]

i have met a few members of this organization, and i was wondering if anybody knew some more about them, their group, and some information about them that i wont find by asking the people i know involved with them. Thanx.

Josh

[redstar2000]

The Progressive Labor Party is a split from the Communist Party USA and formally organized in, I think, 1965.

Originally Leninist/Stalinist/Maoist, they later dumped Maoism and are now Leninist/Stalinist...though, as you might imagine, Joe is a little embarrassing so they don't talk about him much.

Probably the most interesting idea that they've come up with is the elimination of the traditional distinction between socialism and communism.

Instead of a lengthy "transition period" between socialism and communism, they argue for a more or less immediate transition to a fully classless society following the revolution. They are a lot closer to anarcho-syndicalism than they think they are.

Another of their fairly unique traits is that they believe that the struggle for communism should never be subordinated to lesser causes; any "reform struggles" that they participate in must be accompanied by the open advocacy of communism...or they're not interested.

In the 1980s and 1990s, they developed some nutball predictions about imminent nuclear war...but they seem to have dropped all that.

I would find them a pretty interesting group except for one thing: as a Leninist/Stalinist party, when you join them, it is like joining an army...your role is to shut up and follow orders. Criticism of the leadership is forbidden under penalty of expulsion. This is how Leninist parties work...all of them.

So, if and when they go off in a nutball direction again, you have no recourse but to carry out your orders or quit.

But I do read their material from time to time as much of it is quite interesting; they sometimes develop a "fresh take" on questions that other lefties have just stopped thinking about at all.

Their website is: http://www.plp.org.

:cool:


(Edited by redstar2000 at 7:57 pm on Mar. 14, 2003)

[canikickit]

they believe that the struggle for communism should never be subordinated to lesser causes

I don't like this type of shit. The way I see it, we might as well make an effort to make things better; one step at a time if neccessary.

It's quite interesting, as some things can be little more than appeasement, and in which case should be avoided but I don't particularily like the sound of that.

[Ian]

Their original motto was 'A chicken in every pot, an ice pick in every Trot', so as you can so clearly see, they are quite a strange group.
I am not really sure about this but it seems they have an international tendency as there is a PLP in Australia as well as the one you mentioned in the USA. Anyone got any info on an international Progressive Labour Tendency?

[abstractmentality]

thanx for the replies. i went to their website, and talked to a member, and they pretty much back up what you said Redstar2000. the direct movement to communism is something that jumped out to me, as i dont really believe in that. i figured they were a bit authoritarian by some indicators i got from the website and the member i was talking to. i will be doing some work with a 2 of their members in the anti-war coalition on my college campus, so i will probably get a better perspective on their thoughts in the weeks to come. on the other hand, i will be meeting with an ISO member on tuesday to talk some politics...

[man in the red suit]

redstar,

the progressive party was a party that broke off of the democratic party in the early 1900's. I believe it was around the election of 1948 or so. the progressive party is a more radical branch of the democratic party while the Dixiecrats are a more conservative branch.

[redstar2000]

mitrs, you are confused...and I don't blame you. There are only a limited number of words to describe "left" political tendencies and they are used over and over again in various combinations.

The Progressive Party was, indeed, a populist party that included both Democrats and Republicans and existed from around the beginning of the 20th century until, I believe, 1952.

It has really no connection with the Progressive Labor Party except for one rather faint possibility. The founders of the PLP were young activists in the CPUSA in the late 1940s and might well have worked on the Henry Wallace campaign in 1948...it was widely said in the bourgeois media that the Progressive Party then was a "front" for the CPUSA.

It's a possibility that the name "progressive" stuck in the backs of the minds of the people who eventually founded the PLP in the early 1960s (it was originally the "Progressive Labor Movement" and only later the PLP).

But "PL" as it was known never had any connection with the "left wing" of the Democratic Party...and denounced it frequently and publicly.

:cool: