Front Groups

[jacobin1949]

Anyone have opinions or ideas about front groups? Its a bit "devious", but rather effective, and usually its a rather open secret. Anyone who hates communists would be unlikely to get caught up in a front group, nut it could be good for people willing to help but no join. Also it be a great way to slowly bring left-leaning contacts into the struggle. Most parties do have more mainstream organizations they work within, but they are no specifically controlled by the party. Also it saves work for members. In that anyone can work on peace issues, racial issues etc, but some work can only be done by Communists.

[Pawn Power]

While the idea of front groups sounds alright in theory, they haven’t proved to be particularly useful. The problem is that since front groups "cater" reformists, often the group liberalizes the general membership, instead of radicalizing them which is the goal.

Front groups position themselves in a way for popular approval so as to draw in large membership. The problem is the people are drawn in by a deception. Either the group disbands because of this or because wholly reformist, in which case it is useless.

We want people to become class conscious and to radicalize those who are already near us. This does not happen by becoming more liberal and reformist in our own organizing.

We should not lie, which is in effect what front group does for a supposedly more radical organization. We should tell people out right what we want and what we are striving for- an abolishment to wage-slavery.


[Sorry if that isn’t comprehensible. I am having a hard time writing today.:ohmy:]

[manic expression]

Both of you have good points. I think front groups have drawbacks, but I think there are ways around this. If it's simply stated up-front that the group will have connections to a leftist group and that the two will work together, it's not really a deception. Perhaps that will undo some of the issues that Pawn Power brought up.

Anyway, I've never tried this in practice, so maybe I'll know more when I try it out.