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The Progressive Labor Party (PLP) is an anti-revisionist Marxist–Leninist communist party in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. It was established in January 1962 as the Progressive Labor Movement following a split in the
Communist Party USA The Communist Party USA (CPUSA), officially the Communist Party of the United States of America, also referred to as the American Communist Party mainly during the 20th century, is a communist party in the United States. It was established ...
, adopting its new name at a convention held in the spring of 1965. It was involved in the anti-
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
movement of the 1960s and early 1970s through its Worker Student Alliance faction of
Students for a Democratic Society Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was a national student activist organization in the United States during the 1960s and was one of the principal representations of the New Left. Disdaining permanent leaders, hierarchical relationships a ...
. The PLP publishes a fortnightly newspaper, ''Challenge''.


History


Establishment

The PLP began as an organized faction called the Progressive Labor Movement in January 1962.House Committee on Internal Security, "Staff Study: Progressive Labor Party," in ''Progressive Labor Party: Hearings Before the Committee on Internal Security, House of Representatives, Ninety-Second Congress, First Session: April 13, 14, and November 18, 1971 (Including Index).'' Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1972; pg. 4129. It was formed in the aftermath of a fall 1961 split in the Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA) that saw the expulsion of left-wing labor activists Milt Rosen (1926–2011) and Mortimer Scheer.Edward J. Bacciocco, Jr., "United States of America," in Richard F. Staar (ed.), '' Yearbook on International Communist Affairs, 1972.'' Stanford, CA: Hoover Institution Press, 1972; pg. 425. Before his expulsion, Rosen was a prominent CPUSA functionary, serving as District Organizer for upstate New York from 1957 and Industrial Organizer for all of New York state from 1959.Progressive Labor Party
"The History of the Progressive Labor Party – Part One,"
''Progressive Labor,'' vol. 10, no. 1 (Aug.-Sept. 1975).
An initial organizational meeting was held in December 1961, attended by 12 of the approximately 50 current and former CPUSA members identifying themselves as the "Call group". Rosen delivered a political report to the
Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...
-inspired group urging the establishment of a new communist party in the United States to replace the CPUSA, which was characterized as irredeemably revisionist. The organization remained amorphous in its first months, publishing ''Progressive Labor''—initially a monthly newsletter—and engaging in small-scale discussions. An organizational conference was called by the editors of ''Progressive Labor'' to be held in New York City in July 1962. This gathering, held at the Hotel Diplomat, was attended by 50 people from 11 different cities and served to launch a formal organization, the Progressive Labor Movement. Rosen again delivered the main political report to the gathering, calling for the writing of a program and development of a network of clubs and affiliated mass organizations in order to win supporters for a new
revolutionary socialist Revolutionary socialism is a political philosophy, doctrine, and tradition within socialism that stresses the idea that a social revolution is necessary to bring about structural changes in society. More specifically, it is the view that revolu ...
movement. Given the small size of the fledgling organization, formation of a political party was deemed unpropitious. The name "Progressive Labor Movement" was selected to emphasize the organization's early and transitional nature. The Progressive Labor Movement was finally reconstituted as the Progressive Labor Party at a founding convention held in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
on April 15–18, 1965. A 20-member National Committee was elected, and Rosen became the party's founding chair. Organizational headquarters were established in New York City.


1960s

Although it disdains
parliamentarism A parliamentary system, or parliamentary democracy, is a form of government where the head of government (chief executive) derives their democratic legitimacy from their ability to command the support ("confidence") of a majority of the legisl ...
as an end, the Progressive Labor Movement was quick to make use of the electoral process as a vehicle for propaganda, launching an effort to gain the signatures of 5,000 registered voters in New York City to put a PLP candidate on the ballot for the November 1963 election of the
New York City Council The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City in the United States. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The council serves as a check against the mayor in a mayor-council government mod ...
."Staff Report" in ''Progressive Labor Party: Hearings...'' pg. 4136. Although it did not manage to place its candidate on the ballot, the proto-PLP distributed more than 100,000 pieces of party literature in conjunction with the electoral campaign. The PLP remained of modest size throughout the decade. It had more than 600 members in 1965. It did not publicize its membership, but federal income tax returns filed in 1967 and 1968 provide a reasonable proxy. The PLP formally existed as a publishing partnership listing Milt Rosen and the party's 1965 candidate for
New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...
, Bill Epton, as partners."Review of PLP Income Tax Returns," in House Internal Security Committee, ''Progressive Labor Party: Hearings...'' pg. 4447. These returns showed income and expenditures of about $66,000 in 1967 and about $88,600 in 1968, with the partners claiming no income from the ostensible business relationship. During the 1960s, the PLP followed the international political line of the
Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...
and was described by commentators as "
Maoist Maoism, officially Mao Zedong Thought, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed while trying to realize a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic o ...
". It favored the Chinese perspective on the
Sino-Soviet split The Sino-Soviet split was the gradual worsening of relations between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) during the Cold War. This was primarily caused by divergences that arose from their ...
. The organization carved out a niche in the anti-Vietnam War movement, with its Worker Student Alliance faction acting as rivals to the
Revolutionary Youth Movement In the United States, the Revolutionary Youth Movement (RYM) was the section of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) that opposed the Worker Student Alliance of the Progressive Labor Party (United States), Progressive Labor Party (PLP). Most of ...
faction within
Students for a Democratic Society Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was a national student activist organization in the United States during the 1960s and was one of the principal representations of the New Left. Disdaining permanent leaders, hierarchical relationships a ...
, a part of which (RYM 1) later evolved into the
Weather Underground The Weather Underground was a far-left Marxist militant organization first active in 1969, founded on the Ann Arbor campus of the University of Michigan. Originally known as the Weathermen, or simply Weatherman, the group was organized as a f ...
.Dylan Matthews
"The Washington Post picked its top American Communists. Wonkblog begs to differ," ''Washington Post,'' Sept. 26, 2013.
/ref> The PLP made extensive use of
mass organization A communist front (or a mass organization in communist parlance) is a political organization identified as a front organization, allied with or under the effective control of a communist party, the Communist International or other communist organi ...
s (front groups) from its earliest years, through which it spread its ideas, raised funds and recruited new members."Staff Report" in ''Progressive Labor Party: Hearings...'' pg. 4135. Among these were the Student Committee for Travel to Cuba (1963–64), which organized travel to post-revolutionary
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
; the Harlem Defense Council (1964), organized in response to racially oriented rioting in Harlem; the May 2nd Movement (M2M, established 1964), organized in opposition to the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
; and other short-lived, issue-driven front groups. Early in its existence, PLP viewed black workers as the "key revolutionary force".


1970s

The PLP ended its previous political line supporting the
Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...
and broke with the
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
in the spring of 1971 with the publication of an internal discussion bulletin for party members detailing eight points of disagreement with the Chinese regime."Progressive Labor Party Line on Communist China," in House Internal Security Committee, ''Progressive Labor Party: Hearings..." pg. 4431. These related to the softening of China's foreign relations towards
Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
,
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
,
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
,
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
, and the United States, its "complete elevation of the
Black Panther Party The Black Panther Party (originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) was a Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist and Black Power movement, black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newto ...
as the revolutionary group in the United States" and its "total collusion with every nationalist fake the world over, from
Nasser Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was an Egyptian military officer and revolutionary who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 a ...
to Nkrumah". During the 1970s, the PLP began to shape its activity around racism in the United States, forming a mass organization called the Committee Against Racism (CAR).Harvey Klehr, "United States of America," in Richard F. Staar (ed.). '' Yearbook on International Communist Affairs, 1977.'' Stanford, CA: Hoover Institution Press, 1977; pp. 500-501. A CAR convention held in New York City in July 1976 drew 500 participants. The organization made use of aggressive
direct action Direct action is a term for economic and political behavior in which participants use agency—for example economic or physical power—to achieve their goals. The aim of direct action is to either obstruct a certain practice (such as a governm ...
tactics against its perceived opponents, disrupting presentations by the controversial psychologist Arthur Jensen and the physicist
William Shockley William Bradford Shockley ( ; February 13, 1910 – August 12, 1989) was an American solid-state physicist, electrical engineer, and inventor. He was the manager of a research group at Bell Labs that included John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brat ...
in the spring of 1976. The CAR were the most vocal of the hostile critics of the sociobiologist
E. O. Wilson Edward Osborne Wilson (June 10, 1929 – December 26, 2021) was an American biologist, naturalist, ecologist, and entomologist known for developing the field of sociobiology. Born in Alabama, Wilson found an early interest in nature and frequ ...
. The organization picketed in Harvard Square and handed out flyers calling for demonstrations against sociobiology, which in their view was being used to defend individuals and groups responsible for racism, war, and genocide. In 1977, the organization, now renamed the International Committee Against Racism (InCAR), made headlines by disrupting an academic conference by pouring a pitcher of water on Wilson's head while chanting "Wilson, you're all wet".


Structure

According to the constitution adopted at the time of the PLP's formation in 1965, membership was open to anyone at least 17 years old who accepted the program and policies of the party, paid dues and required assessments and subscribed to party publications."Staff Report" in ''Progressive Labor Party: Hearings...'' pg. 4131. Supreme authority within the organization was to be exerted by national conventions, held every two years. The convention was to elect a National Committee to handle matters of governance between conventions. The PLP's primary party unit was the "club", organized either on a shop, territorial, or functional basis. All party members were required to be active members of a club and bound by the principles of
democratic centralism Democratic centralism is the organisational principle of most communist parties, in which decisions are made by a process of vigorous and open debate amongst party membership, and are subsequently binding upon all members of the party. The co ...
, in which decisions of higher bodies were considered binding on participants in lower bodies. During the 1960s, new members were additionally required to undergo three months of ideological training, usually in small group settings in individual houses. Owing in part to the significant economic and extensive time requirements expected of its members, the PLP has since its inception been a small cadre organization, with an "estimated hard-core membership" of about 350 in 1970, supplemented by numerous sympathizers. Members during the 1960s were predominantly from white, middle-class backgrounds, shunned drug use, and tended "to dress neatly and wear short hair", according to a 1971 House Internal Security Committee staff report.


Publications

During the 1960s and 1970s, the PLP published a magazine called ''Progressive Labor,'' which first appeared as a monthly before shifting to quarterly and later bimonthly publication. The press run of ''Progressive Labor'' circa 1970 was approximately 10,000.Romerstein in ''Progressive Labor Party: Hearings...'' pg. 4055. The party also published '' Challenge,'' a publication likewise issued at changing intervals over the years.Pfaff in ''Progressive Labor Party: Hearings...'' pg. 4048. In 1970, the press run of this publication was approximately 75,000, according to the estimates of government investigators, with many of these copies unsold. ''Challenge'' remains in production today as a biweekly, issued under the same covers with its parallel
Spanish language Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...
counterpart ''Desafío.'' The PLP also produces a semiannual theoretical magazine, ''The Communist.'' During 1963 and 1964, the PLP also produced a theoretical magazine called ''Marxist-Leninist Quarterly.''"Staff Report" in ''Progressive Labor Party: Hearings...'' pg. 4133. This publication was terminated and merged with ''Progressive Labor'' magazine in 1965. A West Coast publication called ''Spark'' was also produced from 1965 until early 1968.


See also

* Bill Epton * Worker Student Alliance


Further reading

* Robert Jackson Alexander, ''Maoism in the Developed World.'' Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001. * Leigh David Benin, ''A Red Thread In Garment: Progressive Labor And New York City’s Industrial Heartland In The 1960s And 1970s.'' Ph.D. dissertation. New York University, 1997. * Leigh David Benin, ''The New Labor Radicalism and New York City's Garment Industry: Progressive Labor Insurgents During the 1960s.'' New York: Garland Publishing, 1999. * House Committee on Internal Security, ''Progressive Labor Party: Hearings Before the Committee on Internal Security, House of Representatives, Ninety-Second Congress, First Session: April 13, 14, and November 18, 1971 (Including Index).'' Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1972. * Progressive Labor Party
"The History of the Progressive Labor Party – Part One,"
''Progressive Labor,'' vol. 10, no. 1 (August–September 1975). * D.S. Sumner and R.S. Butler (Jim Dann and Hari Dillon). ''The Five Retreats: A History of the Failure of the Progressive Labor Party.'' Reconstruction Press, 1977. * Mary-Alice Waters, ''Maoism in the U.S.: A Critical History of the Progressive Labor Party.'' New York: Young Socialist Alliance, 1969.


Historic PLP publications

* Bill Epton, ''The Black Liberation Struggle (Within The Current World Struggle)''. Speech at Old Westbury College, February 26, 1976. Harlem: Black Liberation Press, 1976. * Bill Epton

New York: Progressive Labor Party, 1966. * Harlem Defense Council, ''Police Terror In Harlem''. NY: Harlem Defense Council, n.d. 964? * endy Nakashima ''Organize! Use Wendy Nakashima's campaign for assembly (69 a.d.) to fight back!''. Progressive Labor Party, New York. 966 * Progressive Labor Movement, ''Road to Revolution: The Outlook of the Progressive Labor Movement''. Brooklyn: Progressive Labor Movement, 1964. * Progressive Labor Party, ''Notes on Black Liberation.'' New York: Black Liberation Commission, Progressive Labor Party, 1965. * Progressive Labor Party, ''Smash the Bosses' Armed Forces. A Fighting Program for GIs..'' Brooklyn, NY: Progressive Labor Party, n.d. 969? * Progressive Labor Party, ''Revolution Today, USA: A Look at the Progressive Labor Movement and the Progressive Labor Party.'' New York: Exposition Press, 1970.


References


External links

*
Rise and Fall of the Anti-War Movement (Students for a Democratic Society, 1966-1974)

John Levin collection of political activism for the Progressive Labor Party, Yale University Beinecke Library
{{Authority control 1962 establishments in New York City Anti-revisionist organizations Stalinist parties Maoist parties in the United States Far-left politics in the United States Labor parties in the United States New Left Political parties established in 1962 Holodomor denial