Revolutionary Marxist Group was a

Trotskyist Trotskyism (, ) is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Russian revolutionary and intellectual Leon Trotsky along with some other members of the Left Opposition and the Fourth International. Trotsky described himself as an ...

organisation in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

during the 1970s.

Origins

Its origins lay in the 1971 split of

United Secretariat of the Fourth International The Fourth International (FI), founded in 1938, is a Trotskyist international. Following a ten-year schism, in 1963 the majorities of the two public factions of the Fourth International, the International Secretariat of the Fourth Internationa ...

(USFI) supporters from the

League for a Workers Republic The League for a Workers' Republic (LWR) was a Trotskyist organisation in Ireland. Foundation It was founded in 1968 by members of the Irish Workers' Group, which was mainly centred on Irish emigrants to Britain and was itself the result of ...

. Many of the initial group had formerly been in the Young Socialists, along with some others who attended discussion meetings (such as Charlie Bird and Butch Roche) but who tended to drop off later when the RMG name was adopted and

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 ...

set in. In 1972, they joined with a loose grouping in Belfast to form the Revolutionary Marxist Group, mainly under the influence of D.R. O'Connor Lysaght (known as Rayner Lysaght) and Anne Speed, Brendan Kelly, Betty Purcell. In 1974, the organisation affiliated to the USFI.Robert Jackson Anderson, ''International Trotskyism, 1929-1985'' The RMG campaigned against

internment Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without Criminal charge, charges or Indictment, intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects ...

in Northern Ireland and took part in several public protests against it.

Journal

The theoretical journal of the group was ''Marxist Review''. The group focused on supporting a

united Ireland United Ireland (), also referred to as Irish reunification or a ''New Ireland'', is the proposition that all of Ireland should be a single sovereign state. At present, the island is divided politically: the sovereign state of Ireland (legally ...

and on gaining influence in the

student movement Student activism or campus activism is work by students to cause political, environmental, economic, or social change. In addition to education, student groups often play central roles in democratization and winning civil rights. Modern stu ...

. The RMG rejected the

Éire Nua Éire Nua, or "New Ireland", was a proposal supported by the Provisional IRA and Sinn Féin during the 1970s and early 1980s for a Federation, federal United Ireland. The proposal was particularly associated with the Dublin-based leadership group ...

plan put forward by

Ruairí Ó Brádaigh Ruairí Ó Brádaigh (; born Peter Roger Casement Brady; 2 October 1932 – 5 June 2013) was an Irish republican political and military leader. He was Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) from 1958 to 1959 and again from 1960 to 196 ...

and

Dáithí Ó Conaill Dáithí Ó Conaill (English: ''David O'Connell''; May 1938 – 1 January 1991) was an Irish republican, a member of the IRA Army Council of the Provisional IRA, and vice-president of Sinn Féin and Republican Sinn Féin. He was also the firs ...

, arguing EN was "too tied to the

bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and aristocracy. They are traditionally contrasted wi ...

". ''Marxist Review'' also criticised the ideas advocated by the conservative Irish writer

Desmond Fennell Desmond Carolan Fennell (29 June 1929 – 16 July 2021) was an Irish writer, essayist, cultural philosopher, and linguist. Throughout his career, Fennell repeatedly departed from prevailing norms. In the 1950s and early 1960s, with his extensi ...

, arguing that "Fennellism" is essentially

idealistic Idealism in philosophy, also known as philosophical realism or metaphysical idealism, is the set of metaphysical perspectives asserting that, most fundamentally, reality is equivalent to mind, spirit, or consciousness; that reality is entir ...

and ultra-clerical".Robert Dorn, "A New Ireland or Fennell's "Third Reich"?" in ''Marxist Review'', January/February, 1973, (pp. 4-5, 34). They also accused Fennell of being anti-feminist and anti-trade union.

Views

The RMG was strongly pro-

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

, and RMG members took part in the "Irishwomen United" group in 1976, along with members of People's Democracy and the

Irish Republican Socialist Party The Irish Republican Socialist Party or IRSP () is a minor communist, Marxist–Leninist and Irish republican party in Ireland. It is often referred to as the "political wing" of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) paramilitary group. ...

. "Irishwomen United" was a left-wing,

anti-clerical Anti-clericalism is opposition to religious authority, typically in social or political matters. Historically, anti-clericalism in Christian traditions has been opposed to the influence of Catholicism. Anti-clericalism is related to secularism, ...

radical feminist Radical feminism is a perspective within feminism that calls for a radical re-ordering of society in which male supremacy is eliminated in all social and economic contexts, while recognizing that women's experiences are also affected by other ...

group that called for the legalisation of contraception and abortion, equal pay for Irish women, and secular community-controlled schools.Yvonne Galligan,''Women and Politics in Contemporary Ireland: from the margins to the mainstream''. Continuum International Publishing Group, 1998 (pg.55)

Change

In 1976, the group changed its name to the Movement for a Socialist Republic. Between 1977 and 1978 the MSR began fusion talks with People's Democracy. In November 1978 the two groups fused, adopting the name People's Democracy. In 1981 People's Democracy was recognised as the Irish Section of the Fourth International.

Publications

* ''Towards a History of the

Communist Party of Ireland The Communist Party of Ireland (CPI) is a Marxist–Leninist party, founded in 1970 and active in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland following a merger of the Irish Workers' Party and the Communist Party of Northern Ireland. It ra ...

'' by Donal Raynor O'Connor Lysaght (1972). Dublin; Revolutionary Marxist Group. * '' The E.E.C. and Ireland'' (1972) Dublin : Plough Book Service for Revolutionary Marxist Group. * ''Irish Nationalism and British Imperialism'' by Robert Dorn (1973). Dublin; Plough Book Service for Revolutionary Marxist Group. * ''The Irish national question and the Communist Party : a contribution to the discussion on Stalinism'' by Robert Dorn. Dublin; Revolutionary Marxist Group. * ''Women in Ireland, their oppression, their struggle'' (1973). Dublin; Plough Book Service for Revolutionary Marxist Group. * ''May Day manifesto of the Fourth International'' (1973) Dublin; Revolutionary Marxist Group. * ''British Strategy in Northern Ireland, from the White Paper to the fall of Sunningdale'' (1975) Dublin; Plough Book Service for Revolutionary Marxist Group. * ''What is Trotskyism?'' by

Ernest Mandel Ernest Ezra Mandel (; 5 April 1923 – 20 July 1995), also known by various pseudonyms such as Ernest Germain, Pierre Gousset, Henri Vallin, Walter, was a Belgian Marxian economist, Trotskyist activist and theorist, and Holocaust survivor. He f ...

(Reprint) (1975). Dublin : Plough Book Service for Revolutionary Marxist Group. * ''End of a Liberal: The Literary Politics of

Conor Cruise O'Brien Donal Conor David Dermot Donat Cruise O'Brien (3 November 1917 – 18 December 2008), often nicknamed "The Cruiser", was an Irish diplomat, politician, writer, historian and academic, who served as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs from 1973 ...

''. D. R. O'Connor Lysaght, Dublin, Plough Books (Movement for a Socialist Republic),

976 Year 976 ( CMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * January 10 – Emperor John I Tzimiskes dies at Constantinople, after returning from a second campaign against ...

* ''Socialist Opposition in Eastern Europe :

Czechoslovakia 1968 ''Czechoslovakia 1968'' (also known as ''Czechoslovakia 1918-1968'') is a 1969 short documentary film about the "Prague Spring", the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia. The film was produced by the United States Information Agency (USIA) und ...

: Workers and Students''. Jan Kavan. Dublin : Movement for a Socialist Republic 975? * ''South Africa Erupts.'' Dublin : Movement for a Socialist Republic, 1976. * ''Students and the education crisis : a socialist analysis.'' Dublin : Movement for a Socialist Republic,

* ''Three years later: Chile 1976''. Norman Gamboa. ublin?: Movement for a Socialist Republic, 1976. * ''Legalised internment: how "justice" works in the 6 counties.'' Belfast : Peoples Democracy with the Movement for a Socialist Republic, 1977. * ''The Autonomy of the Women's Movement''. Dublin, Women's Commission, Movement for a Socialist Republic, 1977.

References

{{Authority control 1978 disestablishments in Ireland Feminist organisations in Ireland Fourth International (post-reunification) Political parties established in 1972 Socialist feminist organizations Trotskyist organisations in Ireland