What Is the Progressive Labor Party?
During the early 1960s, conflict within the ranks of the Communist Party of the United States led to the creation of the Progressive Labor Party. The party sees itself as a movement for true communist revolution, advocating collective rule of society by the working class. The party also denounces capitalism as racist, sexist and imperialist.
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Identification
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The Progressive Labor Party is a communist political party based in the United States, with headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. Its logo shows a raised fist against the background of a single star. The size of its membership is unknown.
History
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Internal struggles within the Communist Party of the United States of America led to the formation of the Progressive Labor Party in 1961. Organizers of the new party felt the leadership of the Communist Party USA had lost its dedication to communist revolution and had become instead another tool of American capitalist interests. The leadership of the Progressive Labor Party also contends that the Soviet Union and China betrayed true communism and that the socialism of those countries failed to destroy the capitalist system.
Features
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The manifesto of the Progressive Labor Party, printed in "The Communist," brands capitalism "wage slavery" and pledges in its manifesto to destroy it and replace it with a communist system. For the Progressive Labor Party, communism means collective sharing of society's benefits, abolishing racism, ending the oppression of women, abolishing nationalism and instituting rule by the working class.
Effects
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The communist view, as articulated by the Progressive Labor Party, is that capitalism fosters wars, racism and sexism. The May 2010 issue of "Challenge" identifies capitalism as a driving force behind global warming and contends that communism will create a sustainable planet.
Function
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To publicize its anti-capitalist and anti-racist stance, as well as its support for communist revolution, the Progressive Labor Party publishes a quarterly magazine, "The Communist," and a biweekly newspaper, "Challenge." It also holds marches and rallies, especially an annual May 1 rally to celebrate May Day, the international working class holiday.
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- Photo Credit red communism sign image by Alexey Klementiev from Fotolia.com
