Fourth International Posadist
Encyclopedia
The Fourth International Posadist is a Trotskyist political international
. It was founded in 1962 by J. Posadas
, who had been the leader of the Latin America Bureau of the Fourth International
in the 1950s, and of the Fourth International's section in Argentina
.
Posadism as an ideology, supports the potential for Third World
revolution, is enthusiastic about nuclear war
and space exploration by the former USSR and the People's Republic of China
, has an esoteric concern for "harmonisation" and "man's relationship to the earth, to nature and to the cosmos", based upon an original methodology of analysis of working class culture developed by J. Posadas.
Some detractors have made allegations that the Posadists believe in a new age doctrine based upon amillenarial belief in UFO
s coming from a socialist future or alien socialist planet. and that fringe science
experiments involving dolphin
s and water birth
are also popular themes among Posadas' followers. Yet, the Colombian section of the Posadist International denies this as an "attempt by the Colombian media to smear us".
When the FI split in 1953 Posadas and his followers sided with Michel Pablo
and the International Secretariat of the Fourth International. The Posadists began quarrelling with the majority of the ISFI in 1959 over the question of nuclear war
with Posadas being a proponent as, he claimed, it would destroy capitalism
and clear the way for socialism. The Posadists finally split with the ISFI in 1962 to form the Fourth International (Posadist). The group initially had a following in several countries, particularly among railway workers in Cuba
, tin workers in Bolivia
and farm workers in Brazil
. At its peak in the late 1960s the Posadists had approximately 1,000 members worldwide.
There was a significant Posadist group in Cuba
. Posadist guerrillas
fought alongside Castro
and Che Guevara
in the 1959 revolution
. When the Posadists split from the Fourth International
in 1962 they took the Cuban section with them leaving meaning no other Trotskyist group was represented in Cuba in the 1960s.
The Posadist group was accused by Soviet-friendly forces in Cuba of arguing that the Cuban government should forcibly expel the American military base at Guantanamo Bay
and of trying to organise workers in the town of Guantánamo
to march on the nearby military base. That was taken as a justificiation by the government for imposing a ban on them, Castro denonuncing their influence as "pestilential" at the Tricontinental Congress held in January 1966. Cuban Posadists went on to claim that Castro had Guevara killed when, it turned out, he was actually in Bolivia fighting with the guerrilla movement there. Conversely, after Guevara was executed by Bolivian authorities, Posadas claimed in 1967 that Che Guevara wasn't actually dead but was being kept in prison by Castro's government.
In the late 1960s the Posadists became increasingly interested in UFO
s claiming they were evidence of socialism on other planets. The movement became increasingly esoteric and New Age
. The Posadist movement declined until Posadas' death in 1981 after which the movement largely collapsed.
The Fourth International Posadist claims the following parties as members. It is unknown how many of these organisations still exist or how many members they have. However it is unlikely there are more than a hundred members of the Posadist movement throughout the world.
Political international
A political international is a trans-national organisation of political parties or activists. The international works together on points of agreement to co-ordinate activity....
. It was founded in 1962 by J. Posadas
J. Posadas
J. Posadas , was the pseudonym of Homero Rómulo Cristalli Frasnelli, an Argentine Trotskyist whose personal vision is usually described as Posadism.-Early life:...
, who had been the leader of the Latin America Bureau of the Fourth International
Fourth International
The Fourth International is the communist international organisation consisting of followers of Leon Trotsky , with the declared dedicated goal of helping the working class bring about socialism...
in the 1950s, and of the Fourth International's section in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
Posadism as an ideology, supports the potential for Third World
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
revolution, is enthusiastic about nuclear war
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
and space exploration by the former USSR and the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, has an esoteric concern for "harmonisation" and "man's relationship to the earth, to nature and to the cosmos", based upon an original methodology of analysis of working class culture developed by J. Posadas.
Some detractors have made allegations that the Posadists believe in a new age doctrine based upon amillenarial belief in UFO
Unidentified flying object
A term originally coined by the military, an unidentified flying object is an unusual apparent anomaly in the sky that is not readily identifiable to the observer as any known object...
s coming from a socialist future or alien socialist planet. and that fringe science
Fringe science
Fringe science is scientific inquiry in an established field of study that departs significantly from mainstream or orthodox theories, and is classified in the "fringes" of a credible mainstream academic discipline....
experiments involving dolphin
Dolphin
Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
s and water birth
Water birth
Water birth is a method of giving birth, which involves immersion in warm water. The immersion can mean giving birth to the infant in the water or using it as a tool during the labor process. Proponents believe that this method is safe and provides many benefits for both mother and infant,...
are also popular themes among Posadas' followers. Yet, the Colombian section of the Posadist International denies this as an "attempt by the Colombian media to smear us".
When the FI split in 1953 Posadas and his followers sided with Michel Pablo
Michel Pablo
Michel Pablo was the pseudonym of Michalis N. Raptis , a Trotskyist leader of Greek origin.- Early activism :...
and the International Secretariat of the Fourth International. The Posadists began quarrelling with the majority of the ISFI in 1959 over the question of nuclear war
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
with Posadas being a proponent as, he claimed, it would destroy capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
and clear the way for socialism. The Posadists finally split with the ISFI in 1962 to form the Fourth International (Posadist). The group initially had a following in several countries, particularly among railway workers in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, tin workers in Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and farm workers in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. At its peak in the late 1960s the Posadists had approximately 1,000 members worldwide.
There was a significant Posadist group in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. Posadist guerrillas
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
fought alongside Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
and Che Guevara
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
in the 1959 revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
. When the Posadists split from the Fourth International
Fourth International
The Fourth International is the communist international organisation consisting of followers of Leon Trotsky , with the declared dedicated goal of helping the working class bring about socialism...
in 1962 they took the Cuban section with them leaving meaning no other Trotskyist group was represented in Cuba in the 1960s.
The Posadist group was accused by Soviet-friendly forces in Cuba of arguing that the Cuban government should forcibly expel the American military base at Guantanamo Bay
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base is located on of land and water at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba which the United States leased for use as a coaling station following the Cuban-American Treaty of 1903. The base is located on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the oldest overseas...
and of trying to organise workers in the town of Guantánamo
Guantánamo
Guantánamo is a municipality and city in southeast Cuba and capital of Guantánamo Province.Guantánamo is served by the Caimanera port and the site of a famous U.S. Naval base. The area produces sugarcane and cotton wool...
to march on the nearby military base. That was taken as a justificiation by the government for imposing a ban on them, Castro denonuncing their influence as "pestilential" at the Tricontinental Congress held in January 1966. Cuban Posadists went on to claim that Castro had Guevara killed when, it turned out, he was actually in Bolivia fighting with the guerrilla movement there. Conversely, after Guevara was executed by Bolivian authorities, Posadas claimed in 1967 that Che Guevara wasn't actually dead but was being kept in prison by Castro's government.
In the late 1960s the Posadists became increasingly interested in UFO
Unidentified flying object
A term originally coined by the military, an unidentified flying object is an unusual apparent anomaly in the sky that is not readily identifiable to the observer as any known object...
s claiming they were evidence of socialism on other planets. The movement became increasingly esoteric and New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
. The Posadist movement declined until Posadas' death in 1981 after which the movement largely collapsed.
The Fourth International Posadist claims the following parties as members. It is unknown how many of these organisations still exist or how many members they have. However it is unlikely there are more than a hundred members of the Posadist movement throughout the world.
- ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
- Revolutionary Workers' Party - Posadist (Partido Obrero Revolucionario - Posadista) - BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
- Revolutionary Worker's Party - Trotskyist (Parti Ouvrier Rйvolutionnaire - Trotskiste) - BoliviaBoliviaBolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
- Revolutionary Workers' Party (Trotskyist Posadist) (Partido Obrero Revolucionario (Trotskista Posadista)) - BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
- Brazilian Section of the Trotskyist-Posadist IVth International (Seзгo Brasileira da IV Internacional Trotskista-Posadista) - BritainUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
- Revolutionary Workers' Party (Trotskyist)Revolutionary Workers' Party (Trotskyist)The Revolutionary Workers' Party is a socialist political party in the United Kingdom, based in Birmingham.It was founded in 1962 by members of the Revolutionary Socialist League who supported the Fourth International of J. Posadas when it split from the International Secretariat of the Fourth... - ChileChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
- Revolutionary Workers' Party (Posadist) (Partido Obrero Revolucionario (Posadista)) - ColombiaColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
- Posadist Trotskyist Workers Party (Partido Obrero Trotskista Posadista) - FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- Revolutionary Communist Party (Trotskyist) (Parti Communiste Rйvolutionnaire (Trotskyiste)) - GreeceGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
- Revolutionary Communist Party-Posadists (Epanastatiko Kommounistiko Komma-Posadistes) - ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
- Revolutionary Communist Party (Trotskyist-Posadist) (Partito Comunista Rivoluzionario (Trotzkista-Posadista)) - SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
- Revolutionary Worker's Party (Trotskyist-Posadist) (Partido Obrero Revolucionario (Trotskista-Posadista)) - UruguayUruguayUruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
- Revolutionary Workers Party Trotskyist-PosadistRevolutionary Workers Party Trotskyist-PosadistThe Revolutionary Workers Party Trotskyist-Posadist was a small Trotskyist political party in Bolivia....
(Partido Obrero Revolucionario (Trotskista-Posadista)) - USA - Revolutionary Workers Party (Trotskyist-Posadist)
Defunct
- CubaCubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
- Revolutionary Workers' Party (Partido Obrero Revolucionario (Trotskista)) - GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- Posadist Communist Party (Posadistische Kommunistische Partei) - MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
- Revolutionary Workers' Party (Partido Obrero Revolucionario (Trotskista)) - PeruPeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
- Revolutionary Workers' Party (Partido Obrero Revolucionario (Trotskista))