Ray O. Light Group
Encyclopedia
Today, the Revolutionary Organization of Labor or Ray O. Light — a Maoist-oriented 1961 splinter group from the Communist Party USA
— takes several different positions within the Marxist-Leninist movement.
Contrary to the standard Maoist view of "two line struggle", which posits that a dialectical materialist
understanding of socialist relations of production
is characterized by struggle between a Marxist-Leninist line and a Right-revisionist line, ROL takes a position that it terms "three line struggle." Believing that the position of the Maoists in the Cultural Revolution
led to overlooking the danger of ultraleftism and "left"-revisionism, ROL argues that the Marxist-Leninist position is the center position which must struggle against both "left" and Right lines. For this reason, ROL sees China
as having deviated from Marxism-Leninism in 1966, the year the Cultural Revolution began.
Based on the criteria put forward by Joseph Stalin
in Marxism and the National Question http://ptb.sunhost.be/marx2mao/Stalin/MNQ12.html regarding what qualities make up a nation as well as on the theories of African American Communist, Harry Haywood
, Ray O. Light takes the position that there is an African American oppressed nation in the Black Belt Region of the United States with the right to self-determination and independence, and a substantial Chicano
national minority in the US Southwest. While this position on the national question is not altogether that unusual, it is the only Marxist group in the US to propose that there also exists something like an Appalachia
n oppressed nation.
ROL has no website of its own; its writings, both old and new, are hosted on mltranslations.org. ROL also does not seem to have much of an active public presence on the United States activist political scene. Nevertheless, because of its history, Ray O. Light considers itself an important group within the communist movement. It's close to the Communist Party of the Philippines
and has often been a participant or observer in the International Communist Seminar hosted every year by the Workers Party of Belgium
; it also regularly attends the International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations (International Newsletter)
.
This group puts so much emphasis on national liberation because it considers a substantial portion of the US working class
to be bought-off, that is, to be a part of the labor aristocracy
which benefits too much from imperialism
to have true revolutionary potential. It is noteworthy that this seems to be de-emphasized in their more recent writings. They consider the "main enemy of toiling humanity" to be imperialism, headed by US imperialism. They thus call for the unity of the economic anti-globalization movement
with the political anti-war movement on a firm anti-imperialist basis. ROL views the most important task for communists today to be refounding the Comintern
. In January 2008, the Ray O. Light group announced that the name of their organization was changed to the Revolutionary Organization of Labor.
Originally called Hammer & Steel (H&S) or, more infrequently, New England Party of Labor, they split from the CPUSA following Nikita Khrushchev
's Secret Speech to the 20th Congress of the CPSU
. After several name changes (Youth for Stalin in 1968 and Stalinist Workers Group for African-American Liberation & a New Communist International from 1969-1976) which reflect shifts in both composition and political line, they became the present Ray O. Light Group. Many of its members were Northern
Communists who came to the South
to organize. Hammer & Steel was a small editorial board which grew out of the struggle against what it saw as revisionism in the CPUSA. It criticized the CPUSA for liquidating the revolutionary line on the African American
national question, and for returning to a position of "American Exceptionalism" (by supporting the presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy
) which had previously been upheld by Earl Browder
. Though it was a small group, H&S was the only group to be attacked by name by Krushchev in his polemics against the Communist Party of China
(CPC) for siding with the CPC and Party of Labor of Albania (PLA) in the Sino-Soviet Split
. H&S was the only revolutionary group in the US to have a representative at the 5th Congress of the PLA in 1966. Hammer & Steel argued that there was a focal contradiction (see, contradiction
) around the oppressed peoples fighting for national liberation. This was reflected in the United States in the African American struggle for self-determination
.
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
— takes several different positions within the Marxist-Leninist movement.
Contrary to the standard Maoist view of "two line struggle", which posits that a dialectical materialist
Dialectical materialism
Dialectical materialism is a strand of Marxism synthesizing Hegel's dialectics. The idea was originally invented by Moses Hess and it was later developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels...
understanding of socialist relations of production
Relations of production
Relations of production is a concept frequently used by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in their theory of historical materialism, and in Das Kapital...
is characterized by struggle between a Marxist-Leninist line and a Right-revisionist line, ROL takes a position that it terms "three line struggle." Believing that the position of the Maoists in the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
led to overlooking the danger of ultraleftism and "left"-revisionism, ROL argues that the Marxist-Leninist position is the center position which must struggle against both "left" and Right lines. For this reason, ROL sees 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...
as having deviated from Marxism-Leninism in 1966, the year the Cultural Revolution began.
Based on the criteria put forward by Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
in Marxism and the National Question http://ptb.sunhost.be/marx2mao/Stalin/MNQ12.html regarding what qualities make up a nation as well as on the theories of African American Communist, Harry Haywood
Harry Haywood
Harry Haywood was a leading figure in both the Communist Party of the United States and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union . He contributed major theory to Marxist thinking on the national question of African Americans in the United States...
, Ray O. Light takes the position that there is an African American oppressed nation in the Black Belt Region of the United States with the right to self-determination and independence, and a substantial Chicano
Chicano
The terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
national minority in the US Southwest. While this position on the national question is not altogether that unusual, it is the only Marxist group in the US to propose that there also exists something like an Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
n oppressed nation.
ROL has no website of its own; its writings, both old and new, are hosted on mltranslations.org. ROL also does not seem to have much of an active public presence on the United States activist political scene. Nevertheless, because of its history, Ray O. Light considers itself an important group within the communist movement. It's close to the Communist Party of the Philippines
Communist Party of the Philippines
The Communist Party of the Philippines is a leading communist party in the Philippines. It remains an underground political organization since its founding on December 26, 1968 and has been operating in clandestine manner since its founding...
and has often been a participant or observer in the International Communist Seminar hosted every year by the Workers Party of Belgium
Workers Party of Belgium
The Workers' Party of Belgium is a Marxist political party in Belgium. It is one of the few parties that operates as a single Belgian party...
; it also regularly attends the International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations (International Newsletter)
International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations (International Newsletter)
The International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations is a grouping of parties and organizations adhering to Marxist-Leninist-Maoist thought...
.
This group puts so much emphasis on national liberation because it considers a substantial portion of the US working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
to be bought-off, that is, to be a part of the labor aristocracy
Labor aristocracy
"Labor aristocracy" or "Labour aristocracy" has three meanings: as a term with Marxist theoretical underpinnings, as a specific type of trade unionism, and/or as a shorthand description by revolutionary industrial unions for the...
which benefits too much from imperialism
Imperialism
Imperialism, as defined by Dictionary of Human Geography, is "the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationships, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination." The imperialism of the last 500 years,...
to have true revolutionary potential. It is noteworthy that this seems to be de-emphasized in their more recent writings. They consider the "main enemy of toiling humanity" to be imperialism, headed by US imperialism. They thus call for the unity of the economic anti-globalization movement
Anti-globalization movement
The anti-globalization movement, or counter-globalisation movement, is critical of the globalization of corporate capitalism. The movement is also commonly referred to as the global justice movement, alter-globalization movement, anti-globalist movement, anti-corporate globalization movement, or...
with the political anti-war movement on a firm anti-imperialist basis. ROL views the most important task for communists today to be refounding the Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
. In January 2008, the Ray O. Light group announced that the name of their organization was changed to the Revolutionary Organization of Labor.
Originally called Hammer & Steel (H&S) or, more infrequently, New England Party of Labor, they split from the CPUSA following Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
's Secret Speech to the 20th Congress of the CPSU
20th Congress of the CPSU
The 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was held during 14– 25 February 1956. It is known especially for Nikita Khrushchev's "Secret Speech", which denounced the personality cult and dictatorship of Joseph Stalin....
. After several name changes (Youth for Stalin in 1968 and Stalinist Workers Group for African-American Liberation & a New Communist International from 1969-1976) which reflect shifts in both composition and political line, they became the present Ray O. Light Group. Many of its members were Northern
Northern United States
Northern United States, also sometimes the North, may refer to:* A particular grouping of states or regions of the United States of America. The United States Census Bureau divides some of the northernmost United States into the Midwest Region and the Northeast Region...
Communists who came to the South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
to organize. Hammer & Steel was a small editorial board which grew out of the struggle against what it saw as revisionism in the CPUSA. It criticized the CPUSA for liquidating the revolutionary line on the African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
national question, and for returning to a position of "American Exceptionalism" (by supporting the presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
) which had previously been upheld by Earl Browder
Earl Browder
Earl Russell Browder was an American communist and General Secretary of the Communist Party USA from 1934 to 1945. He was expelled from the party in 1946.- Early years :...
. Though it was a small group, H&S was the only group to be attacked by name by Krushchev in his polemics against the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
(CPC) for siding with the CPC and Party of Labor of Albania (PLA) in the Sino-Soviet Split
Sino-Soviet split
In political science, the term Sino–Soviet split denotes the worsening of political and ideologic relations between the People's Republic of China and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during the Cold War...
. H&S was the only revolutionary group in the US to have a representative at the 5th Congress of the PLA in 1966. Hammer & Steel argued that there was a focal contradiction (see, contradiction
Contradiction
In classical logic, a contradiction consists of a logical incompatibility between two or more propositions. It occurs when the propositions, taken together, yield two conclusions which form the logical, usually opposite inversions of each other...
) around the oppressed peoples fighting for national liberation. This was reflected in the United States in the African American struggle for self-determination
Self-determination
Self-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...
.