Workers Party, USA
Encyclopedia
Not to be confused with the defunct Trotskyist party, Workers Party (U.S.).
The Workers Party is a small left-wing political party
in the United States
. Based in Chicago
, Illinois
, the Workers Party stands on a platform of anti-imperialism
and anti-capitalism
, and publishes a biweekly newspaper The Worker. The leading party member and editor of The Worker was Michael Thorburn until his death of liver failure on June 12, 2007.
. Its leader was Michael Thorburn (late First Secretary of the WPUSA). Its main organ was the Voice Against War and Imperialism. Out of this came the Marxist-Leninist Workers Organization. It was allied with other orthodox Marxist-Leninist political parties in the Americas
and Europe
, although not officially with the Party of Labor of Albania, with which it allied itself politically and ideologically. Late in 1992, the organizing conference of the Workers Party USA was held in Chicago, attended by 30 to 50 people, some of whom became party members and others of whom were supporters of the party's theory, political agenda and goals.
s and for retired workers to live in dignity; the right to free and equal education
at all levels (including child care and university education); the right to housing
, shelter and food
.
should be reformed such that the decision-making power would be placed in the hands of the people. All political privileges should be abolished; mechanisms which guarantee the masses of the people the right to participate fully and directly in the political process and in governance
should be created.
s, including NATO; and end must be put to the militarization of U.S. society and American interference and intervention against other countries in any form, including by economic, diplomatic, political and military means.
The Workers Party is a small left-wing political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Based in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, the Workers Party stands on a platform of anti-imperialism
Anti-imperialism
Anti-imperialism, strictly speaking, is a term that may be applied to a movement opposed to any form of colonialism or imperialism. Anti-imperialism includes opposition to wars of conquest, particularly of non-contiguous territory or people with a different language or culture; it also includes...
and anti-capitalism
Anti-capitalism
Anti-capitalism describes a wide variety of movements, ideas, and attitudes which oppose capitalism. Anti-capitalists, in the strict sense of the word, are those who wish to completely replace capitalism with another system....
, and publishes a biweekly newspaper The Worker. The leading party member and editor of The Worker was Michael Thorburn until his death of liver failure on June 12, 2007.
History
The Workers Party USA had its origin in an organization called the Marxist-Leninist Study Group, based in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Its leader was Michael Thorburn (late First Secretary of the WPUSA). Its main organ was the Voice Against War and Imperialism. Out of this came the Marxist-Leninist Workers Organization. It was allied with other orthodox Marxist-Leninist political parties in the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, although not officially with the Party of Labor of Albania, with which it allied itself politically and ideologically. Late in 1992, the organizing conference of the Workers Party USA was held in Chicago, attended by 30 to 50 people, some of whom became party members and others of whom were supporters of the party's theory, political agenda and goals.
Youth and Students for a Democratic Foreign Policy
The WP USA supports a student group called Youth and Students for a Democratic Foreign Policy (YSDFP). YSDFP hold public meetings on various college campuses in the Chicago area. Thorburn was often the main speaker in these meetings. The YSDFP call for the formation of a peace party. They recognize the sovereignty of every country and the right of every nation to independence. They call for the withdrawal of all U.S. troops stationed abroad, including an immediate withdrawal from Iraq and the removal of U.S. troops from South Korea. They support North Korea's defense of its sovereignty against U.S. aggression.Guaranteeing the Economic and Other Inviolable Rights of the People
This includes the right to a secure job or high standard; the right to comprehensive and free medical care; the right to secure pensionPension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
s and for retired workers to live in dignity; the right to free and equal education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
at all levels (including child care and university education); the right to housing
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
, shelter and food
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
.
Democratic Renewal
The political systemPolitical system
A political system is a system of politics and government. It is usually compared to the legal system, economic system, cultural system, and other social systems...
should be reformed such that the decision-making power would be placed in the hands of the people. All political privileges should be abolished; mechanisms which guarantee the masses of the people the right to participate fully and directly in the political process and in governance
Governance
Governance is the act of governing. It relates to decisions that define expectations, grant power, or verify performance. It consists of either a separate process or part of management or leadership processes...
should be created.
Democratic Foreign Policy
The party calls for withdrawal of all American troops abroad; the U.S. should withdraw from all aggressive military pacts and allianceAlliance
An alliance is an agreement or friendship between two or more parties, made in order to advance common goals and to secure common interests.See also military alliance and business alliance.-International relations:...
s, including NATO; and end must be put to the militarization of U.S. society and American interference and intervention against other countries in any form, including by economic, diplomatic, political and military means.
Party organ
Its current organ, The Worker, carries articles concerning contemporary issues. Some of them are editorial pieces signed by "Bill Foster", a name taken from William Z. Foster, the legendary leader of the Communist Party of the USA in the 1930s and 1940s. This was a favored sobriquet of Mr. Thorburn when he wished to make personal comments on the struggle without using his influence as the editor of The Worker or the leader of the WPUSA as a means of influencing the readers. It has since been adopted by the party leader, or by the editor of The Worker for similar purposes.Other American parties known by the same name
- Workers Party of AmericaWorkers Party of AmericaThe Workers Party of America was the name of the legal party organization used by the Communist Party USA from the last days of 1921 until the middle of 1929. As a legal political party the Workers Party accepted affiliation from independent socialist groups such as the African Blood Brotherhood,...
, 1921–1929 (known as "Workers (Communist) Party of America" from mid-1925) - American Workers PartyAmerican Workers PartyThe American Workers Party was a socialist organization established in December 1933 by activists in the Conference for Progressive Labor Action, a group headed by A.J. Muste.-Formation:...
, 1933–1934 - Workers Party of the United StatesWorkers Party of the United StatesThe Workers Party of the United States was established in December 1934 by a merger of the American Workers Party led by A.J. Muste and the Trotskyist Communist League of America led by James P. Cannon. The party was dissolved in 1936 when its members entered the Socialist Party of America en...
, 1934 - Workers PartyWorkers Party (US)Not to be confused with the modern Marxist-Leninist party, Workers Party, USA.The Workers Party was a Third Camp Trotskyist group in the United States. It was founded in April 1940 by members of the Socialist Workers Party who opposed the Soviet invasion of Finland. They included Max Shachtman,...
, 1940–1949. - American Communist Party