World Socialist Movement
Encyclopedia
The World Socialist Movement (WSM) is an international organisation of affiliated socialist parties created in 1904 with the founding of the Socialist Party of Great Britain
. The parties share a common orthodox socialist perspective, therefore in contrast to Social democratic parties, the WSM member parties do not form blocs or coalitions with other socialist parties that do not share their orthodoxy; and in contrast to Leninist Communist parties, they do not engage in revolutionary activities spearheaded by a Vanguard. They do however stand in elections on occasion indeed it is their believe that sending delegates to parliament as in their opinion it is a useful tool within the socialist revolution, this places them within the context of Marxism and therefore distinguishes them from many anarchist organisations that may support the idea of socialism as the WSM sees it but not the Marxist tactics they propose. The focus of the WSM member parties is to proliferate the ideas of socialism, correct misconceptions regarding socialism, to make people aware of the structural issues inherent to capitalism
and to facilitate open debate regarding the future organization of society.
The WSM takes the position that capitalism
is a regressive, backwards system given humanity's current level of technological and economic development, and that regardless of how progressive capitalism becomes, it cannot meet the needs of the majority of the population. The WSM as an organisation does not participate in labor union activity, social activism or "progressive" movements although individual members may and are permitted to do so, so long as they remain within the context of economic/social rather than political activism. The WSM perceives such activity (such as support for organized labor unions) to be within the scope of the current capitalist system, and therefore insufficient for bringing about fundamental change in the structure of society because the demands of such activities are to reform capitalism. The WSM is differentiated from the majority of socialist parties that have become defined by their strategy, immediate demands, and in the case of Social democratic parties, preoccupied with gaining and maintaining political office, adopting capitalist perspectives in the process.
The WSM defines socialism in its classical formulation as a "system of society based upon the common ownership and democratic control of the means and instruments for producing and distributing wealth by and in the interest of the community". Socialism is characterized as a stateless
, property
less, post-monetary economy
based on calculation in kind
, a free association of producers (workplace democracy
) and free access to goods and services produced solely for use and not for exchange.
The WSM takes an anti-Leninist stance, arguing that a Vanguard party
and single-party state is antithetical to the development of socialism and prone to corruption. The WSM believes that socialism can only be achieved through mass support for socialism and educating the public toward that end, and neither promotes nor opposes political reforms of capitalism (such as social democracy
), criticizing such reforms as being ineffective at promoting a fundamental restructuring of society toward socialism. The WSM is also opposed to a transition stage between capitalism and socialism, such as "market socialism
", arguing that such is no longer necessary given modern technology.
World Socialist was a bi-annual journal that was produced by the international from 1983 to 1987 and the international's only publication to date.
The following parties were at one time companion parties of the WSM but have since disaffiliated or been expelled:
A group used to exist in Sweden
, with the name Världsocialistiska gruppen.
Socialist Party of Great Britain
The Socialist Party of Great Britain , is a small Marxist political party within the impossibilist tradition. It is best known for its advocacy of using the ballot box for revolutionary purposes; opposition to reformism; and its early adoption of the theory of state capitalism to describe the...
. The parties share a common orthodox socialist perspective, therefore in contrast to Social democratic parties, the WSM member parties do not form blocs or coalitions with other socialist parties that do not share their orthodoxy; and in contrast to Leninist Communist parties, they do not engage in revolutionary activities spearheaded by a Vanguard. They do however stand in elections on occasion indeed it is their believe that sending delegates to parliament as in their opinion it is a useful tool within the socialist revolution, this places them within the context of Marxism and therefore distinguishes them from many anarchist organisations that may support the idea of socialism as the WSM sees it but not the Marxist tactics they propose. The focus of the WSM member parties is to proliferate the ideas of socialism, correct misconceptions regarding socialism, to make people aware of the structural issues inherent to 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 to facilitate open debate regarding the future organization of society.
Overview
The World Socialist Movement's positions are solely based on the establishment of socialism; and nothing else unrelated to socialism, including social activism or campaigning for non-socialist, but socially progressive causes that are irrelevant to socialism as a distinct system from capitalism.The WSM takes the position that 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...
is a regressive, backwards system given humanity's current level of technological and economic development, and that regardless of how progressive capitalism becomes, it cannot meet the needs of the majority of the population. The WSM as an organisation does not participate in labor union activity, social activism or "progressive" movements although individual members may and are permitted to do so, so long as they remain within the context of economic/social rather than political activism. The WSM perceives such activity (such as support for organized labor unions) to be within the scope of the current capitalist system, and therefore insufficient for bringing about fundamental change in the structure of society because the demands of such activities are to reform capitalism. The WSM is differentiated from the majority of socialist parties that have become defined by their strategy, immediate demands, and in the case of Social democratic parties, preoccupied with gaining and maintaining political office, adopting capitalist perspectives in the process.
The WSM defines socialism in its classical formulation as a "system of society based upon the common ownership and democratic control of the means and instruments for producing and distributing wealth by and in the interest of the community". Socialism is characterized as a stateless
Sovereign state
A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...
, property
Property
Property is any physical or intangible entity that is owned by a person or jointly by a group of people or a legal entity like a corporation...
less, post-monetary economy
Post-capitalism
Post-capitalism refers to any hypothetical future economic system that is to supersede capitalism as the dominant form of economic organization.-Post-capitalist systems:There have been a number of proposals for a new economic system to replace capitalism...
based on calculation in kind
Calculation in kind
Calculation in kind is a type of accounting based on physical magnitudes and physical quantities rather than a common unit of accounting for economic calculation. Calculation in kind, or valueless calculation, is often described as the form of calculation that would supersede monetary calculation...
, a free association of producers (workplace democracy
Workplace democracy
Workplace democracy is the application of democracy in all its forms to the workplace....
) and free access to goods and services produced solely for use and not for exchange.
The WSM takes an anti-Leninist stance, arguing that a Vanguard party
Vanguard party
A vanguard party is a political party at the forefront of a mass action, movement, or revolution. The idea of a vanguard party has its origins in the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels...
and single-party state is antithetical to the development of socialism and prone to corruption. The WSM believes that socialism can only be achieved through mass support for socialism and educating the public toward that end, and neither promotes nor opposes political reforms of capitalism (such as social democracy
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
), criticizing such reforms as being ineffective at promoting a fundamental restructuring of society toward socialism. The WSM is also opposed to a transition stage between capitalism and socialism, such as "market socialism
Market socialism
Market socialism refers to various economic systems where the means of production are either publicly owned or cooperatively owned and operated for a profit in a market economy. The profit generated by the firms system would be used to directly remunerate employees or would be the source of public...
", arguing that such is no longer necessary given modern technology.
World Socialist was a bi-annual journal that was produced by the international from 1983 to 1987 and the international's only publication to date.
Affiliated Parties
All the parties, except the Austrian BDS, began as offshoots from the Socialist Party of Great Britain; WSM members in countries without a companion party of their own are as a rule SPGB members. It is made up of the following parties:- Socialist Party of Great BritainSocialist Party of Great BritainThe Socialist Party of Great Britain , is a small Marxist political party within the impossibilist tradition. It is best known for its advocacy of using the ballot box for revolutionary purposes; opposition to reformism; and its early adoption of the theory of state capitalism to describe the...
- World Socialist Party of Australia
- Socialist Party of CanadaSocialist Party of CanadaThere have been two different but related political parties in Canada that called themselves the Socialist Party of Canada . The current Socialist Party is an electorally inactive and unregistered federal political party in Canada...
- World Socialist Party (Ireland)
- World Socialist Party (New Zealand)World Socialist Party (New Zealand)The World Socialist Party of New Zealand is a political party in New Zealand. It is revolutionary and anti-Leninist. It was founded in 1930 as the Socialist Party of New Zealand....
- World Socialist Party of the United StatesWorld Socialist Party of the United StatesThe World Socialist Party of the United States is a socialist political organization established in Detroit, Michigan as the Socialist Party of the United States in 1916 and which operated as the Socialist Educational Society in the 1920s and later the Workers' Socialist Party...
The following parties were at one time companion parties of the WSM but have since disaffiliated or been expelled:
- Bund Demokratischer Sozialisten (Austria)
- World Socialist Party of IndiaWorld Socialist Party of IndiaFounded in March 1995 in Calcutta by members of the Marxist International Correspondence Circle in collaboration with the Bengali language journal Lal Pataka group having broken away from the Communist Party of India in 1982, the World Socialist Party inaugurated on 1–3 March 1995 in the...
(1995-2003)
A group used to exist in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, with the name Världsocialistiska gruppen.
See also
- Scientific SocialismScientific SocialismScientific socialism is the term used by Friedrich Engels to describe the social-political-economic theory first pioneered by Karl Marx. The purported reason why this socialism is "scientific socialism" is because its theories are held to an empirical standard, observations are essential to its...
- Socialism (Marxism)Socialism (Marxism)In Marxist theory, socialism, or the socialist mode of production, refers to a specific historical phase of economic development and its corresponding set of social relations that eventually supersede capitalism...
- Libertarian socialismLibertarian socialismLibertarian socialism is a group of political philosophies that promote a non-hierarchical, non-bureaucratic, stateless society without private property in the means of production...
- Anti-LeninismAnti-LeninismAnti-Leninism is the opposition to thought known as Leninism or Bolshevism.-Opposition from Marxists:Opposition to Leninism can be traced back to the split in the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party into the Menshevik and Bolshevik factions at the 2nd Congress of the RSDLP...
- Left communismLeft communismLeft communism is the range of communist viewpoints held by the communist left, which criticizes the political ideas of the Bolsheviks at certain periods, from a position that is asserted to be more authentically Marxist and proletarian than the views of Leninism held by the Communist International...