World Socialist Party of the United States
Encyclopedia
The World Socialist Party of the United States (WSPUS) 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 organization reemerged in the 1990s and exists today as the American companion party of the World Socialist Movement
.
, Friedrich Engels
, Antonie Pannekoek
and William Morris
. Within this tradition, socialism is defined as a post-capitalist mode of production where the accumulation of capital
is no longer the driving force governing production, and instead production is undertaken solely to produce useful goods and services
.
The WSPUS defines socialism as a moneyless society based on common ownership
of the means of production
, production for use
, and social relations based on cooperative and democratic
associations as opposed to bureaucratic hierarchies. Additionally, the WSPUS considers statelessness, classlessness and the complete abolition of wage labor components of a socialist society, traits that are usually reserved to describe fully developed communism.
The WSPUS condemns other parties that call themselves "socialist" for supporting one side of the capitalist coin (the interests of labor within capitalism) and criticize them for being reformist (such as Social Democrats) and thus for abandoning the long-term goal of building socialism in favor of maintaining the capitalist mode of production tempered with a welfare state
. The World Socialist Movement also criticizes "democratic socialists" and labor unionists for coming to define socialism by their political/social struggles within capitalism, rather than by the system of socialism. For instance, they criticize the Socialist Party USA
for policies such as advocating full employment rather than dealing with the structural issue of the need for wage labor in capitalist society. The WSPUS also contends that nationalization
, state ownership
and even decentralized-public ownership of industry is not socialism because capital, monetary relations, exploitation, wage labor and bureaucratic hierarchy still exist in such organizations, and in most cases state-run organizations are still structured around generating profits.
They advocate the abolition of all employment which they argue is a modern form of slavery, and its replacement by a society of voluntary labor and free association that produces wealth for the community to enjoy without the need for buying and selling - free access.
Unlike anarchists, however, the World Socialist Party advocates a political revolution because it argues that as the state is the "executive committee" of the capitalist class, it must be captured by the working class to keep the former from using it against the will of the latter. It also condemns the reformist nature of much anarchist activism. The WSPUS maintains that the revolution must be carried out by a willing majority organized without leaders, capturing the state by means of delegates elected solely to carry out the wishes of the majority to destroy the state by replacing it immediately with democratic control of the means of production across the entire country, and indeed the entire planet.
It has stood against all wars fought since its inception on the grounds that they always represent the economic interests of the owning class, and never those of the working class. Unlike much of the left, it does not take sides in wars, e.g. not calling for a victory for the Vietnam
ese against America
.
It has opposed the traditional radical opposition to the (usually Republican) incumbent presidents (e.g., anti-Nixonism, anti-Reaganism, or anti-Bushism) arguing that the enemy of the working class is the entire exploitative social system based on ownership of the means of the production, not the presidents elected to run that system efficiently, as such opposition fosters the illusion of "better presidents" rather than an understanding of, and opposition to, the entire economic system based on an owning minority employing a non-owning majority to produce its profits.
(SPGB) and the Socialist Party of Canada
(SPC) — was established on July 7, 1916 by 42 defecting members of Local Detroit of the Socialist Party of America
(SPA). Those leaving to found the new organization were encouraged by the rapid growth of the so-called impossibilist
movement in Canada and were deeply discouraged by the growing trend towards reformism
in the SPA. Many founding members of the WSPUS were employed in the growing Michigan auto industry..
The group was initially headed by an immigrant from England
named Adolph Kohn, who was later remembered by one factional opponent as a "mild-mannered, blue-eyed man with a vast memory" who was "textually brilliant in Marxist lore." Writing under the pseudonym "John O'London," Kohn attempted to gather around him others opposed to the World War in Europe
who felt that the pursuit of ameliorative reforms only served to bolster the capitalist
system.
The SPUS participated in the left-socialist circles of the time, especially with the Michigan Socialists expelled from the SPA in 1919 who first helped form the Communist Party of America (CPA) and later formed the Proletarian Party of America
. Groups were formed in New York City, Cleveland, Portland and San Francisco.
The "Proletarian" group and the SPUS split apart over support for the Soviet Union. The WSPUS applauded the Bolshevik's withdraw from the first World War, but felt that the new Soviet regime could only be state capitalist and hence should not be supported. The Proletarian Party, headed by Scottish emigrant John Keracher
, regarded the USSR as a workers' state which needed defending.
The WSPUS was given a regular page in the Western Clarion, the weekly paper of the SPC, a publication which circulated broadly in American Left
-socialist circles.
of January 1920 and threatened with trademark litigation by the Socialist Party of America, the SPUS in the early 1920s as the "Socialist Educational Society" (SES). There were three locals in the SES period, located in Boston, Detroit and New York. The NYC local was the most active and events often included Louis Boudin as guest lecturer.
In 1927, the SES changed its name again to the "Workers' Socialist Party" (WSP) in 1927.
The party published an irregular organ during the 1930s, The Socialist, which was launched in November 1929 and continued publication until July 1938.
The heyday of the WSP was 1930 and 1940s when it had perhaps 150 members. During that time WSP members were quite active in the workers' movement, especially the United Auto Workers
union which a number of WSPUS members helped form. WSPUS members were also active in the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, and the International Typographical Union
in New England.
Since October 1933 the Socialist Party of Canada
had published the Western Socialist from Winnipeg
. After the outbreak of World War II the Western Socialist could not be published in Canada as an anti-war journal. Beginning with Vol. VI whole number 55, October 1939 the periodical was published in Boston and became the official organ of both the SPC and the WSPUS. Its final issue was Vol. XL whole number 319 1979-80.
In 1947 the party's name was again changed again, this time to the present World Socialist Party of the United States.
, as well as a regional Branch in the area encompassing Detroit and Toledo, Ohio
.
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
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 organization reemerged in the 1990s and exists today as the American companion party of the World Socialist Movement
World Socialist Movement
The World Socialist Movement is an international organisation of affiliated socialist parties created in 1904 with the founding of the Socialist Party of Great Britain...
.
Political philosophy
The World Socialist Party of the United States (WSPUS) maintains that, since its inception, it has been unique in the history of American socialist and socialist-labor parties in as much as it has stood alone in maintaining the original conception of socialism as first propounded by its 19th Century theorists, such as Karl MarxKarl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
, Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels was a German industrialist, social scientist, author, political theorist, philosopher, and father of Marxist theory, alongside Karl Marx. In 1845 he published The Condition of the Working Class in England, based on personal observations and research...
, Antonie Pannekoek
Antonie Pannekoek
Antonie Pannekoek was a Dutch astronomer and Marxist theorist. He was one of the main theorists of council communism .- Biography :...
and William Morris
William Morris
William Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement...
. Within this tradition, socialism is defined as a post-capitalist mode of production where the accumulation of capital
Capital accumulation
The accumulation of capital refers to the gathering or amassing of objects of value; the increase in wealth through concentration; or the creation of wealth. Capital is money or a financial asset invested for the purpose of making more money...
is no longer the driving force governing production, and instead production is undertaken solely to produce useful goods and services
Production for use
Production for use is a defining criterion of a socialist economy and distinguishes socialism from capitalism...
.
The WSPUS defines socialism as a moneyless society based on common ownership
Common ownership
Common ownership is a principle according to which the assets of an enterprise or other organization are held indivisibly rather than in the names of the individual members or by a public institution such as a governmental body. It is therefore in contrast to public ownership...
of the means of production
Means of production
Means of production refers to physical, non-human inputs used in production—the factories, machines, and tools used to produce wealth — along with both infrastructural capital and natural capital. This includes the classical factors of production minus financial capital and minus human capital...
, production for use
Production for use
Production for use is a defining criterion of a socialist economy and distinguishes socialism from capitalism...
, and social relations based on cooperative and democratic
Adhocracy
Adhocracy is a type of organization that operates in opposite fashion to a bureaucracy. The term was first popularized in 1970 by Alvin Toffler, and has since become often used in the theory of management of organizations , further developed by academics such as Henry Mintzberg.- Etymology :The...
associations as opposed to bureaucratic hierarchies. Additionally, the WSPUS considers statelessness, classlessness and the complete abolition of wage labor components of a socialist society, traits that are usually reserved to describe fully developed communism.
The WSPUS condemns other parties that call themselves "socialist" for supporting one side of the capitalist coin (the interests of labor within capitalism) and criticize them for being reformist (such as Social Democrats) and thus for abandoning the long-term goal of building socialism in favor of maintaining the capitalist mode of production tempered with a welfare state
Welfare state
A welfare state is a "concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those...
. The World Socialist Movement also criticizes "democratic socialists" and labor unionists for coming to define socialism by their political/social struggles within capitalism, rather than by the system of socialism. For instance, they criticize the Socialist Party USA
Socialist Party USA
The Socialist Party USA is a multi-tendency democratic-socialist party in the United States. The party states that it is the rightful continuation and successor to the tradition of the Socialist Party of America, which had lasted from 1901 to 1972.The party is officially committed to left-wing...
for policies such as advocating full employment rather than dealing with the structural issue of the need for wage labor in capitalist society. The WSPUS also contends that nationalization
Nationalization
Nationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
, state ownership
State ownership
State ownership, also called public ownership, government ownership or state property, are property interests that are vested in the state, rather than an individual or communities....
and even decentralized-public ownership of industry is not socialism because capital, monetary relations, exploitation, wage labor and bureaucratic hierarchy still exist in such organizations, and in most cases state-run organizations are still structured around generating profits.
They advocate the abolition of all employment which they argue is a modern form of slavery, and its replacement by a society of voluntary labor and free association that produces wealth for the community to enjoy without the need for buying and selling - free access.
Unlike anarchists, however, the World Socialist Party advocates a political revolution because it argues that as the state is the "executive committee" of the capitalist class, it must be captured by the working class to keep the former from using it against the will of the latter. It also condemns the reformist nature of much anarchist activism. The WSPUS maintains that the revolution must be carried out by a willing majority organized without leaders, capturing the state by means of delegates elected solely to carry out the wishes of the majority to destroy the state by replacing it immediately with democratic control of the means of production across the entire country, and indeed the entire planet.
It has stood against all wars fought since its inception on the grounds that they always represent the economic interests of the owning class, and never those of the working class. Unlike much of the left, it does not take sides in wars, e.g. not calling for a victory for the Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
ese against America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
It has opposed the traditional radical opposition to the (usually Republican) incumbent presidents (e.g., anti-Nixonism, anti-Reaganism, or anti-Bushism) arguing that the enemy of the working class is the entire exploitative social system based on ownership of the means of the production, not the presidents elected to run that system efficiently, as such opposition fosters the illusion of "better presidents" rather than an understanding of, and opposition to, the entire economic system based on an owning minority employing a non-owning majority to produce its profits.
Formation
The "Socialist Party of the United States" (SPUS) — its name inspired by co-thinkers in the Socialist Party of Great BritainSocialist 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...
(SPGB) and the Socialist Party of Canada
Socialist Party of Canada
There 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...
(SPC) — was established on July 7, 1916 by 42 defecting members of Local Detroit of the Socialist Party of America
Socialist Party of America
The Socialist Party of America was a multi-tendency democratic-socialist political party in the United States, formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party which had split from the main organization...
(SPA). Those leaving to found the new organization were encouraged by the rapid growth of the so-called impossibilist
Impossibilism
Impossibilism is an interpretation of Marxism. It emphasizes the limited value of reforms in overturning capitalism and insists on revolutionary political action as the only reliable method of bringing about socialism.-Origins of the concept:...
movement in Canada and were deeply discouraged by the growing trend towards reformism
Reformism
Reformism is the belief that gradual democratic changes in a society can ultimately change a society's fundamental economic relations and political structures...
in the SPA. Many founding members of the WSPUS were employed in the growing Michigan auto industry..
The group was initially headed by an immigrant from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
named Adolph Kohn, who was later remembered by one factional opponent as a "mild-mannered, blue-eyed man with a vast memory" who was "textually brilliant in Marxist lore." Writing under the pseudonym "John O'London," Kohn attempted to gather around him others opposed to the World War in Europe
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
who felt that the pursuit of ameliorative reforms only served to bolster the capitalist
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...
system.
The SPUS participated in the left-socialist circles of the time, especially with the Michigan Socialists expelled from the SPA in 1919 who first helped form the Communist Party of America (CPA) and later formed the Proletarian Party of America
Proletarian Party of America
The Proletarian Party of America was a small communist political party in the United States, originating in 1920 and terminated in 1971. Originally an offshoot of the Communist Party of America, the group maintained an independent existence for over five decades. It is best remembered for carrying...
. Groups were formed in New York City, Cleveland, Portland and San Francisco.
The "Proletarian" group and the SPUS split apart over support for the Soviet Union. The WSPUS applauded the Bolshevik's withdraw from the first World War, but felt that the new Soviet regime could only be state capitalist and hence should not be supported. The Proletarian Party, headed by Scottish emigrant John Keracher
John Keracher
John Keracher was a Scottish-born American Marxist politician who founded the Proletarian Party of America in 1920.-Early years:...
, regarded the USSR as a workers' state which needed defending.
The WSPUS was given a regular page in the Western Clarion, the weekly paper of the SPC, a publication which circulated broadly in American Left
American Left
The American Left consists of individuals and groups, including socialists, communists and anarchists, that have sought fundamental change in the economic, political and cultural institutions of the United States. Although left-wing ideologies came to the United States in the 19th century, there...
-socialist circles.
Development
Pressured by the Palmer RaidsPalmer Raids
The Palmer Raids were attempts by the United States Department of Justice to arrest and deport radical leftists, especially anarchists, from the United States. The raids and arrests occurred in November 1919 and January 1920 under the leadership of Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer...
of January 1920 and threatened with trademark litigation by the Socialist Party of America, the SPUS in the early 1920s as the "Socialist Educational Society" (SES). There were three locals in the SES period, located in Boston, Detroit and New York. The NYC local was the most active and events often included Louis Boudin as guest lecturer.
In 1927, the SES changed its name again to the "Workers' Socialist Party" (WSP) in 1927.
The party published an irregular organ during the 1930s, The Socialist, which was launched in November 1929 and continued publication until July 1938.
The heyday of the WSP was 1930 and 1940s when it had perhaps 150 members. During that time WSP members were quite active in the workers' movement, especially the United Auto Workers
United Auto Workers
The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers , is a labor union which represents workers in the United States and Puerto Rico, and formerly in Canada. Founded as part of the Congress of Industrial...
union which a number of WSPUS members helped form. WSPUS members were also active in the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, and the International Typographical Union
International Typographical Union
The International Typographical Union was a labor union founded on May 3, 1852 in the United States as the National Typographical Union. In its 1869 convention in Albany, New York, the union—having organized members in Canada—changed its name to the International Typographical Union...
in New England.
Since October 1933 the Socialist Party of Canada
Socialist Party of Canada
There 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...
had published the Western Socialist from Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
. After the outbreak of World War II the Western Socialist could not be published in Canada as an anti-war journal. Beginning with Vol. VI whole number 55, October 1939 the periodical was published in Boston and became the official organ of both the SPC and the WSPUS. Its final issue was Vol. XL whole number 319 1979-80.
In 1947 the party's name was again changed again, this time to the present World Socialist Party of the United States.
Current status
The WSPUS rejuvenated in the mid-1990s due to the emergence of the internet. As of September 2008 it has members scattered throughout the United States, including Local Branches in Boston and PortlandPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, as well as a regional Branch in the area encompassing Detroit and Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
.
Notable members
- Taffy Brown - Detroit Labor Journalist for Labor News Agency.
- Bill Davenport - Founding Director of the United Auto Workers Education Department.
- Adolph Kohn - Leading party member during the foundation period.
- J.A. "Jack" McDonald - Former IWWIndustrial Workers of the WorldThe Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
, Industrial Worker Editor, 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...
member and owner of McDonald's Books (founded 1926; 48 Turk St., San Francisco); McDonald (sometimes spelled "MacDonald") published a periodical entitled On the Record. - Frank Marquart - Helped found the UAW, Education Director of the Briggs Local 313, Dissident against the Ruthers, author of "An Auto Workers' Journal"
- Sam Orner - Former IWW Organizer, organized the 1934 New York Taxi Strike, served as the inspiration for Lefty in "Waiting For Lefty."
- Bill Pritchard - Former SPC member, Dockworker, founding member of the One Big Union (Canada)One Big Union (Canada)The One Big Union was a Canadian syndicalist trade union active primarily in the Western part of the country. It was formally founded in Calgary on June 4, 1919 but lost most members by 1922. It finally merged into the Canadian Labour Congress in 1956.-Background:Towards the end of World War I, a...
, Defendant in the Winnipeg General Strike Trial, Mayor of Burnaby, BCBurnaby, British ColumbiaBurnaby is a city in British Columbia, Canada, located immediately to the east of Vancouver. It is the third-largest city in British Columbia by population, surpassed only by nearby Surrey and Vancouver....
. - Issac Rab - Active in Typographers Union as well as in Detroit and Boston socialist politics for 60 years.
External links
- World Socialist Party official website
- The Western Socialist #4 1966; Vol. 33 #252 Contains important sources for early party history.
- The Western Socialist #Vol. VI #57 Dec. 1939 First issue of the organ after its move to the US