The decline of IN the manifestation of the rise of forces to the left of the Communist Party is the development of the Bennite left of the Labour Party and Scargils leadership of the NUM. These are current represented indeed today the most advanced left wing mass alternatives to the Communist Party to have emerged in any imperialist country. But they are only one part of an entire international process — a process that has gone much further outside the imperialist countries in the creation of left wing alternatives to Stalinism.
Stalinism was a product of the tremendous defeats of the international working class in 1030g. The break un of international Stallinism began. logically, the 1940s superficially, Stain appeared to be at the very height of his power and prestige The victory of the USSR in World War I!, and the other victories of forcing but to a weakening of the hold of the Soviet bureaucracy and of Stalinism.
The first wave of the break up of Stalinism took within some The themselves The Yugoslav, Communist Parties parties bureaucracy and took power in their own countries.
first force in the world originating outside the Communist Party to overthrow than its origins however the 26 July Movement was not a bureaucratised party.
Despite its close ties to political support given to the Soviet bureaucracy - including in Eastern Europe - the Cuban Communist Party to this day has developed within it no bureaucracy, It has attempted to spread the revolu tion outside Cuba. Other developments appeared subsequently In Grenada, in March 1979, the New Jewel Move Eric Gary before that revolution was tally Gairy destroyed by Stalinist-influenced forces led by Bernard Coard who murdered Bishop and opened up the way to the United In Nicaragua the FSLN, itself inspired by the Cuban overthrew the while the roll and ine New dewer Movenict asc by far the of the because most spectacular Arthur the 1920s and the moment when, working class led not to a reinComman Chinese and Vietnamese while remaining bureaucratised grip 01 Me however a further decisive step was taken.
More imporant cancalloilk.
the Soviet Union, and qualitative such non-bureaucratised revolution.
States invasion of the country.
Somoza dictatorship and state power of the working class.
to te deft of ne entering Parties es Communist Parties socialist FOR SIXTY years the Communist Party of Great Britain has dominated politics to the left of the Labour Party. Its political influence extended far into the left wing of the labour movement itself. The CPB was the only political force to the left of Labour taken at all seriously by the majority of working class activists.
Therefore the weekend — a split in reality if not in words major turning point for the labour movement. A Communist Party which in the 1920s and 1930s could reduce its left wing critics literally to a few tens of people, is itself splitting today, political currents to its left.
Marxists forces but others have a mass base in sections of the working class.
In a special feature, JOHN ROSS looks at the long road from the supremacy of the Stalinist Communist Party in the late 1920s to its present split at the alternatives to its left which have developed inthe labour movmement.
Charte split of the Communist Party last - marks a confronted sigmaticant Some of these are small and above all wilderness outside the Labour rally. Ine majorily of left forces in the Labour League of Youth were dragged into support for the popular fronts in Spain and France and dispersed accordingly.
Despite the fact that the 1930s were the height Stalin's the USSR, and of defeats of the working class imposed by Stalin's policies, nevertheless the CPGB succeeded completely marginalising all its left wing critics.
The first time that force lett of the CPGB succeeded in gaining Some red i cact was the end of World War II, with the Revolutionary Communist (RCP).
The Trotskyist RCP stood firmly against Party's participation in the wartime coalition government led by Churchill • gained support ac cordingly.
a Wartime But the post-war boom and the wartime growth of the Communist Party, soon blocked the development of the RCP. By 1947 the RCP was in a state of disintegration disintegration speeded up by its own severe political deformations undemocratic internal One of the splinters of the RCP, that led by Gerry Healey, did some serious with the WULK Bevanite left during the ear119505 But the Communist Party, that remaintained the dominant poie of alliances for the Bevanites by the late 1950s Communist dealt a blow to its support from which it nas never recovered.
those breaking with the CPGB did so to the right that process creating range the original symbolised by EP Thompson. But a small layer, both of workers 'intellectuals' broke with the CPGB to its left.
Gordon McLennan At the level of mass politics the development of CND in the early 1960s, TOT the first time since the 1920s which escaped the Communist Party to its left. 1ne CPGB came into CND late, with considerable reluctance concerning its demand for unilateral nuclear disarmament, never achieved the dominance had secured previous "peace' movements.
Most working militants who broke leftwards from the CPGB in the 1950s were attracted by Healey's were politically destroyed by the ultraleftism, and tyrannical internal regime, of that forup of the left wing of the labour movement following 1956 two currents emerged maident mark lin ee lermament mark the wing of the labour move ment.
The first was the revitalised and transformed New Left Review (NLR) under the editorship of Perry Anderson. NLŘ was remarkable, in British terms for its resolute luciltd Lunas It translated and popularised in Britain the entire range of Marxist ideas developed in Western Europe the United States since the 1920s In particular New Lefi Review was heavily influenced by Gramsci, Isaac Deutscher, and Ernest Mandel - the latter two being respectively the biographer Trotsky Scargill addresses the May Day rally, 1984 and the best know leader to day of Trotsky's Fourth In ternational.
The entire nature and range of Marxist debate in Britain today would be inconceivable without the role played that period New Left Review.
The second force emerge from the aftermath of 1956 was the Interna(IMG). This formation also was marked bv its sharp in ternationalism - it became the first ever really serious, opposed to largely nominal section of Fourth International in Britain The IMG's internationalism was shown further in the decisive role it played in the late 1960s in building Vietnam Solidarity Campaign the second lass movement which, after clearly outflanked the Communist Party to its left. The IMG then went on, in the 1970s, to build up a reputation the only organisation of the Marxist lett with a serious t democratic internal strucwell as characterised by internaand support black, and gay self-organisation.
Up until the 1970s however all the groups to the left of the Communist Party were essentially small Marxist currents and with only a marginal toehold in the labour movement. But early 1970s onwards the development of the 'Bennite' current of the began serious working class force to the left of the Communist It was this Bennite left that gained spectacular victories the Labour Party after th debacle of the 1974-79 Labour govertimen by