Maoism in the Developed World

At the time of the merger of the Revolutionary Communist League (M-L-M) and the LRS (M-L), their Central Committees issued a joint statement to the effect that “Our unity signals a big advance in this struggle for Marxist-Leninist unity and for a single, unified, vanguard communist party. It represents a strengthening of the communist forces and a blow against revisionism, trotskyism, and opportunism.”[85]

The LRS (M-L) strongly supported the post-Mao Chinese leadership. An editorial in its paper said that “In her domestic policies, China successfully concluded the campaign against the gang of four’ and shifted its attention to focus on building China into a modern, powerful socialist country by the end of the century. This great task is being closely watched and supported by progressive and revolutionary people around the world.”[86]

The League of Revolutionary Struggle (M-L) adopted some of the positions of the Communist Party of the United States during the Third Period of the early 1930s. Thus, it called for “self-determination” not only for Blacks, but also for Chicanos.[87]

Another group supporting the post-Mao leadership in China was the Marxist-Leninist League. It was established early in 1980 by a merger between the League for Proletarian Revolution (M-L), based mainly in New York, and the Colorado Organization for Revolutionary Struggle. Upon its establishment, the group proclaimed, “We are committed to the struggle for the overthrow of the U.S. bourgeoisie, the establishment of the dictatorship of the Proletariat and the building of socialism in the U.S. opposition to both superpowers, support for the national liberation struggles of the Third World, upholding of the Three Worlds Theory are some of our guiding principles.”[88]

A group that took a stand in support of the Gang of Four was the Communist Workers Party (CWP). It, too, emerged from groups that had originally been organized along racial or ethnic lines.

An official statement of origins of the CWP, which had originally been called the Workers Viewpoint Organization, stated, “We started out in 1974 as a small study group, and grew rapidly over the next 2 years as the advanced elements from the national and student movements united with our correct line in opposition to various shades of opportunist lines around at the time. … We have entrenched ourselves in basic industries and are the leadership of the Black Liberation Movement, as seen in our historic African Liberation Days.”[89]

An unfriendly source noted that “the Workers Viewpoint Organization (WVO), once a small predominantly Asian-American sect … expanded its influence through a series of fusions in 1976-1977, with local Maoist collectives and, more importantly, with the black Boston-based February First Movement.”[90]

The WVO became the Communist Workers Party in 1979. The official statement of the party, previously cited, noted, “Yes, we support the so-called ‘Gang of Four’ who were condemned after the coup by Hua and Teng, and have written several articles in our newspaper about the concrete steps they are taking towards restoring capitalism in China. This is a great loss to all revolutionaries around the world, and who are now without their ‘Northern Star.’”[91]

The CWP was notable particularly for its apocalyptic view of the imminence of revolution. Thus, its periodical Workers Viewpoint stated, “If we only look at the appearance of things we may think that life seems to be going on routinely as before for most of our neighbors and fellow workers. If you really think that way, then you are being fooled by the appearance and not grasp the essence—that today the U.S. people are disgusted with capitalism and all its lying politicians, that they can’t live in the old way any longer, and that the bourgeoisie can’t rule in the old way either. A most excellent, yet dangerous opportunity is around the comer— a spontaneous revolutionary situation is approaching.”[92]

In November 1979, the CWP gained national attention when a meeting it organized in Greensboro, North Carolina with the slogan “Death to the Ku Klux Klan” was attacked by KKK members, as a result of which several CWP members were killed. Where those who conducted this attack were tried for murder, they were absolved by the jury.