Joćo Paulo Monteiro -- 30 May 1997
A DEFINITION: For the sake of clarity, and in the interest of minimal verbiage, I've used one term consistently throughout this document: "orthodox" when describing such varying currents as the Committee for a Workers International (used to be Militant Labour in Britain) and the International Communist League. "Orthodoxy" in this sense refers simply to the characterization of the Soviet Union and its erstwhile satellites and sister countries (as well as China and Albania) as either degenerated workers' states (i.e., countries in which proletarian revolutions had occurred, and then collapsed into increasingly anti-democratic and bureaucratic modes of functioning, but where socialized property relations remained secure) and deformed workers' states (i.e., countries where, at either the hands of the Red Army, such as in Romania or East Germany, or through the good works of a Stalinized Communist Party, such as in China, the workers' state had been bureaucratized--deformed--from the beginning).
A sub-set of this characterization is that held by the Internationalist Communist Union (UCI). Their position is that, as there were never proletarian revolutions in Eastern Europe or China, those states remained *bourgeois,* and that the only authentic workers' state in history was the Soviet Union.
Other characterizations of these states within the Trotskyist milieu are that they are state capitalist (most strongly held by the International Socialist Tendency), or that they represent a social order of a new type--bureacractic collectivism. The Alliance for Workers Liberty in the UK and Solidarity in the US both have currents that hold to this definition.
ALSO: at the end of this list you'll find a small list of groups that I put under "primarily national formations." This simply means that, as far as I know, with the exception of the US SWP, they have no international affiliates, and therefore function in only one country.
INTERNATIONAL CURRENTS
BOLSHEVIK CURRENT FOR THE FOURTH INTERNATIONAL (BCFI)
Brief Description: Created around the Bolshevik Party (Argentina),
Bolshevik Internationalist League (Brazil), and the Communist Workers'
Group (US and Canada).
COMMITTEE FOR A WORKERS' INTERNATIONAL
Brief Description: The international formation around Britain's Militant
Labour. Orthodox Trotskyist in orientation, they have sections in
several
countries around the world, including the UK, US, France, Ireland, and
Italy. Originated in Britain's Labour Militant, which recently left the
UK Labour Party after several decades as an entryist formation.
Committee for a Workers International
P.O. Box
3688
London E9 5Qx
England
Website: http://www.fmb.mmu.ac.uk/~stevew/cwi/index.html
Labor Militant (US)
Newspaper: Labor Militant
P.O. Box 5447
LIC, NY 11105
Website: http://www.netaxs.com/~fightbak
Labour Militant (UK)
Newspaper: Labour Militant (L5 introductory for 13 issues; L30/year,
L17/six months, Europe L28/L40, Airmail international L40/L78)
Theoretical Journal: Socialism Today (L13/year, Europe L18,
international
airmail, L25)
Publishing/Bookservice: World Socialist Books
3/13 Hepscott Road
London, E9 5HB
UK
Phone: 44(0)181 533 3311
E-mail:
Website:
NOTE: For information on the Irish, Italian, Swedish, Dutch, French,
etc.
sections, please contact the CWI either at the above address, or through
their web page.
COMMUNIST ORGANIZATION FOR THE FOURTH INTERNATIONAL (COFI)
Brief Description: COFI has, last we heard, possibly retreated on the
international scene. They suffered a deep split in Australia, and their
Swedish section's existence is in question. They are state capitalist
in their orientation towards the Soviet Union, and pursue a generally
leftist course of calling for a general strike as a centerpiece of their
program. For further information, including on overseas sections,
contact
the LRP.
League for the Revolutionary Party
Journal: Proletarian Revolution (US$7/8 issues, US$15/overseas. Workers
on
strike may subscribe for US$1)
Socialist Voice
PO Box 3572
New York, NY 10008-3573
Tel: 212 330 9017
E-mail: wgdcc@cuny.cunyvm.edu
League Press
PO Box 578
Carlton South
Victoria 3053
Australia
THE FOURTH INTERNATIONAL
Description: An organization, based in France, that comes from a split
in the International Committee of the FI. It's main project is the
INTERNATIONAL LIAISON COMMITTEE FOR A WORKERS' INTERNATIONAL,
a non-tendency specific revolutionary workers' international, the ILCWI
claims adherents in 92 countries. The Trotskyist current, organized
around
the French journal "La Verite" ("The Truth"), is headquartered in
France,
and is orthodox in orientation. Yes, they call themselves "The Fourth
International" (as do the USec, ICFI, etc). Sorry if you take umbrage.
Bring it up with them, please).
Website: http://www.labornet.org/workers
La Verite: http://www.labornet.org/workers/verite
Socialist Organizer
Newspaper: The Organizer (Domestic, US$12/year, foreign US$30/year,
US$40
airmail/first class)
4140 24th Street #440
San Francisco, CA 94114
E-mail: theorganizer@labornet.org
FREEDOM SOCIALISTS
Brief Description: Socialist-Feminist Trotskyists, originating in the
US SWP tradition.
Freedom Socialist Party
Newspaper: The Freedom Socialist ($5 per year/$10 overseas/$6 Canadian
funds/$6 Australian funds)
5018 Rainier Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98118
USA phone 206-722-2354
e-mail: fspnatl@igc.apc.org
Website:
In Australia, contact:
Freedom SocialistParty
P.O. Box 266
West Brunswick, VIC
3055 AUSTRALIA
Phone and fax: 03-9386-5065
In Canada:
Freedom Socialist Party
Newspaper: Socialist Feminist: Voice of Revolutionary Regroupment
Rebel Centre
2278 East 24th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V5N 2V2
Tel: 604 874 9048
Fax: 604 874 9058
Website:
E-mail: fsp@wimsey.com
INTERNATIONAL BOLSHEVIK TENDENCY
Brief Description: a split from the International Communist League (the
Spartacists) over questions of internal regime and political
orientation.
Bolshevik Tendency
Journal: 1917
Box 31796
Oakland, CA 94604
Bolshevik Tendency
Box 385, Cooper Station
New York, NY 10276
E-mail: cruuz@mindspring.com
Bolshevik Tendency/New Zealand
Journal: The Bolshevik
INTERNATIONAL CENTRE OF ORTHODOX TROTSKYISTS (CITO)
Brief Description: "This is a left split from the LIT which has sections
in more than 12 Iberian-speaking countries," according to my source. I
have no addresses at this time.
INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE FOURTH INTERNATIONAL (ICFI)
Description: The other half of the original Fourth International (the
other half being the USec). Orthodox Trotskyist. I have very little
information available, but know that there are British, Australian,
Indian, and Sri Lankan sections. For further information, contact the
US SEP.
Socialist Equality Party
Newspaper: International Workers Bulletin
Publishing Arm: Labor Publications
Website: http://www.rust.net/~laborpub
Russian-language publishing (Iskra Research):
http://www.mit.edu:8001/people/fjk/iskra.html
Workers Revolutionary Party
Newspaper: Newsline
Youth paper: Young Socialist
Theoretical journal: Marxist Review
BCM Box 747
London WC1N 3XX
England
NOTE: This is *not* the same as the Workers Revolutionary Party
listed below, publishers of the paper Workers Press.
There is also now a UK-based SEP. I don't know for sure if it's a
revision of the WRP. Their website is at
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