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Committee for a Workers' International

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The Committee for a Workers' International (CWI) (Spanish: Comité por una Internacional de los Trabajadores, or CIT; French: Comité pour une internationale ouvrière or CIO) was an international association of Trotskyist political parties and organisations. Today, two groups claim to be the continuation of the CWI, the refounded Committee for a Workers' International and International Socialist Alternative.

Committee for a Workers' International
Comité por una Internacional de los Trabajadores
Comité pour une internationale ouvrière
AbbreviationCWI (English), CIT (Spanish), CIO (French)
SuccessorInternational Socialist Alternative (disputed)
Committee for a Workers' International (refounded) (disputed)
Formation21 April 1974
Dissolved2019
TypeAssociation of Trotskyist political parties and organisations
HeadquartersLondon
Region
Worldwide
SecessionsRevolutionary Communist International

History

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Founding

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The origins of the CWI can be traced to a group of British Trotskyists which were expelled from the USFI in 1965,[1] after disagreements regarding the Colonial Revolution, Guerillaism, Studentism and the post war boom. But it is not till 1974 that they set about building an international.[2] The founding conference of the CWI was held in London on 20 to 21 April 1974 and attended by supporters of what was then called Militant (or the Militant tendency), from 12 countries including Britain, Ireland and Sweden.[3][4][5] In the early years of the international, sections generally pursued a policy of entryism into social democratic or labour parties. As such, the CWI was originally secretive because to organise openly risked the expulsion of its sections from the parties in which they were working.

End of entryism

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The CWI largely ended its strategy of entryism in the early 1990s. The international developed an analysis that many social democratic parties had fundamentally changed in nature and become outright capitalist parties, their main example being the UK Labour Party. This was strongly resisted by Ted Grant, one of Militant's founders. After a lengthy debate and special conference in 1991 confirmed overwhelmingly the position of the CWI in the England and Wales section, Grant and his supporters sought official faction status within the organisation, which was granted for some time, but later was revoked by the leadership.[6] Ted Grant and his supporters were expelled and founded the International Marxist Tendency (now the Revolutionary Communist International).

Since their Open Turn CWI sections have, in a number of countries, stood candidates under their own name. One section has representation in a state parliament, the Socialist Party, which at its height had three TDs in Dáil Éireann in the Republic of Ireland. The CWI also has elected members in a number of regional legislatures or local councils in Sweden; (Germany) (members of The Left); Pakistan; Sri Lanka; and the United States, where Socialist Alternative elected Kshama Sawant to Seattle City Council in 2013 and again in 2015.[7] In the 2005 Sri Lankan presidential elections the CWI affiliate, the United Socialist Party, came third (with 0.4%).[8]

Supporters of the CWI launched a youth organisation, International Socialist Resistance, in 2001.[9]

New mass workers' parties

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CWI members stood as National Conscience Party candidates in the 2003 Nigerian legislative elections, winning 0.51% of the national vote. In Germany CWI members have been active in the new WASG since its foundation in 2004 and in December 2005 were elected part of the new leadership of its Berlin district that ran candidates on a clear anti-cuts programme in the 2006 Berlin regional election, gaining 3.1% and several borough council seats, but the Berlin WASG later merged into Die Linke. In Brazil, CWI members helped found the P-SOL Socialism and Liberty Party after left wing parliamentarians were expelled from the PT.

In the 2011 Irish general election the CWI's Irish affiliate, the Socialist Party won two seats in the Dáil as a part of the wider left group, the United Left Alliance which won five seats in total in Dáil Éireann.[10] However, one of the elected members of the Socialist Party later left the party to continue as an independent.[11] In the by-election in Dublin West in 2014, the Socialist Party gained a second seat in the Dáil again, and a third seat in the 2014 Dublin South-West by-election as part of the Anti-Austerity Alliance.[citation needed]

Dissolution

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See also: International Socialist Alternative

In 2018 and 2019, a dispute within the Committee for a Workers' International developed around the questions of socialism and identity politics.[12]

One faction founded the “In Defence of a Working Class and Trotskyist CWI” (IDWCTCWI) faction, which considers itself a continuation of the original CWI, using the same name.[13] Several groups subsequently split away from the IDWCTCWI to form International Revolutionary Left.[14]

A second faction, in support of the majority of the CWI's International Executive Committee, later renamed itself International Socialist Alternative and also considers itself the continuation of the original CWI.[13][15]

Structure

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World Congress
Deliberative organ 		International Executive Committee
Executive organ 		International Secretariat
Administrative organ
  • Held every 3 to 5 years;
  • Attended by delegates from the CWI's national sections;
  • Responsible for establishing the international's programme and policies;
  • Grants recognition of new sympathising sections;
  • Elects the International Executive Committee.
  • Composed of members from across the CWI elected at the world congress;
  • Responsible for the CWI's policies in between congresses;
  • Elects the International Secretariat.
  • Conducts the day-to-day work of the CWI;
  • Responsible for carrying out the directives of the IEC, to which it is accountable;
  • Prepares documents and reports for review and approval at IEC meetings.

[16][17][18]

Sections at the time of the split

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Around the time of the split, the international maintained a list of numerous claimed national sections as part of the organisation.[19] Notable national sections from this time include:

Section Name English Translation
  Australia Socialist Party
  England and   Wales Socialist Party
  Hong Kong 社會主義行動

Sekuizyuji Haangdung

Socialist Action
  India New Socialist Alternative
    Ireland Socialist Party / Páirtí Sóisialach
  Nigeria Democratic Socialist Movement
  South Africa Workers and Socialist Party
  Spain Izquierda Revolucionaria Revolutionary Left
  Sri Lanka එක්සත් සමාජවාදි පකෂය / ஐக்கிய சோசலிச கட்சி

Eksath Samajavadi Pakshaya / Aikkiy Cōcalic Kaṭci

United Socialist Party
  United States Socialist Alternative

Youth against Racism in Europe

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Logo of Youth against Racism in Europe

Youth against Racism in Europe (YRE) was an anti-racist organisation founded by the Committee for a Workers' International (the international network of the Militant tendency) it campaigned among young people in 16 countries in Europe. YRE was launched by an international demonstration of a claimed 40,000 people, in Brussels in October 1992.[20]

In the UK, YRE was launched in 1992, at a time of rising racist violence and electoral support for the far right. YRE was formed by Militant Labour as an alternative to the rival Socialist Workers Party (UK)'s Anti-Nazi League (ANL), relaunched the previous year, and the Anti-Racist Alliance.[21]

In 2010 it was revealed that the group been infiltrated by an undercover police officer working for the Metropolitan Police.[22]

In 2012, it called for the shutting down of the Golden Dawn organisation and its weekly newspaper on the grounds that "they propagate violent messages of hate".[23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Ted Grant – Programme of the International".
  2. ^ "Fifty years of the CWI".
  3. ^ Taaffe, P. 2004. A Socialist World is Possible. CWI Publications & Socialist Books, p. 67
  4. ^ Taaffe, P. 2004. A Socialist World is Possible. CWI Publications & Socialist Books, p.52
  5. ^ "A History of the Committee for a Workers' International (CWI): Foundation".
  6. ^ The 'Open Turn' debate. marxist.net. Retrieved 17 July 2014
  7. ^ "King County Elections" (PDF). your.kingcounty.gov. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  8. ^ United Socialist Party (CWI) comes third in presidential election Archived 10 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine. socialistworld.net. Retrieved 17 August 2007
  9. ^ 500+ at Brussels ISR conference Archived 22 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine. socialistworld.net. Retrieved 17 July 2014
  10. ^ Elections Ireland: 31st Dáil. electionsireland.org. Retrieved 17 July 2014
  11. ^ "Daly departure to hit allowances". The Irish Times.
  12. ^ Kelly, Fiach (6 March 2019). "Socialist Party documents illustrate criticism from international comrades". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 13 July 2023.
  13. ^ a b Flakin, Nathaniel (9 August 2019). "The Split in the CWI: Lessons for Trotskyists". Left Voice. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  14. ^ Rossi, Simone (22 September 2019). "Uno sguardo al congresso fondativo di Izquierda Revolucionaria Internacional". La Città Futura. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  15. ^ Alternative, International Socialist. "Who We Are". International Socialist Alternative. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  16. ^ Taaffe, P. 2004. A Socialist World is Possible. CWI Publications & Socialist Books, p.51
  17. ^ Building the socialist alternative around the world, socialistworld.net, 27 December 2002.
  18. ^ Thesis for the International Executive Committee (IEC) of the CWI 2013, socialistworld.net, 22 November 2013.
  19. ^ "Committee for a workers' International - Links". socialistworld.net. 30 June 2019. Archived from the original on 30 June 2019.
  20. ^ "Youth Against Racism in Europe". www.yre.org.uk.
  21. ^ Peter Barberis; John McHugh; Mike Tyldesley (26 July 2005). Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations: Parties, Groups and Movements of the 20th Century. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 124. ISBN 978-0-8264-5814-8. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  22. ^ Thompson, Tony (21 March 2010). "Political activists call for inquiry after revelations about undercover police". The Observer – via www.theguardian.com.
  23. ^ "'Close Chryssi Avgi' | Athens News". Archived from the original on 9 August 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
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