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Workers World Party

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Workers World Party
AbbreviationWWP
First SecretaryLarry Holmes
FounderSam Marcy
Founded1959; 67 years ago (1959)
Split fromSocialist Workers Party
Headquarters121 W. 27th St. Suite 404.
New York City, New York 10001
NewspaperWorkers World
Ideology
Political positionFar-left
Colors  Red
Website
workers.org
WWP and FRSO protesters at Disrupt J20

The Workers World Party (WWP) is a Marxist–Leninist communist party in the United States founded in 1959 by a group led by Sam Marcy.[3][4][5] WWP members are sometimes called Marcyites. Marcy and his followers split from the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) in 1958 over a series of long-standing differences, among them their support for Henry A. Wallace's Progressive Party in 1948, their view of the People's Republic of China as a workers' state, and their defense of the 1956 Soviet intervention in Hungary, some of which the SWP opposed.[6][7][8]

History

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Members staffing a WWP information booth at Occupy Wall Street, October 2011

The WWP had its origins in the Global Class War Tendency, led by Sam Marcy and Vincent Copeland, within the SWP. This group crystallized during the 1948 presidential election when they urged the SWP to back Henry Wallace's Progressive Party campaign, rather than field their own candidates. Throughout the 1950s, the Global Class War Tendency expressed positions at odds with official SWP policy, categorizing the Korean War as a class, rather than imperialist, conflict; support of the People's Republic of China as a workers' state, if not necessarily supporting the Mao Zedong leadership; and supporting the suppression of the Hungarian Revolution by the Soviet Union in 1956.[9]

The Global Class War Tendency left the SWP in early 1959. Although they would later abandon Trotskyism, in their International Workers' Day issue (no. 3) of their new periodical, the group proclaimed: "We are THE Trotskyists. We stand 100% with all the principled positions of Leon Trotsky, the most revolutionary communist since Lenin".[10] The nascent group appears to have organized as the Workers World Party by February 1960.[11] At its inception, the WWP was concentrated among the working class in Buffalo, Youngstown, Seattle and New York. A youth organization, first known as the Anti-Fascist Youth Committee and later as Youth Against War and Fascism (YAWF), was created in April 1962.[12]

The WWP began publishing the monthly Workers World newspaper in 1959; it was published weekly since 1974.

From the beginning, the WWP and YAWF concentrated their energies on street demonstrations. Early campaigns focused on support of Patrice Lumumba, opposition to the House Un-American Activities Committee and against racial discrimination in housing. They conducted the first protest against American involvement in Vietnam on August 2, 1962.[13] Their opposition to the war also included the tactics of "draft resistance" and "GI resistance". After organizing demonstrations at Fort Sill, Oklahoma in support of a soldier being tried for possessing anti-war literature, they founded the American Servicemen's Union, intended to be a mass organization of American soldiers. However, the group was completely dominated by the WWP and YAWF.[14]

During the late 1960s and 1970s, the party was involved in protests over causes including "defen[se] of the heroic black uprisings in Watts, Newark, Detroit, Harlem" and women's liberation. During the Attica Prison riot, the rioters requested YAWF member Tom Soto to present their grievances for them. The WWP was most successful in organizing demonstrations in support of desegregation "busing" in the Boston schools in 1975. Nearly 30,000 people attended the Boston March Against Racism which they had organized. During the 1970s, they also attempted to begin work inside organized labor, but apparently were not very successful.[15]

In 1980, the WWP began to participate in electoral politics, naming a presidential ticket as well as candidates for New York Senate, congressional and state legislature seats. In California, they ran their candidate Deirdre Griswold in the primary for the Peace and Freedom Party nomination. They came in last, with 1,232 votes out of 9,092. In 1984, the WWP supported Jesse Jackson's bid for the Democratic nomination, but when he lost in the primaries they nominated their own presidential ticket, along with a handful of congressional and legislative nominees.[16]

Splits

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In 1968, the WWP absorbed a small faction of the Spartacist League that had worked with it in the Coalition for an Anti-Imperialist Movement called the Revolutionary Communist League (Internationalist). This group left the WWP in 1971 as the New York Revolutionary Committee. The NYRC's newspaper provided rare details about the internal functioning of the group that have subsequently been used by scholars as a primary source. The NYRC later reconstituted as the Revolutionary Communist League (Internationalist).[17]

In 2004, the WWP suffered its most serious split when the San Francisco branch and some other members left to form the Party for Socialism and Liberation.[18][19]

In July 2018, the WWP experienced another schism in which several branches including the Detroit branch, one of its oldest, resigned from the organization to form the Communist Workers League.[20]

Associated organizations

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The WWP has organized, directed or participated in many coalition organizations for various causes, typically anti-imperialist in nature.

The International Action Center, which counts many WWP members as leading activists, founded the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) coalition shortly after the September 11 attacks in 2001 and has run the All People's Congress (APC). The APC and the IAC in particular share a large degree of overlap in their memberships with cadre in the WWP.

In 2004, a youth group close to the WWP called Fight Imperialism Stand Together (FIST) was founded.[citation needed] The group's website was live as of 2024, but the latest newsletter available at that time was dated October 4, 2010,[21] and the home page advertised a "forthcoming" event on 3 December 2011.[22]

Ideology

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The WWP describes itself as a party that has since its founding "supported the struggles of all oppressed peoples". It has recognized the right of nations to self-determination, including the nationally oppressed peoples inside the United States. It supports affirmative action as necessary in the fight for equality and it opposes all forms of racism and religious bigotry.[citation needed]

The WWP and its affiliate Youth Against War and Fascism (YAWF) were known for their consistent defense of the Black Panthers, the Weather Underground, the Vietnam Veterans Against the War and the Puerto Rican Independence movement.[citation needed]

Geopolitical Views

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The Workers World Party has openly supported communist regimes since it's founding including the 1956 Soviet incursion into Hungary and the 1989 Chinese government's actions at Tiananmen Square. The party has also supported some non-communist leaders such as Saddam Hussein of Iraq, Serbian and Yugoslavian politician Slobodan Milosevic, Russian Leader Vladimir Putin, and Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.[23][24] The party is critical of United States foreign policy and seeks to end United States imperialism.[25]

North Korea

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The WWP has maintained a position of supporting the government of North Korea. Through its Vietnam-era front organization, the American Servicemen's Union (ASU), the party endorsed a 1971 statement of support for that government. The statement was read on North Korea's international radio station by visiting ASU delegate Andy Stapp.[26] In 1994, Sam Marcy sent a letter to Kim Jong Il expressing his condolences on behalf of the WWP on the death of his father Kim Il Sung, calling him a great leader and comrade in the international communist movement.[27] Its later front groups, IAC and formerly International A.N.S.W.E.R., have also demonstrated in support of North Korea.[28]

Iran

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In March of 2026 Workers World members attended a vigil for Ayatollah Khamenei as well as "the martyrs that have been killed by the U.S.-Israeli attack" which was a reference to the United States and Israeli strikes on Iran during the 2026 Iran War.[29] On March 15th 2026, Workers World Party members also attended an Al-Quds Day rally which Al-Quds Day an annual event held on the last Friday of Ramadan to show support for the Iranian regime and established by Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979.[30]

Iraq

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When the WWP was playing a role in organizing anti-war protests before the invasion of Iraq in 2003, many newspapers and TV shows attacked the WWP for supporting Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.[31][32][33]

Belarus

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The WWP signalized support of Alexander Lukashenko during the Belarusian protests in 2020. They accused the protest movement of being "counterrevolutionary" and supported by the "fascist Maidan movement and the U.S. imperialism", while praising President Lukashenko for maintaining some socialist-oriented politics, "rejection of privatization" and keeping the Soviet state symbols.[34][35]

Venezuela

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In March of 2026 Workers World Party members held a rally in support of Nicholas Maduro who was arrested by the Trump Administration on drug trafficking charges.[36]

Israel

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In 1969 The Workers World Party was one of the first parties to back the Palestinian cause when they publically started supporting the Palestinian political party Fatah.[37] Workers World Party is anti-Zionist and supports the Boycott, Divestments, and Sanctions movement against Israel. It believes Israel is an apartheid state and openly questions Israel's right to exist.[38][23] On October 8th 2023 the Workers World Party was in attendance at a rally celebration the October 7th 2023 massacre of Israeli civilians along with members of the Democratic Socialists of America, including 13th Congressional Democratic nominee Darializa Avila Chevalier.[39] In July of 2026, Workers World helped host a conference along with the Chicago Teachers Union centered around the Boycott Divestments and Sanctions movement that also included guidance on how to obstruct a United States port in order to pressure an Israeli company to cease operations.[40]

Domestic Policy

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The Workers World Party, supports reparations for the American slave trade, a universal basic income, and the abolition of prisons and an end to capitalism.[41] The party has also been active in environmental and indigenous rights protests as well as taking stances for the abolition of ICE, defunding the police, and protesting alongside Black Lives Matter.[42][43] The group has also supported radical activist groups like the Black Panthers and the Weather Underground.[25]

Standing Rock Dakota Access pipeline protests

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Workers World Party members were present during the Standing Rock Dakota Access Pipeline protests of 2016 and 2017.[25] Where party members "stood in solidarity with the Native and Indigenous struggle" and compared the fight at Standing Rock to support for the Palestinian Cause.[43]

Black Lives Matter protests

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In August of 2017 Workers World Party members were accused of destroying a Confederate statue in Durham, North Carolina. Saying in a statement that "Charlottesville and racist monuments across the country are the result of centuries of white supremacy."[42]

Election results

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The WWP has participated in presidential election campaigns since the 1980 election, though its effectiveness in this area is limited as it has been unable to get on the ballots of many states. The party also has run some campaigns for other offices. One of the most successful was in 1990, when Susan Farquhar got on the ballot as a Senate candidate in Michigan and received 1.3% of the vote. However, the party's best result was in the 1992 Ohio Senate election, when the WWP candidate received 6.7% of the vote, running against a Democrat and a Republican.[44]

Presidential elections

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In 2008, the WWP endorsed Cynthia McKinney of the Green Party of the United States.[45]

Year Presidential candidate Vice presidential candidate Popular votes % Electoral votes Result Ballot access Notes Ref
2016 Monica Moorehead Lamont Lilly 4,173
0.00%
 0 Lost
142 / 538
 [46]
2004 John Parker Teresa Gutierrez 1,646
0.00%
 0 Lost
93 / 538
 [a] [47]
2000 Monica Moorehead Gloria La Riva 4,795
0.00%
 0 Lost
51 / 538
 [48]
1996 Monica Moorehead Gloria La Riva 29,083
0.03%
 0 Lost
153 / 538
 [49]
1992 Gloria La Riva Larry Holmes 181
0.00%
 0 Lost
5 / 538
 [50]
1988 Larry Holmes Gloria La Riva 7,846
0.01%
 0 Lost
157 / 538
 [51]
1984 Larry Holmes[b] Gloria La Riva 17,983
0.02%
 0 Lost
130 / 538
 [52]
1980 Deirdre Griswold Gavrielle Holmes 13,213
0.01%
 0 Lost
117 / 538
 [53]

Notable members

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ 2004: Vote total includes 265 votes on the Liberty Union Party line in Vermont.
  2. ↑ In 1984, Gavrielle Holmes ran in place of Larry Holmes in some states.

References

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  1. ↑ "Workers World Party: Who We Are". Workers World Party. Archived from the original on October 15, 2023. Workers World Party is a revolutionary Marxist-Leninist party dedicated to organizing and fighting for a socialist revolution in the United States and around the world. With branches around the U.S., WWP develops militant organizers in every struggle, from anti-racist and immigrant rights to labor, anti-war and anti-imperialist struggles.
  2. ↑ Lawrence, Ken. "Roots of the Workers World Party". libcom.org. This stance in turn meant playing down to insignificance polemics against Stalinism, while seeking leadership of the class through exemplary action. The Marcyites remained uneasily as a faction within the SWP until the USSR's military invasion of Hungary in 1956, which they supported and the SWP denounced. Depending on whose version you believe, the Marcy-Copeland faction either left (Marcy) or was expelled (Cannon), and formed Workers World Party in 1957.
  3. ↑ "Selected Works of Sam Marcy". Workers World. Retrieved October 2, 2008.
  4. ↑ "Sam Marcy (by L. Proyect)". www.columbia.edu. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Sam Marcy, Marxist Writer, Dies at 86 (Published 1998)". February 9, 1998. Archived from the original on March 6, 2025. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
  6. ↑ "China – A setback for Imprerialism" (PDF). The Militant. October 3, 1949.
  7. ↑ "The SWP Position on China" (PDF). SWP Discussion Bulletin. June 1963.
  8. ↑ "The SWP Position on China". The Militant. 2001.
  9. ↑ Alexander 1991, p. 911.
  10. ↑ Copeland, Vince, ed. (May 1, 1959). "Pressure of Khrushchev Too Much for Vanguard" (PDF). Workers World. Vol. 1, no. 3. p. 2. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  11. ↑ Alexander 1973, p. 554.
  12. ↑ Alexander 1991, p. 912.
  13. ↑ Klehr, Harvey (1988). Far Left of Center.
  14. ↑ Alexander 1991, pp. 912–913.
  15. ↑ Alexander 1991, p. 913.
  16. ↑ Alexander 1991, p. 914.
  17. ↑ Alexander 1991, pp. 913, 941–943, 1049.
  18. ↑ "Founding statement of the Party for Socialism and Liberation". Liberation School. August 1, 2004. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  19. ↑ Freedlander, David (October 13, 2015). "Bernie Sanders Isn't Socialist Enough for Many Socialists". Bloomberg. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Detroit branch resignation from WWP". The Former Workers World Party. July 15, 2018. Archived from the original on September 29, 2018. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Newsletter". FIST. October 4, 2010. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  22. ↑ "Home page". Fight Imperialism Stand Together. November 23, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2024. Dance Dance REVOLUTION: Durham, NC FIST Fundraiser, Saturday 3 December 2011
  23. 1 2 "The 'Answer' Question Poses Difficult Choices for Liberals". The Forward. September 30, 2005. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  24. ↑ amNY (August 28, 2014). "Standing up for Gaza but not with certain groups | amNewYork". www.amny.com. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  25. 1 2 3 Hudnall, David (November 2, 2016). "Long Shots: Durham Activist Lamont Lilly Runs for Veep on the World Workers Party Ticket". The INDY. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Workers World Party and Its Front Organizations" (April 1974) US House Committee on Internal Security
  27. ↑ Marcy, Sam (July 21, 1994). "Kim Il Sung – Anti-imperialist fighter, socialist hero".
  28. ↑ Carlson, Peter (December 15, 2002). "The Crusader: Ramsey Clark Was LBJ's Attorney General. Now He's Busy Denouncing U.S. 'War Crimes' in Places Like Iraq, N. Korea. How Did That Happen?". The Washington Post.
  29. ↑ Saidmehr, Simone (March 7, 2026). "Confronting a Khamenei vigil in NYC, Iranian protesters declare solidarity with Jews". The Forward. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  30. ↑ "Al Quds Day rallies show global support for terrorism | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. March 15, 2026. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  31. ↑ Cooper, Marc (September 29, 2002). "A Smart Peace Movement is MIA". Los Angeles Times.
  32. ↑ Gitlin, Todd (October 14, 2002). "Who Will Lead?". Mother Jones.
  33. ↑ Corn, David (November 1, 2002). "Behind the Placards: The odd and troubling origins of today's antiwar movement". LA Weekly.
  34. ↑ Grotewohl, Otis (August 29, 2020). "Workers and communists in Belarus unite behind Lukashenko". Workers World. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  35. ↑ Grotewohl, Otis (August 17, 2020). "U.S., fascists set scopes on socialist-leaning Belarus". Workers World. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  36. ↑ "The Latest: Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro appears in New York City court". ABC 8 News. March 26, 2026.
  37. ↑ "El Fatah is Receiving Financial, Moral and Political Aid in U.s., the ADL Reports". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  38. ↑ "THE RISE OF ANTI-ISRAEL EXTREMIST GROUPS AND THEIR THREAT TO U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY". www.congress.gov. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  39. ↑ MacCammon, Ron (July 23, 2026). "How the DSA turned support for Israel into grounds for expulsion". Washington Examiner. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  40. ↑ Levine, Jon (July 13, 2026). "'It'll Be Violent': Chicago Teachers Union Hosts Israel-Hating Communist Convention Where Radicals Call for Sabotaging US Ports, Backing Iran". Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  41. ↑ Lowrey, Annie (August 29, 2019). "The People Who Think Bernie Is Moderate". The Atlantic. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  42. 1 2 "Who are the Workers World Party, the group who helped organize the Durham Confederate statue toppling". ABC11 Raleigh-Durham. August 16, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  43. 1 2 Lilly, Lamont (October 27, 2016). "We Don't Subscribe to Reforming the Police". Left Voice. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  44. ↑ "Vote for U.S. Senate". Ballot Access News. January 1, 2003. Retrieved September 22, 2008.
  45. ↑ "Cynthia McKinney for president". Workers World Party. July 17, 2008. Archived from the original on October 13, 2008.
  46. ↑ "Federal Elections 2016" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. December 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 2, 2019.
  47. ↑ "Federal Elections 2004" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. July 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 2, 2019.
  48. ↑ "Federal Elections 00" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. July 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 2, 2019.
  49. ↑ "Federal Elections 96" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. July 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 2, 2019.
  50. ↑ "Federal Elections 92" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. July 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 2, 2019.
  51. ↑ "Federal Elections 88" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. July 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 2, 2019.
  52. ↑ "Federal Elections 84" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. July 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 2, 2019.
  53. ↑ "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 4, 1980" (PDF). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. April 15, 1981. p. 73. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 28, 2008.

Sources

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Further reading

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