Party for Socialism and Liberation

From Encyc
Not to be confused with Party of Liberation and Socialism.
Party for Socialism and Liberation
LeaderCentral Committee[1]
FoundedTemplate:No wrap
Split fromWorkers World Party
Headquarters
IdeologyTemplate:No wrap
Political positionFar-left
ColorsTemplate:Colour box Red
Website
pslweb.org

The Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) is a communist party[2] in the United States established in 2004 after a split in the Workers World Party (WWP).[3]

Peta Lindsay and Yari Osorio were PSL's 2012 presidential ticket. Gloria La Riva and Eugene Puryear ran for President and Vice President on the PSL ticket in 2008 and 2016. In 2016, PSL received more than nine times the number of votes than in the 2012 Presidential Election.

History[edit]

Template:American socialism The PSL was formed when the San Francisco branch and several other members left WWP in June 2004, announcing that "the Workers World Party leadership is no longer capable of fulfilling [the] mission" of building socialism.[3]

Presidential candidate performance[edit]

Year Presidential candidate/Vice presidential candidate Popular votes Percentage Electoral votes
2008 Gloria La Riva/Eugene Puryear 6,818[4] 0.01% 0
2012 Peta Lindsay/Yari Osorio 7,791[5] 0.01% 0
2016 Gloria La Riva/Eugene Puryear 74,392[6] 0.05% 0

Ideology[edit]

The party's goal is to lead a revolution paving the way towards socialism, under which a "new government of working people" would be formed. The PSL proposes many radical changes to be implemented by this government. In the political sphere, all elected representatives should be recallable, securing freedom of speech for the working class (except in the case of xenophobia or bigotry and to prevent re-establishment of the capitalist system) and the elimination of corporate influence from politics. The party's program states: "Achieving fully developed socialism, a goal that has not yet been achieved anywhere, will open the way to communism and the end of class society".[7]

Concerning economics, the PSL would among other measures prohibit the exploitation of labor for private profit, implement a working week of 30 hours and eradicate poverty through the introduction of a basic income guarantee. The PSL would grant the right of self-determination to what it considers oppressed nations of the United States, including "African Americans, Native, Puerto Rican and other Latino national minorities, the Hawaiian nation, Asian, Pacific Islander, Arab, and other oppressed peoples who have experienced oppression as a whole people under capitalism". It would grant independence to Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands and the Mariana Islands, which it considers colonies.

Historically, the PSL has a generally positive view of the Soviet Union, describing the October Revolution as "the single biggest event that shaped global politics in the 20th century". The PSL acknowledges that the New Economic Policy of Vladimir Lenin led "to a re-polarization of social classes, especially in the countryside". The PSL blames the reforms initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev for the fall of the Soviet Union.[8]

The PSL supports Cuba and mourned the death of former Cuban President Fidel Castro.[9] While critical of the current Chinese government, the PSL acknowledges China's contributions to socialism and anti-imperialist struggle and it views the Chinese Revolution favorably.[10] The PSL also supports the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela. It has endorsed activities that called for the release of the Cuban Five—deemed political prisoners by supporters—and called for the extradition of Luis Posada Carriles from the United States.[11]

The PSL voiced solidarity with Nepal upon the overthrow of the monarchy and the 2008 election of Pushpa Kamal Dahal.[12]

In the Leninist tradition,[13] the PSL supports the right of nations to self-determination. It has been outspoken in condemning Israel and its role in the Middle East. The PSL led demonstrations against the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in July 2006 and supports the right of return for Palestinians.[citation needed]

File:GenericPSLFlier.jpg
A generic PSL flier outside of a popular coffee house in Boise, Idaho

The PSL co-operates with other organizations across the United States in the anti-war movement[14] and is a member of the steering committee of the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism Coalition (A.N.S.W.E.R.). As one of the most active members of the coalition, the PSL has gained notice for successfully forging ties with Arab and Muslim American groups such as the Muslim American Society, Al-Awda and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.[15] The PSL advocates for the end of the United States military presence in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria and the closure of all United States foreign military bases.[16]

Publications[edit]

The party's main publication is the monthly newspaper, Liberation News,[17] which replaced a quarterly magazine, Socialism and Liberation.[18] The PSL outlines its political perspective, including its assessment of the current international and domestic situation, in the pamphlet Who We Are, What We Stand For.[19] The party also owns its own printing company, PSL Publications, through which it has published multiple printed books such as Socialists and War: Two Opposing Trends by members Mazada Majidi and Brian Becker[20] and an e-book which was released through Amazon titled A Woman's Place Is in the Struggle by members Ana Maria Ramirez, Anne Gamboni, Gloria La Riva and Liz Lowengard.[21] The PSL's publication company is headquartered at their West Coast office in San Francisco, California.

The PSL now broadcasts a weekly podcast from their Chicago office called Crashing the System.[22]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Chat with the PSL on Facebook.
  2. ↑ "'No separate destiny for US workers apart from the workers of the world'". International Communist Press. October 1, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2019. We are a communist party.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Party for Socialism and Liberation: People's Struggle and the Socialist Revolution". August 1, 2004.
  4. ↑ "Federal Elections 2018" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. July 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  5. ↑ Weintraub, Ellen (July 2013). "Federal Elections 2012" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Official 2016 Presidential General Election Results" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. January 30, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Program of the Party for Socialism and Liberation". Liberation School. Party for Socialism and Liberation. July 10, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  8. ↑ Becker, Brian. "Socialism and the legacy of the Soviet Uni". Why Socialism?. Party for Socialism and Liberation. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2011. Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (help)
  9. ↑ "Miguel Fraga: Until forever, Commander - Liberation News". Liberation News. November 26, 2016. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  10. ↑ "PSL commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Chinese Revolution". Liberation News. October 1, 2009. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  11. ↑ Cuba Solidarity Campaign Archived July 6, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Pslweb.org. Retrivied June 4, 2007.
  12. ↑ "Ferment in Nepal: A dynamic vortex of revolutionary change". January 3, 2009. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  13. ↑ Lenin, V.I. "The Right of Nations to Self-Determination". Marxists.org. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Paul Le Blanc: Revolutionary organisation and the 'Occupy moment'". February 16, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  15. ↑ Kanowitz, Saul (July 25, 2006). "Al-Awda convention shows solidarity with Palestine and Lebanon". Liberation News. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Part 2: The U.S. drive for global domination". Party for Socialism and Liberation. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
  17. ↑ Webmaster, PSL. "Liberation News: reporting from the front-line of struggle". Liberation News. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Socialism and Liberation magazine is changing". June 5, 2007. January 7, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Who We Are, What We Stand For". Archived from the original on February 6, 2006. Retrieved August 15, 2017. Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (help)
  20. ↑ "Socialists and war: two opposing trends".
  21. ↑ Ramirez, Ana Maria; Gamboni, Anne; Riva, Gloria La; Lowengard, Liz; Lindsay, Peta (March 4, 2013). "A Woman's Place Is in the Struggle". PSL Publications. Retrieved August 15, 2017 – via Amazon.
  22. ↑ "Crashing the System". Sound Cloud.


External links[edit]

Template:Communist parties in the United States Template:United States political parties

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