The CWP delegation to the PCM VII Congress concluded its three days of participation having gained invaluable experience and knowledge in furthering the regroupment of a communist party in the US. Arriving on Thursday, December 15th, the delegates were greeted by comrades of the PCM and took part in pre-congress activities, such as touring monuments and other historical buildings connected to the party. Of special importance was the monument dedicated to Juan Antonio Mella and the Murales de la Secretaria de Educacion Public, which contains murals and statues from Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros. At the conclusion of the tour, a seminar was held in the school on the formation of the Sindicato de Telefonistas de la República Mexicana (STRM). The seminar consisted of speeches given by the international delegates on the topic of “The 100th Anniversary of the USSR, the experience of socialist construction, and the strategy of the communist parties.”
Following the seminar, the congress was opened with the greetings of the international delegates. Debate began over the “Political Thesis,” which concluded with a vote of approval. The congress also approved the “Theses on the Structure of Classes in Mexico.” Various interventions occurred during the congress with music and remembrances of David Alfaro Siqueiro, the socialist-realist artist, and the recently passed Narciso Sanchez, director of the PCM cadre school.
The final day of the congress kicked off with the greetings of the delegations from the United States, given by MLToday, CWPUSA, and the American Council of Bolsheviks (ACB). Afterwards, the congress proceeded with debate and approval of the Program and Statutes, the election of the central committee, the presentation of the new Political Bureau, and the closing of the congress.
From the congress the delegation derived important information that will be necessary for the CWPUSA in our practical activity. Various topics were discussed with the representatives of the PCM, including how their party arrived at a common methodology for political work, as well as some of the history of the party. Specifically, the PCM recognized that, although their cadre had a firm understanding of Marxism, each member was applying it differently. For example, each member had a different understanding of monopoly and thus arrived at different analyses. To remedy this, the party began to work on creating a unified methodology which included common definitions for these sorts of concepts.
The CWP and ACB delegations also met together, drawing our respective splits from the Party of Communists USA (PCUSA) into closer contact. Our discussions were mediated by PCM representatives and covered the topic of unification between the CWP and the ACB. Both organizations expressed a common desire to work together in the process of unification based on joint projects. The formation of the ACB was a result of the PCUSA’s support of Russia in the imperialist war in Ukraine. Like the CWP, the ACB also cited the complete erosion of democratic centralism as another element in their rupture with the party.
Conversations between the comrades of the United States and Mexico were held in light of the summit, held a few days after the congress, between AMLO, Biden, and Trudeau to discuss greater collaboration between their respective countries towards the formation of a stronger front in the joint exploitation of their peoples. From this stems the need for greater unity between the peoples of North America for the counteroffensive against this imperialist alliance. To this end, the communists of the US must develop cadres jointly with the revolutionary forces of the international communist movement. Furthermore, to guide such activity, and to develop a revolutionary theory and common methodology, the US communists must develop a revolutionary program that analyzes the history of the American communist movement and contemporary working class in the US. We learned that this can never be done in the absence of a real party life and revolutionary attitude, attributes which any internet-oriented organization would lack. This sort of cultivation of party life is but one of many elements that has placed the state of the communist movement in the US as a major concern of the international communist movement.
The CWP delegation met with the representatives of the Communist Workers’ Party of Spain (PCTE), and the Communist Party of Greece (KKE). We were fortunate to learn from the experiences of these parties, which highlighted that intervention in the labor movement must occur as soon as possible so that the communists can become known as fighters for working class struggles. From this, connections with the workers are established and an organizational form arises. The CWP was warned to avoid getting stuck in discussions and taking too long to establish the party. Obstacles facing the constitution of the party must be rapidly overcome. They also stressed that in the course of forming a communist party it is essential to maintain the principled characteristics of a party of the new type. The numerous examples of liquidationism from the US communist movement were cited to emphasize that the construction of the party cannot take place without base organizations, elected committees, and so on. The history of the PCM’s struggle against liquidationism served as an alternative example for overcoming this feature.
The communists of the US are faced with the task of concentrating our scattered forces (the “politically homeless”) and impressing upon them the need to form a party. This task should be pursued regardless of our numbers, and always with the Leninist party structure in mind. This process must be guided by a clear perspective and understanding of the key issues of the working class struggle. Today, there are many examples of groups with good theory but no party organization, and vice versa, but both are needed, each one alone is insufficient. Attempts at building the weapon of the proletariat cannot happen overnight, though, and should not be taken up everywhere. Rather, we must identify locations crucial to the concentration of the working class and focus our efforts there, even where we have only a single member. The further postponement of party building will only prolong the struggle for the socialist revolution.
Based on these experiences at the VII Congress of the PCM, the CWP has considered the conclusions of the delegates and recognized the mistakes made in the initial structuring of our organization over this past year. The congress confirmed the necessity of phasing out online teleconference meetings. The leading bodies of the organization should meet in person, following the guidelines for the Bolshevization of the party. The General Assembly will need to be replaced by a Central Committee, with all other members having the sole duty of forming local committees and cells.
Regarding our strategy for building a party, the advice we have been given is crucial to root our work in the struggles of the working class. The lessons we have gained have demonstrated that it is a mistake, an overcorrection, to pursue perfection. Mistakes are inevitable. What demonstrates the real revolutionary potential of a communist party is its ability to expose these mistakes, to learn from and correct them. Failure in this is failure in our duties as communists. The CWP will continue its role in bringing the various revolutionary communist organizations together, starting with the ACB, on the road towards the reconstruction of the communist party. This process cannot take place based only on ideological consensus, it requires practical collaboration as well, or else we can only repeat the past and doom the party, place it on a foundation built only of words.
In the spirit of internationalism and for the necessity of developing capable cadres capable of, we must utilize the valuable experiences of our fraternal organizations and complete our studies alongside them, as we currently lack this experience ourselves. Through joint struggle, the CWP will forge strong ties between our organization and those of the Marxist-Leninist pole. For the regroupment of the communist forces in the United States, to the victory of the working class!
