Revolutionary Communist Party, USA

The Revolutionary Communist Party, USA (RCP, USA), known originally as the Revolutionary Union, is a revolutionary Maoist organization that was formed in 1975. The RCP states that U.S. imperialism will never peacefully change. They believe that the only way for the oppressed masses to ever liberate themselves is through waging a people's war, and building a new socialist society on the ashes of capitalism.

Contents

1 Origins 2 1980's 3 RCP today 4 External links 5 Further reading 5.1 Revolutionary Union publications 5.2 RCP publications

Origins

It was formed by former members of the Revolutionary Youth Movement II (RYM II) faction of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) after that group fell apart in 1968. Robert Avakian was just one of many activists who turned to Maoist ideas, which they referred to as Marxist-Leninist, and began organising in the Bay Area of California. H. Bruce Franklin, Stephen Charles Hamilton, and Bob Avakian together formed the Revolutionary Union (RU).

BARU expanded nationally with great rapidity in the next couple of years, since of the various groups coming out of SDS, it was the first to seriously attempt to develop itself both at the theoretical level, with the publication of Red Papers 1, and the first to seek to sink roots into working class communities and struggles. As a result it was able to absorb a series of similar local collectives which had developed out of SDS.

Such rapid expansion was not without its problems, however, and in 1971 a senior leader of the Revolutionary Union (as BARU had been renamed when it had developed a nationwide structure), H. Bruce Franklin, led a section of the group in a split based on semi-anarchist ideas that were characterised by many as voluntarist. The new group was named Venceremos, showing the continuing influence of the Cuban Revolution on many New Leftists, and was to last for only a short time before collapsing in 1973.

In 1975 a group associated with Vice Chairman Mickey Jarvis left to form the Revolutionary Workers Headquarters.

1980's

As a result of criminal indictments in 1981 stemming from a demonstration at the White House against Deng Xiaoping, RCP National Chairman Bob Avakian and other RCP leaders fled the United States and have been living in France and England ever since. The RCP remains active in both the United States and Western Europe. It is considered by its critics to be a very centralized and authoritarian group.

One of the group's most notable actions was raising the Red Flag over the Alamo. This was done by Damian Garcia, who was eventually killed. The RCP claims his murder was a result of his actions at the Alamo, just days before.

A member of the RCP's Youth Organization, the Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade, burned a United States flag at the Republican National Convention in 1984. This resulted in a Supreme Court case known as Texas v. Johnson.

The RCP is a participant in the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement (RIM), which is a grouping of revolutionary Maoist parties and organizations around the world, including the Shining Path and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).

RCP today

RCP members played an important role in establishing the anti-war group Not in Our Name.

In 2001, the RCP published its "New Draft Programme", in which it makes clear its ideas and goals. This document contains a reformed position on homosexuality. Up until 2001, the RCP believed that homosexuality was "something to be struggled against"; now the RCP is fully accepting of homosexuals and their struggle for liberation.

Following the re-election of George W. Bush, the RCP released a statement called "The Battle for the Future". It calls Bush a Christian Fascist and calls on the masses to resist. The document also puts forward Bob Avakian as a great leader.

RCP supporters have been active in the anti-repression group Refuse and Resist (RnR). RnR does not articulate clearly Maoist viewpoints. RnR works on behalf of many anarchist and left-wing causes such as the anti-war movement and the case for Mumia Abu-Jamal.

External links

Articles and news reports

• Evans, Christopher. He Says He Wants A Revolution (http://www.cleveland.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/sunday_mag/1113768936271860.xml). Cleveland Plain Dealer. Sunday, April 17, 2005. Retrieved April 19, 2005. Print page retrieved May 31, 2005.
• DelVecchio, Rick. Berkeley: Memoir follows author's road to communism (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/04/29/EBGBICCPDC1.DTL&type=printable). San Francisco Examiner. Page F 5. Friday, April 29, 2005. Retrieved April 29, 2005.

RCP websites

• Revolution: Voice of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA (http://www.revcom.us) relaunched newspaper.
• Revolutionary Worker - archive newspaper site (http://www.rwor.org/)
• Audio speeches by Bob Avakian - Chairman of the RCP (http://bobavakian.net/)
• "Battle for the Future" Statement (http://www.rwor.org/future/index.htm)
• New Draft Programme of the RCP (http://www.rwor.org/s/programme_e.htm)

Refuse & Resist!

• Refuse & Resist! - Official Site (http://www.refuseandresist.org/)

Video

• FOX & Friends "Michael's Supporters" Microsoft Player link (http://www.overspun.com/video/F&F-Commies.wmv) RCP supporter Sunsara Taylor (http://sunsara.blogspot.com/) interviewed regarding Terri Schiavo case. Edited version archived on Overspun.com (http://www.overspun.com/2005_03_01_archive.html). Retrieved April 12, 2005.

Further reading

Revolutionary Union publications

Pamphlets

• Victory throgh our struggle, not through elections!. Revolutionary Union, Chicago. [1972?], 8p., newspaper format.

• The "new economic policy". Bay Area Radical Education Project, San Francisco. 1971, 32p.

• India's aggression in Pakistan; the background of "Bangla Desh". Revolutionary Union & Bay Area Radical Education Project, San Francisco. [1971?], 28p.

• The red papers, no. 7: How capitalism has been restored in the Soviet Union and what this means for the world struggle. Revolutionary Union, Chicago. 1974, 156p.

• The Chicano struggle and the struggle for socialism. Revolutionary Union, Chicago. 1975, 68p. The RU paper was adopted by the Revolutionary Communist Party as part of its platform in 1975

Periodicals

• The Red Papers. San Francisco, Calif. Bay Area R.U., [1969- ]. Frequency, Irregular. Published [1] - [9]. Imprint varies: San Francisco, Calif. : Bay Area Revolutionary Union, 1969-1971; Chicago, Ill. : Revolutionary Union, 1972-

• West Bronx on the Move/Oeste del Bronx en Camino/On the Move. Bronx, N.Y. : s.n., 1971 - . Bimonthly, Feb.-Mar. 1973 - Aug.-Sept. 1973. Ceased with: No. 15 (Aug.-Sept. 1973). Issues for Oct. 1971-Apr. '72 in English only. Issues for May 18, '72-<Feb.-Mar. 1973> in English and Spanish.

• Worker for the New York-New Jersey area/Obrero del area de New York-New Jersey. Monthly. Nov. 1973-Sept. 1975. None published for Jan. 1974?

RCP publications

Pamphlets

• Programme and constitution of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA. RCP, N.pl.. 1975, 173p.

• 200 years is long enough! And now it is the turn of the working class to overthrow the capitalist system and build a completely new kind of society'. (From the Programme of the Revolutionary Communist Party). RCP Publications, Chicago. 1976, 28p. Title page: the development of class struggle in 200 years of U.S. history and the inevitability of working class revolution....

• Elections '76 capitalists' desperate deceit vs. workers' growing struggle. RCP Publications, Chicago. 1976, 13p.

• Auto and the workers movement: learning from the proud past to fight for a brighter future. RCP Publications, Chicago. 1976, 44p.

• The mass line reprinted from Revolution. RCP Publications, Chicago. 1976, 12p.,

• Break the chains! Unleash the fury of women as a mighty force for revolution. RCP Publications, Chicago. 1979, 30p. illus.

• New programme and new constitution of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA. (Drafts for discussion). RCP Publications, Chicago. 1980, 109p.

• New Constitution of the Revolutionary Communist Party, May 1st, 1981. RCP Publications, Chicago. [1981?], 30p.

• New programme and new constitution of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA. RCP Publications, Chicago. 1981, 122p.

• The Soviet Union: socialist or social-imperialist? Essays toward the debate on the nature of Soviet society. Compiled by the editors of The Communist, theoretical journal of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA. RCP Publications, Chicago. 1983, 210p.

Periodicals

• Milwaukee Worker/The Worker for the Milwaukee area and Wisconsin/El Obrero. Milwaukee, Revolutionary Communist Party, USA. Monthly. v.1 no. 1 - 3 no.4; Oct. 1975 - Jan. 1978.

• Northwest Worker/The Worker for the Northwest/Revolutionary Worker (Northwest ed.)/El Obrero. Seattle, Wash. : [Revolutionary Communist Party, USA], 1975-1979. Monthly, 1975 - April 1978. Biweekly, May 1978 - 1979. Vol. 1, no. 1 (Oct. 1975) - v. 4, no. 8 (Jan. 17, 1979).

• Revolutionary Communist Youth / Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade. Chicago : The Brigade, 1978-1982. Monthly, 1980-82. Vol. 1, no. 1 (Mar. 1978) - v. 5, no. 1 (Mar. 1982)

• Revolutionary Worker/Obrero Revolucionario. Chicago, Ill. RCP Publications, 1979- . Weekly. Vol. 1, no. 1 (May 1, 1979) -

• Worker for the New York-New Jersey area/Obrero del area de New York-New Jersey. New York, N.Y./Elizabeth N.J. Monthly. Vol. 1, no. 1 (Oct. 1975) - Ceased during first half of 1978. English and Spanish, with Spanish text on inverted pages. Filmed by MSC for New York University Libraries, Preservation Dept., New York, NY 10012, 1987. 1 microfilm reel ; 35 mm.