The RCP USA was founded by
Chariman Bob Avakian in
1976.
The pary folows the philosophy of
Marxism-
Leninism-
Maoism and calls for an immediate
uprising of the
workers and
disenfranchised of America to form a new
communist society, with the RCP acting as the
vanguard, valiantly leading
the masses to
freedom.
They are active in most large American cities and sell their newspapers at various left-wing functions. They are active supporters of
Mumia Abu-Jamal and
Leonard Peltier.
They are currently creating a new
Programme and this is what they have to say about it:
"The RCP,USA is launching a great project. We plan to produce a new Programme of our Party--and we want to involve the revolutionary masses in helping to produce it. A Party Programme -- a
Marxist-Leninist-Maoist Programme -- is a
battle plan for
destroying the old and
creating the new. It is a kind of
road map for
how to win the revolution -- and a clear statement of what winning in the fullest sense really means. It is a
tool for
understanding this society, and the world, and for identifying all the forces who will make revolution --
proletarian revolution. As
Mao said: 'Who are our enemies? Who are our friends? This is a question of the first importance for the revolution.'"
Here's a bit of spiel from
Chairman Bob on the differences beteween MLM and
Anarchism
MLM vs. Anarchism:
Why Do We Need A
Vanguard Party
by
Bob Avakian
Revolutionary Worker #
921, Aug.
31,
1997
One of the main points raised by anarchism is that there is no need for, no positive role for, a vanguard party--that such vanguard parties constitute
elite and
unnecessary hierarchical structures which stand in the way of liberation, and where they come to power such vanguards inevitably become new oppressive and tyrannical ruling cliques.
It is the same refrain as the song by "
The Who" back in the days of the
'60s and early
'70s: "
meet the new boss--same as the old boss...
hope we don't get fooled again." This is a very common refrain among
petit bourgeois forces--it is an outlook that "strikes a chord" with the spontaneous outlook of even many of the
radical petit bourgeois forces.
This question is addressed very directly in the article "Why You Really Need This Kind of Party If You Are Serious About
Making Revolution" (sometimes referred to as the "
Little Steven article," because it takes off around the line in a song by
"Little Steven" Van Zandt about not needing or wanting a party to tell you what to do). As pointed out in that article,
the vanguard party exists and needs to exist not because
communists want to find a way that they can
hitch-hike on the revolution--or ride the backs of a mass
revolutionary uprising--and then get themselves into power and become a new group of exploiters. Rather, the vanguard party needs to exist because, given the
contradictions in class-divided society, the exploiting system and the class forces that represent and rule in that system cannot be overthrown and finally abolished without such a vanguard party.
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Whew,
that's quite a mouthful. Anyhow I used to run with these
folx back from 88-90. And while there were some
kewl kids hanging out
dreaming of revolution, the party itself was a bit scarry. Like who
the heck is Bob Avakian? Why does he get to be chairman? And why doesn't the party like me
smoking pot, but it's ok to
drink beer?
Then there was always the
nagging little
notion hanging around in
the back of my head that
these guys were just a front for something else... maybe the
FBI, maybe the
Masons, maybe the
lawyers, or the
Jewish conspiracy...
All I know is that after hanging out with them for a few years and listening to them
spew propaganda and ignore the fact that their leading inspiration
Chairman Mao was a butcher and
mass murderer... well i got the feeling that something wasn't completly
kosher.
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.