Encyclopedia of Anti-Revisionism On-Line

Bay Area Socialist Organizing Committee

Confronting Reality/Learning from the History of Our Movement

First Published: April 1981.

Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba

Copyright:This work is in the Public Domain

Publisher’s Note: The Bay Area Socialist Organizing Committee (BASOC) is a local Marxist-Leninist organization based in San Francisco and Oakland, California. A part of the anti-revisionist/anti-ultraleft trend that has developed in recent years, BASOC began in 1977 as a diverse collection of study groups exploring the issues confronting the communist movement today, and especially the question of party building. The first paper in this collection, “The Development of BASOC,” traces the growth of our organization’s political unity. The five papers forming the bulk of this pamphlet present BASOC’s views on reform, revolution, party building, and communist organization, the results of this initial process in developing our political orientation. As such, they are intended as a contribution to the debate within our movement, and not as a series of final pronouncements. We welcome readers’ criticisms, comments, or questions.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION: THE DEVELOPMENT OF BASOC

The Study Process

Mass Work Initiatives

Work in the Communist Movement

Some Lessons

A Summary

IMPERIALISM AND THE STRUGGLES AGAINST IT IN THE UNITED STATES TODAY

Imperialism Today: The End of the American Century

Prospects for Mass Struggles

Conclusion

REFORM AND REVOLUTION

Introduction

The Role of Reforms in Revolutionary Situtations

Reforms in Situations of Political Stability

Ultra-left Purity, The Other Easy Solution

The Role of Communists in Reform Struggles

Priorities for Mass Work

Propaganda and Agitation

Unity with the Advanced

Working with Reformist Elements

Reform and Revolution

PARTY BUILDING

Party Building Is Our Central Task

The Current Scene

Some Working Definitions

Political Line

The Principal Task

Theory and Practice in the Development of Line

Testing in Practice

The Scope of the General Line

Obstacles within Our Movement

The Positions of Other Forces

Summation

A TWENTY-YEAR LEGACY OF ULTRA-LEFTISM

“Left” and Right Errors

Adventurism

Left Sectarianism

Left Economism

Foundations of Ultra-leftism

Ideological Factors

Ultra-centralism

Objective Conditions

The International Context

Deja Vu

Correcting “Left” Tendencies

DEMOCRATIC CENTRALISM

The Principles of Democratic Centralism

Problems of Democratic Centralism

Monolithic Unity

Commandism

Lack of Leadership Accountability

Ultrademocracy

The Question of Factions and Tendencies

Democratic Centralism in Today’s Movement

Appendices

BASOCS ORIGINAL POINTS OF UNITY

BUILDING A NATIONAL FRACTION OF EDUCATION WORKERS