Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) - Organization
In 2022, PSL said it had members in "over 100 cities". PSL does not release membership numbers.
One former PSL member spoke of "PSL’s deep-rooted orientation that having the correct line and intent absolves them from the material impact of their behavior. This attitude visibly trickles down to rank-and-file members who believe they are cadre and manifests as their trademark disdain for anyone who does not have absolute faith in PSL’s leadership and internal processes. All of the above contribute to the most disturbing effect of PSL on the greater left: their active and self-aware participation in derailing, deradicalizing, and disillusioning waves of young organizers from marginalized communities after exploitation by the Party has run its course."
Another activist wrote of PSL, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) and Workers World Party (WWP) "the most frustrating group of the three to work with is PSL. The groups have very similar lines, although there are some differences (racism and the national question being the largest one). The principal difference, though, is that the FRSO seems to have a strategy for revolution in the US that they project into their work, while the PSL does not... a lot of times, lone members or packs of one or two will form ANSWER Coalitions because the leadership tells them to 'work in a mass group', and they mechanically apply that advice to start their own rather than joining something existing, which ends up just being a front. Rest assured, ANSWER nationally has led some great marches and they're still one of the big three in anti-war work, but it's not as simple as that."
In democratic centralist parties, members are expected to uphold discipline and follow the decisions made by the party leadership while also participating in democratic processes within the party structure. Democratic centralism is a principle of organization in Leninist political parties, where decisions are made through internal democracy but are binding on all members once made. Cadres within such parties are individuals who are trained and committed to advancing the party's goals and ideology. They often play crucial roles in mobilizing support, organizing activities, and implementing party directives. Being a disciplined cadre means adhering strictly to the party's principles, rules, and directives, and being committed to the collective decisions of the party leadership. It involves loyalty to the party's goals and objectives, as well as a willingness to work diligently to achieve them.
PSL is a democratic centralist party, which means that "all members, including those who disagree, are duty bound to publicly defend and carry out" all PSL decisions. A vanguard party is a concept in Marxist theory referring to a political party that operates as the forefront or leading force of a revolutionary movement. The idea was developed by Vladimir Lenin, who argued that the working class, on its own, could not achieve revolutionary consciousness due to its exploitation and oppression under capitalism. Therefore, a vanguard party composed of dedicated revolutionaries, who had developed a clear understanding of Marxist theory and were committed to advancing the interests of the working class, was necessary to guide and lead the revolutionary struggle.
"Vanguardist" typically refers to someone who adheres to the principles of vanguardism, the belief in the necessity of a vanguard party to lead a revolutionary movement. A vanguardist is someone who believes that a dedicated and ideologically advanced group of individuals must organize and lead the working class in revolutionary struggle against capitalism. Vanguardists often see themselves as the political vanguard, possessing a deeper understanding of Marxist theory and the revolutionary process. They advocate for the formation of a vanguard party to provide guidance, leadership, and organization to the working class in their efforts to overthrow the capitalist system and establish socialism.
Vanguard theory is a Marxist-Leninist political theory and strategy first developed by proletarian revolutionary Vladimir Ilyich Lenin in his 1902 work What Is to Be Done?" According to Lenin, the vanguard party would serve several functions:
- Providing Leadership: The vanguard party would provide political leadership to the working class, organizing and directing their revolutionary efforts.
- Raising Consciousness: It would work to raise the political consciousness of the proletariat, helping them understand their exploitation and the need for revolutionary change.
- Seizing Power: The vanguard party would lead the working class in seizing political power, establishing a dictatorship of the proletariat, and overthrowing the capitalist system.
- Building Socialism: After seizing power, the vanguard party would guide the construction of socialism, transforming society to eliminate class distinctions and establish a communist society.
The concept of the vanguard party has been influential in Marxist revolutionary movements around the world, particularly in the 20th century. However, it has also been subject to criticism, with some arguing that it can lead to authoritarianism and the concentration of power in the hands of a few leaders.
In 1937, Comrade Mao Zedong said in his inscription for the establishment of Northern Shaanxi Public School: "We must cultivate a large number of people. These people are the vanguard of the revolution. These people have political foresight. These people are full of the spirit of struggle and sacrifice. These people People are open-minded, loyal, active, and upright. These people do not seek personal gain, but only work for the liberation of the nation and society. These people are not afraid of difficulties and are always firm and courageous in the face of difficulties. These people are not arrogant or trendy people, but people who are down-to-earth and full of practical spirit."
The Party should strictly keep secrets, be well organized and disciplined, and be responsible for educating and guiding the masses. Lenin believed that this approach was necessary because the masses were easily influenced by false consciousness due to ideological issues and were unable to recognize their true interests. Therefore, conditional proletarian democracy, that is, Soviet democracy, was necessary. Democracy also needs to be practiced within the party and should be subject to democratic centralism, which allows for a full and lively debate on the party line when deciding an issue, and then the central leadership of the party concludes the debate and, after a vote of the party members, enforce the party line. In order to guide the mass revolution and establish a socialist workers' state, strict discipline is necessary. That is to say, the revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat must be the dictatorship implemented by the vanguard party of the proletariat.
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