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Socialist Equality Party (United States)
Trotskyist political party in the United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) is an American Trotskyist political party. SEP first formed in 1964 as the American Committee for the Fourth International, created by expelled members of the Socialist Workers Party. SEP and its previous forms were associated with the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), a Trotskyist political international.
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SEP describes itself as a revolutionary socialist party, because the SEP believes capitalism is "beyond reform"[1] and only "a revolutionary movement that has as its aim the establishment of workers' power" can win socialism.[2]
Notable members include David North, Jerry White, and Joseph Kishore.
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History
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Background
In the 1950s, most Trotskyists in the United States were members of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP), which was part of the Fourth International's (FI) tendency International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI).[3]
In 1958, SWP adopted a policy of "regroupment": Pursuit of former members of Stalinist communist parties, who had been disillusioned by the Secret Speech.[3]: 844–845
In 1961, Tim Wohlforth, James Robertson, and other SWP members who opposed regroupment created a tendency within the SWP, the Revolutionary Tendency (RT). RT saw the SWP as shifting toward the FI's other tendency, the International Secretariat of the Fourth International (ISFI), led by Michel Pablo. RT opposed "Pabloite" politics[3]: 864–865 and Pablo's "entryism sui generis" plan, in which Trotskyists would maintain separate parties but personally enter into communist and social democratic parties. RT developed links with the Socialist Labour League in Britain, led by Gerry Healy.[3]: 917 Lyndon LaRouche was briefly an RT member.[3]: 945
In 1962, the RT split: Robertson's majority kept the name. Wohlforth's minority renamed itself the Reorganized Minority Tendency (RMT).[3]: 866
In 1963, in preparation for merging the ICFI with the ISFI, Wohlforth was removed from the SWP's Political Committee.[3]: 924
Formation
In November 1963, the SWP expelled Robertson and the RT, who created the Spartacist League. Robertson's appeal was denied in April 1964.[3]: 917–918
In September 1964, the SWP expelled Wohlforth and the RMT, who created the American Committee for the Fourth International (ACFI) and launched the biweekly Bulletin of International Socialism.[3]: 866, 917–918, 924 [4] ACFI maintained connections with Gerry Healy and the (non-merged portions of the) ICFI, which they considered the legitimate Trotskyist movement. ACFI became the American section of the ICFI.[citation needed]
Wohlforth argued that the split was due to their demand for discussion of the decision by the Sri Lankan Trotskyist Lanka Sama Samaja Party to participate in the national government.[3]: 924
Subsequent history
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In 1966, ACFI renamed itself to the Workers League (WL).[3]: 866
In 1973, WL entered serious organizational crisis. About 150 members and most of its founding leaders left. At Healey's insistence, Wohlforth was forced out of leadership.[3]: 927
In 1985, ICFI split in two. The Workers Revolutionary Party (WRP) in Britain argued that ICFI should support nationalist leaders like Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gadhafi.[3]: 928 In 1985, the WRP expelled Gerry Healy, and WL sided with the ICFI majority over Healy's minority.[3]: 929
In 1995, parties affiliated with ICFI each renamed themselves as Socialist Equality Party. In 1998, the ICFI launched the World Socialist Web Site.[5] ICFI runs the publishing house Mehring Books, formerly named Labor Publications.[6]
In 2006, the Socialist Equality Party relaunched its student movement (the Students for Social Equality) as the International Students for Social Equality (ISSE). In 2012, the SEP renamed the ISSE as the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE).[7]
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Ideology
SEP is a Trotskyist party.[1]
SEP supports a "revolutionary struggle against capitalism" and rejects socialist reformism, stating that "our aim is not the reform of capitalism, but its overthrow".[1] In its list of transitional demands, the SEP includes: Universal employment, universal healthcare, ending foreclosures and evictions, workplace democracy, high inheritance taxes, nationalization of large corporations, and replacement of the volunteer-based US military with "popular militias controlled by the working class and with elected officers".[1]
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Election results
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The SEP has fielded electoral candidates in the United States for local, state, and federal offices. SEP candidates usually run as official SEP candidates on their own ballot line.
No SEP candidate has yet won an election.
Presidential elections
 | Parts of this article (those related to 2024 results) need to be updated. (December 2024) |
Congressional elections
Statewide elections
State legislature elections
Local elections
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See also
References
External links
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