Founding conference of the contemporary problems of the
Central American revolution, the relationship of Marxism to feminism and the political impact of the United
States' economic decline. There were
Solidarity held in US also workshops on the anti-intervention, women's liberation and labor movements.
Solidarity, as an organization, has set for itself the goal of helping to
ON MARCH 30, three US organizations - International Socialists,
Workers Power and Socialist Unity - voted to form a new revolutionary socialist organization, to be named Solidarity. Members of several city-wide collectives as well as unaffiliated individual socialist activists participated in the conference. Many of them decided to join the new organization bringing the initial membership to 230. In all, there were some 200 participants, supporters and observers attending the conference.
LARRY COOPERMAN
A liaison committee for the three groups had been established in June
1985. This body had been charged with directing and attempting to expand the regroupment process. It prepared the political resolutions and organizational motions that were discussed by the conference.
In an expression of unanimity that reflected ten months of joint work and discussion on the national and local levels, the main political resolution was approved without a dissenting voice [see box].
conference included plenary discussions on several topics, including overcome the splintering of revolutionary groups which has facilitated the ideological drift to the right by the majority of radical activists. Many have become apologists for the rightward course of the Democratic Party itself, allowing their preoccupation with the electoral health of "left" candidates in the Democratic Party to divert resources from the building of independent social movements.
Through its sponsorship of Against the Current, bimonthly Marxist magazine, as well as through its involvement in the antiwar, anti-apartheid, labor and women's movement, Solidarity will be able to have an exchange with activists and left intellectuals on the most important political questions facing the social
One of the notable features of the conference was the approval of a series of motions that were developed
'The Basis of Political Agreement' THE POLITICAL resolution presented at the Solidarity conference established the fundamental framework of the regroupment process itself. In a section entitled, "The Basis of Political Agreement," the draft outlines the principles upon which the efforts to unite the US revolutionary left are based. It
"Capitalism is an system now deep in crisis ... system: socialism.
is to build revolutionary socialist movement of the working class which ends the political rule of the capitalist class and private ownership of the means needs its own independent political party as a first step toward the mass join in the fight for a labor party. Democratic Party. The trade unions must again become militant, democratic vehicles rebuild the labor movement, organize the unorganized and reform the
"Racial and national oppression divide the working class and create poverty and misery for millions. We join in the fight against racism, for affirmative action, and in support of movements for liberation of oppressed national minorities. We 12 fight for women's liberation and for oppression of women within working class, keeps women's wages low and burdens women unequally in the task of social reproduction. We are supporters of lesbian and gay liberation and of their struggle throughout the and the struggles of workers for better living standards and social political power everywhere. theoretical analyses of the Eastern European states, we are unconditional defenders of Polish Solidarnose and other struggles for genuine trade unionism and workers' democracy in Eastern Europe.
"We actively oppose the growing drive towards war, whether that be intervention Central America, the Middle East or elsewhere, or the buildup of the US war machine. We fight for unilateral disarmament in the US and, at the same time, we extend our solidarity the independent peace movements in Eastern Europe. committed to building an effective revolutionary socialist organization monolithic face to the world or the vanguard. Pretenses of being engaging in as a result of several meetings of the women's caucus. These motions established a five-member Feminist Commission, which is charged with providing national coordination of the local women's work groups, organizing national women's "encouraging the development of women as full participants and as leaders within the organization, both in theoretical and practical spheres."
A motion to establish a mandatory quota of 50 per cent representation of women on all leading bodies of Solidarity within one year, which had aroused controversy both within the women's caucus and among the ›delegates, was tabled. A substitute establishing equal represenItation of women on all leading bodies as an important goal for the organizaition, was passed overwhelmingly. In women now make up 45 cent of the new National Committee, a somewhat higher percentage than exists in the membership as a whole.
Supporters of the Fourth International formed a Fourth International Caucus in order to continue the relathat Socialist Unity, separate organization, had previously had with the world movement.
The conference from representatives of the United
Fourth Interna Revolucionario de los Trabajadores (PRT) and from Sidney Lens, noted author and peace activist. The
International Viewpoint 5 May 1986
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UNITED STATES
conference was attended by obserfrom organizations, vers many including the Alliance for Socialist
Action (Canada),
Gauche Socialiste
International
Socialist
(Quebec),