- Solidarity (U.S.)
Solidarity is a
socialist group in theUnited States that describes itself as "a democratic, revolutionary socialist, feminist, anti-racist organization". [ [http://www.solidarity-us.org/ Solidarity | A democratic, revolutionary socialist, feminist, anti-racist organization] official Web site.] It comes out of theTrotskyist tradition but has departed from many aspects of traditional Leninism and Trotskyism. It is more loosely organized than most "democratic centralist " groups, and it does not see itself as the vanguard of the working class or the nucleus of a vanguard. It was formed in 1986 from a fusion of the International Socialists, Workers' Power and Socialist Unity. The former two groups had recently been reunited in a single organization, while the last was a fragment of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP). Solidarity's name was originally in part an homage to the PolishSolidarność — Solidarność had been an independent labor union which in Solidarity's view had challenged the Soviet Union from the left.From the beginning, Solidarity was an avowedly pluralist organization that included several currents of
Trotskyists , left-wing Shachtmanites,Luxemburgists , socialist-feminists, and veterans ofNew Left groups. Solidarity sought to "regroup" with others to create a large revolutionary socialist and feminist organization. They hoped to initiate a broad regroupment that would include, for example, some of the fragments of the disintegratingNew Communist Movement and many more socialist-feminists and New Left veterans. Discussions of regroupment and "Left Refoundation " have been initiated between Solidarity and other left groups of varying tendencies from the 80's to the present, but these have not yet led to broader fusions.Smaller-scale regroupments have occurred, however. During the 1990s, two organizations fused with Solidarity—the
Fourth Internationalist Tendency (a group expelled from the SWP) andActivists for Independent Socialist Politics (aSocialist Action split that had previously worked in Committees of Correspondence). In 2002, members of the Trotskyist League joined Solidarity.Solidarity has had substantial impact in trade unions,Fact|date=November 2007 working in many unions for shop-floor militancy and rank-and-file democracy. Solidarity members have worked in many other mass movements in the US, including the anti-Apartheid, reproductive rights, Central American solidarity, Free Mumia, anti-war, and Global Justice movements, as well as the Green Party and the Labor Party. Solidarity prides itself on a "non-sectarian" approach to building these movements, and traditionally has prioritized this over building itself. Solidarity publishes a bi-monthly left journal, "
Against the Current ", [ [http://www.solidarity-us.org/atc Against the Current] Web site.] which is produced by an editorial board including Solidarity members and independents.In 2000, Solidarity endorsed both the Green Party's
Ralph Nader and Socialist Party USA'sDavid McReynolds for President (Solidarity permits joint membership in theSocialist Party USA ). In August 2004 Solidarity again endorsed the candidacy of Ralph Nader. In 2008 Solidarity endorsedCynthia McKinney of the Green Party. [" [http://www.solidarity-us.org/node/1604 A Campaign with Issues] ", "Against the Current" editorial, July/August 2008 (accessed 24 July 2008).]References
* [http://www.solidarity-us.org/indexFS.html Founding Statement] , 1986.
* [http://www.marxists.org/history/etol/document/fit/rebuildindex.htm In Defense of American Trotskyism: Rebuilding the Revolutionary Party] . Edited by Paul Le Blanc. Published by the Fourth Internationalist Tendency, First Edition: December, 1990. Archived on Marxist Internet Archive. Retrieved April 20, 2005.External links
[http://www.solidarity-us.org/ Solidarity Website]
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