International Conference of Marxist and Maoist Organizations
| International Conference of Marxist and Maoist Organizations | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founder | Zhou Zhiyong |
| Founded | June 1, 1969 |
| Split from | Landonist International |
| Newspaper | Struggle and Solidarity |
| Youth wing | Marxist–Maoist Youth Alliance |
| Ideology |
Marxism Commuism Maoism Anti-imperialism Anti-derzhavism Third World socialism |
| Political position |
 Far-left |
| Official colors | Red |
The International Conference of Marxist and Maoist Organizations, also known as the Marxist–Maoist Conference, is an international political organization of communist parties and political organizations guided by the ideology and principals of Maoism and traditional Marxism. It was formed in 1969 admist the backdrop of the Cold War and was formed by Zhou Zhiyong to consolidate allied parties that were not aligned with the Landonist International and/or were opposed towards Landonism in favor of adhering to traditional communism. This ensured that China had ideological allies and avoided ideological, political, and diplomatic isolation within the Second World and retained a position of global infleunce.
The conference claims to be an alliance of what it views as "true and rightful" parties committed the true vision of Karl Marx and the communist ideology at large. As such, member parties are largely ones that adhere towards either Maoist or Marxist thought and away from Landonism, which is regarded as western revisionist by many of its members. During the Cold War, both the Landonist International and the Marxist–Maoist Conference maintained a tense rivalry with both competing for dominance within the Eastern Bloc. The rivalry continues between the two internationals well after the Revolutions of 2000 and the end of the Cold War at-large over intense ideological disagreements.
The first meeting of the conference was in 1969 and was held in Beijing. The most recent meeting, the 2021 World Marxist–Maoist Congress, was held in Mexico City, Mexico. Governance of the organization is left up to the General Committee made up of representatives from the member parties all from numerous countries. The General Secretary is the title for the leader of the conference at large.
History
Sino-Continental split
After the death of Mao Zedong in 1964 a shift in Chinese foreign policy occurred with the administration of Zhou Zhiyong that pushed for a peaceful coexistence with western nations and denounced several of Mao's domestic policies. This was met with fierce criticism from the United Commonwealth who accused the Chinese of treason and revisionism, while China accused the United Commonwealth of social imperialism and neocolonialism. This cumulated in the expulsion of the Chinese Communist Party in 1969. Other parties, particularly those in Asia followed suit and founded the International Conference of Marxist and Maoist Organizations that year in Beijing. While Vietnam and Korea were largely in agreement with most economic changes and changes in foreign policy, the Andes withdrew from the Landintern for other ideological reasons, particularly the treatment of African-Continentals and the Haywoodite movement in the Continental south, which the Andes considered a legitimate anticolonial movement while denouncing Landonism as an "idealistic degeneracy" of Marxism.
Involvement in the Cold War
Political involvement in the Cold War on the side of the ICMMO began shortly after the Sino-Continental Split, however the Conference was relatively reserved in the first years after its founding. The first major conflict with ICMMO involvement was the Colombia War, where the Communist Party of the Andes fought against the government of Gran Colombia and its CAS allies. The communists received support mostly from the Chinese and United Commonwealth and emerged victorious, leading to a mediating role between the UC and China until the death of Chairman Camilo Velazquez in 1983. Despite internal disputes the ICMMO began to be increasingly active militarily after the founding of the International Liberation Brigades. Particularly Africa, Asia and to a minor extend Latin America were of interest to the Conference. In Africa, the ICMMO participated in the Mosambikan Civil War from 1980 to 1987 and ILB troops along with a combined Laotian-Indonesian expeditionary force are active in Thailand since 1990. socialist Somali separatists have received funding and active armed support by the ICMMO, the Andes in particular. Another notable military endeavor was the Tajikistani Civil War lasting from 1979 until 1994 and resulted in a decisive Chinese defeat. The war is considered one of the most costly military defeats of the Cold War and caused heavy losses and a dramatic decrease in political influence for the ICMMO.
It should be noted however that despite its very active support of insurgent groups, active confrontation with the Landintern and the western powers centered around Sierra and the European Community was largely limited to the funding of political movements within said power blocs. In Asia and Anglo-America the ICMMO heavily funded Maoist political groups, some of them even with explosives and arms such as the RCA and other Sierran republican groups or the Continental RevComs. Ideological disputes within already established communist parties were exploited as well from time to time, as happened in France where the New Jacobin Party split from the PCF in 1980 and the KPD-"KPD/Red Faction" split in Germany a year prior. Similar attempts were made in most countries of Europe, North America and Asia with varying degrees of success.
Reforms in Asia and the Great Debate
In the early 1980s, most Asian ICMMO allies such as China, Indonesia and North Vietnam had shifted away from a strict Maoist line, embracing varying degrees of market-oriented reforms. The reasons for this varied. In Indonesia the collectivisation efforts were halted in the early 1970s after what many called a coup within the party by the right-wing of the Communist Party of Indonesia as a result of a wide spread famine and internal power struggles along with the lacking capacities of the state to uphold such policies. Meanwhile in China, the transition was more gradual, beginning in the late 1960s with the introduction of cooperative systems that loosened the control of the state over the economy and full private ownership in a corporatist system in the early 1980s under the leadership of Zhou Zhiyong. Similar measures occurred in North Vietnam, albeit only in the latter half of the decade. However, the reforms were seen by many within the ICMMO as an attempt to restore capitalism and was therefore deemed revisionist. In particular, the American ICMMO section (dominated by the Communist Party of the Andes) and the African section led by the Mozambican National Revolutionary Movement were vehemently opposed to the reforms while the European and Asian sections were split on the issue, but generally supported the opposition to the reforms. This conflict became known as the "Great Debate", a period lasting from around 1980 until around 1994. Of particular importance was a publication titled "Struggle and Solidarity", an essay written by the Chairman of the Communist Party of the Andes, Camilo Velazquez and member of the ICMMO Central Committee José Simón Canchaya. The essay outlined the importance of continued class struggle even after the revolution and accuses the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party and other pro-reform Conference members of establishing an elitist, opportunistic and ultimately anticommunist new capitalist system while betraying Mao's ideas and legacy. At the same time, the Andean Cultural Revolution took place which was heavily influenced by the debate, attempting to root out every remnant of capitalist or feudalist thinking out of fear reactionary tendencies could take hold in the newly formed United People's Committees as well. The CCP responded with the pamphlet On the preconditions of Socialism, that stressed the importance of a thoroughly developed economy with sufficient productive forces for socialism to take hold in a nation while condemning the cultural revolution in the Andes as an act of adventurism and unnecessary excessive violence. The Chinese and Indonesians also emphasized the role of the progressive elements of the nationally based bourgeoisie and petty bourgeoisie within the new democratic system.
The height of the debate would be reached on the 1988 International Marxist-Maoist Congress, where calls for an expulsion of the Chinese and Indonesians were heard but ultimately silenced by the Andeans themselves, stating that another split in the socialist camp would have catastrophic consequences and that the correct ideas should prevail and be adapted through an open debate. In the election of the Central Committee a narrow victory (13-12) for the anti-liberalization faction would be secured, but little measures were taken towards the governments that did not fully comply. After the death of Zhou Zhiyong and increasing instability within the socialist bloc including the Landintern, the 1997 International Marxist-Maoist Congress brought the resolution of condemning economic liberalization and a prolonged period of new democracy as destabilizing and revisionist, ending the position of China as the undisputed leader of the ICMMO and establishing Andean ideological dominance over the organisation.
Relationship with the Landonist Internationale
Relationships between the International Conference of Marxist and Maoist Organizations and the Landonist Internationale have shifted almost as much as the relations between the leaders of these power blocs. Cooperation on particular issues and support for movements which were or are sympathetic to the opposite organization frequently occurs, though on a purely ideological level there always has been some tension and rivalry. Shortly after the ICMMO has been founded, Landintern-Conference relations have been largely reflective of Chinese-Continental relations but it should be noted that both states (and subsequently both organizations) supported the same causes such as the Indochina War or the Colombia War, as well as anti-colonial movements in Asia and Africa at the same time. This sort of parallel support would continue until the end of the Cold War. Over the course of the Cold War the two alliances grew more independent from their founding parties and other parties and organizations aligned with the Landintern and ICMMO respectively served as mediators between the historic rivals such as the Socialist Party of Italy on behalf of the Landintern and the Communist Party of the Andes for the Maoists. After the initial shock of the Sino–Continental split and the founding of the Marxist-Maoist Conference relations with the Landintern were strained if not outright hostile. Landintern aligned parties accused the ICMMO founders and sympathizers of splitting the international worker's movement and sabotaging the international revolution. Many structures that have received support from the Landintern previously but switched to the ICMMO were denied any further monetary and personal support. From then on much of the political work of the international communist movement was operating in parallel. Since the late 1970s the ICMMO increasingly involved itself in ideological debates within communist movements, openly promoting a Maoist and "true revolutionary" line while portraying the traditional landonist approach as outdated and inherently prone to opportunism and revisionism. More sanctions and decreased cooperation took place during the 1980s as a result of the purges during the Andean Cultural Revolution that targeted "revisionist" (in most cases Landonist) elements within the party with many sister organizations (though by far not the majority) of the CPA following suit. Relations only improved after the Cultural Revolution died down in the mid-1990s and the Andean Communist Party began to replace China as the leader of the Maoist camp. Since the Revolutions of 2000 even joint military operations between Landintern and ICMMO aligned governments. On the local cooperation in social movements became more common and contributed to a more pragmatic attitude towards each other as the central committee of the ICMMO lifted most restrictions regarding cooperation with the Landintern and completely abolished them in 2002. Currently the ICMMO and the Landintern occasionally cooperate to defend one another against sanctions from western aligned nations and groups like during the 2021-22 Caribbean diplomatic crisis while maintaining intense debates on ideological positions and strategic decisions. In 2022, the International World Unity and Solidarity Summit was held with delegates from both the Landonist Internationale and the ICMMO. The summit was held in response to the ongoing sanctions against both the Andes and the United Commonwealth and has been regarded as a major step towards a more united foreign policy.
After the Revolutions of 2000
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After the People's Republic of China dissolved in 1999 during the Revolutions of 2000 and lead to a crisis for the ICMMO as a whole and many Asian maoist-aligned countries in particular as the largest economy and military force of the alliance has fallen. Similar events happened in Africa and Latin America, where protests have broken out demanding reforms. One such instance was Bolivia, where a civil war was narrowly avoided in 1996, when the leadership of the ruling Katarist party agreed to a restructuring of the state and calling back the deployed army units. The state was restructured as a semi-presidential republic. Nonetheless, pro-Maoist governments have been in power since 2001 and the ruling party has joined the ICMMO in 1998, shortly after the Katarist party was dissolved. Globally the ICMMO experienced a decline in membership and influence, but managed to keep their presence especially in the Third World by supporting anit-colonial and nationalist groups through the International Liberation Brigades. ICMMO member organizations in Europe, Northern Asia and North America were hit almost as much by the Revolutions as the Continental-aligned socialist parties, and only recovered slowly. By the 2010s many maoist groups in Europe and North America have made efforts to agitate outside of the "stereotypical proletariat" as well, which meant addressing a larger range of topics such as environmentalism, the interests of racial minorities and immigrants, police violence and the interests of younger people in general. This lead to renaissance of Maoism in Germany's, France's and Superior's far-left since ca. 2010.
Organization and structure
The ICMMO is organized according to the principles of democratic centralism, meaning that the member delegations elect the higher councils (Regional and Central Committees) of the organization from their midst. They are completely responsible to the electors who can remove them from office at any time if a simple majority favoring the removal is reached. In turn the electors are subordinated to the orders of the regional and central committees. Despite the common misconception of the ICMMO as an alliance between states that follow the Maoist model of socialism, this is not the case. Organizations participating in the conference do not represent particular countries themselves but rather the revolutionary movements within the population, but all member organizations with paramilitary wings or other forms of military structures are obliged to "armed solidarity" with fellow members.
Regional Committees
All ICMMO member organizations are categorized into five regional groups according to their geographical location: America (both North and South), Europe, Asia, Australasia and Africa. The Regional Committees are made up of representatives from every organization in the respective region and are elected by the individual party members. The function of the regional committees is to increase cooperation between organizations of a particular region and to coordinate actions on a wider scale. They are responsible to both the Central Committee and their regional elector groups and are allowed to give orders within the boundaries of their respective region as long as they are in accordance with the general ICMMO line. Since the XII. World Marxist-Maoist Congress in 2001 the regional committees were reformed into an institution that promotes bilateral relationships between the ICMMO-member organizations and to organize events of the Conference's youth wings. This development has been linked to the Revolutions of 2000. The ICMMO Central Committee has argued that this decision would serve two main purposes. Firstly it would prevent an over-centralization of the organization, which the Maoists have viewed as one of the key problems of the Landonist International that lead to the inflexibility of Landonist organizations and a too dominant role of the CPUC. The second reason was that the Central Committee sought to make the currently ongoing revolutionary struggles more dynamic and effective, as the regional committees would be able to provide a more accurate analysis of the material conditions for revolutionary efforts in their respective regions.
Central Committee
The central committee is elected by members of all regional committees as well as the individual member organisations on the International Marxist-Maoist Conference which is held usually every three to five years with elected representatives. The Central Committee is the highest organ of the ICMMO and can give orders to both regional committees, the member organizations and even individual members, however the latter two cases occur only on very rare occasions. Under the direct order of the central committee also falls the organisation of the militant actions of member organisations and the joint International Liberation Brigades which are made up of volunteers fighting in several conflicts such as Ethiopia.
International Liberation Brigades
The International Liberation Brigades were founded in 1980 by former leader of the Cuban Liberation Front and veteran of the Cuban insurgency Fidel Castro after he fled Cuba. Initially the ILB were founded as a foreign legion to prepare displaced Cuban soldiers to eventually retake their homeland but with decreasing activity of the conflict in the Antilles the focus shifted more towards supporting ideological allies in foreign conflicts. Together with officers of the Bolivarian People's Liberation Army they set up training and guidance for militant groups abroad, with Castro as the Comrade-General of the ILB. The International Liberation Brigades have been active in multiple wars and civil wars as a volunteer force with guidance from Andean, Indonesian military officials and guerrilleros from revolutionary groups currently waging armed struggles against the governments of their respective countries. Operations of the International Liberation Brigades include the Tajikistani Civil War in the 1990s, the Syrian Civil War and the Congo War. Currently there are several deployments of significant strength (with at least 1000 deployed), including Ethiopia on the side of Somali separatists, the anti-colonial insurgency in German New Guinea since 2006 and Siam since 1990. The ILB have been declared a terrorist group or are under observation in several countries, including the European Community, the Conference of American States, Ethiopia and Hashemite Arabia.
Marxist–Maoist Youth Alliance
The Marxist—Maoist Youth Alliance is the official youth wing of the ICMMO. Children from the age of 14 are able to join, members of the youth wings of the member organisations become passive members by default. The goal of the MMYA is to "politically educate" and "raise young people in the sense of proletarian internationalism and solidarity". Annual meetups are held with attendees from all over the world with summer camps or other group activities being provided that aim to improve international understanding and a sense of togetherness, as well as political education but also physical fitness and general education. In countries where schools are either unavailable or too expensive for the poor, the MMYA sends volunteers to teach children the basics of mathematics, reading, writing and medicine. In other regions (primarily Europe, North America and Asia) tutoring is provided for children struggling in school for free, regardless of membership.
Newspaper and publishing house
The official newspaper of the ICMMO is the bi-weekly periodical Struggle and Solidarity. Founded in 1970 as the Internationalist Voice, the newspaper first only included translated articles from the official party newspapers of the ICMMO member organizations, primarily those of the Chinese Communist Party, the Communist Party of Indonesia and the Communist Party of the Andes along with a smaller amount of exclusive articles for the periodical. With more groups joining the Conference between the 1970s and the 1990s the amount of translated party-documents steadily decreased and were replaced by original articles by a staff of permanently employed editors, journalists and correspondents. On the 1988 World Marxist-Maoist Congress it was decided to rename the newspaper to "Struggle and Solidarity" after the essay of the same name in commemoration of its author Camilo Velázquez, who passed away a few years prior. Since 2006 an online version with online-exclusive content is available for free. Struggle and Solidarity describes itself as a "revolutionary media outlet that presents news, theoretical debates and progressive voices", and as "putting stories that rarely make headlines in mainstream media into the spotlight".
On the II. World Marxist-Maoist Conference in 1977 the founding of the Internationalist Publishing House (IPH) was announced. The goal of the Internationalist Publishing House is the global distribution of socialist - primarily Marxist and Maoist - theory and to aid the international reception and discussion of Marxist theory. Since 2001 there is an online library in which every work published by the IPH is available to read for free, and since 2002 there is an online book shop in which physical copies of marxist literature may be bought. The books always include a collector postcard with the depiction of artwork from the period and country connected to the subject of the book or the author's nation of origin.
Membership
Current
| Country | Name | Abbr | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Albania |
Party of Labour of Albania | PPSh | Joined in 1999. |
 Bolivia |
Movement for Socialism | MAS | Joined in 1998. |
 China |
Chinese Communist Party | CPC | Governing party of the People's Republic of China from 1949 until 2000. The ICMMO was founded by the CPC in 1969. |
 Ethiopia |
Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party | SRSP | Joined in 1980. Political wing of the insurgent group Somali Liberation Front. The native Somali abbreviation XHKS is used by the party in non-Somali texts as well |
 France |
Parti Nouveau Jacobin | PNJ | Split from the Communist Party of France in 1980. |
 Germany |
Communist Party of Germany/Red Faction | KPD/RF | Split from the Communist Party of Germany in 1979. |
 India |
Communist Party of India (Maoist) | CPI (Maoist) | Joined in 2004. |
 Indonesia |
Communist Party of Indonesia | PKI | Founding member in 1969 after the Sino-Continental split. Governing party of Indonesia. |
 Japan |
Japanese Communist Party | JCP | Joined in 1969. |
 Korea |
Korean Workers' Congress | KWC | Joined in 2004, successor to the Workers' Party of Korea |
 Kurdistan |
Communist Party of Kurdistan | PKK | Joined in 1993. Not to be confused with the governing Kurdish Worker's Party with the same abbreviation. |
 Laos |
Lao People's Revolutionary Party | LPRP | Joined in 1969. Ruling party of Laos |
 Manchuria |
Manchu Communist Party | MCP | Joined in 2000. |
 Manitoba |
Communist Party of Manitoba (Anti-Revisionist) | CPM-AR | Split from the Communist Party of Manitoba, joined in 1971. |
 Mexico |
Socialist Worker's Party of Mexico | PSOM | Joined in 2000. |
 Mozambique |
National Revolutionary Movement of Mozambique | MRNM | Joined in 1977. |
 Netherlands |
New Communist Party of the Netherlands | NCPN | Joined in 1999. |
 North Vietnam |
Communist Party of Vietnam | CPV | Joined in 1969. Governing party of North Vietnam |
 Palestine |
People's Front of Palestine-Judea | PFPJ | Joined in 1979. Split from the Palestinian-Judean Popular Front in 1977. |
 Portugal |
Portuguese Workers' Communist Party | PCTP/MRPP | Joined in 1970. Split from the Portuguese Communist Party. |
 Romania |
Servi Poporul | SP | Joined in 2008. |
 Thailand |
Thai Popular Front | TPF | Joined in 1988, engaged in armed struggle since 1990. |
 Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic |
Polisario Front | PF | Joined in 1973, engaged in armed struggle against Morocco since 1976. |
 Spain |
Landonist Party of Spain | PLE | Joined in 1973. Split from the Spanish Landonist Workers' Party. |
 Superior |
Superian Revolutionary Council | SRC | Joined in 1986. |
 Syria |
United Syrian Communist Party | USCP | Joined in 1997, part of a governing united front with the Syrian Ba'ath Party since 2022. |
 Tuva |
People's Revolutionary Party of Tuva | PRPT | Joined in 1969. |
 United Commonwealth |
Revolutionary Commonwealth Communist Party | RCCP | Joined in 1977. Considered a terrorist group from 1978 until 2006. |
 United People's Committees |
Communist Party of the Andes | CPA | Governing party of the Andes and a founding member of the ICMMO in 1969. |
Observers
| Country | Name | Abbr | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Brazil |
Republican Worker's Party of Brazil | PRTB | Joined in 2017. |
 Denmark |
Congress of Revolutionary Workers | KRA | Joined in 2019. |
 Kingdom of Sierra |
National Republican Party of Sierra | NRPS | Joined in 2022. Alleged political wing of the terrorist Provisional Sierran Republican Army. |
 Italy |
Maoist Party of Italy | MPI | Since 2003. |
Former
| Country | Name | Abbr | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bolivia |
Socialist and Katarist Party of Bolivia | PSKB | Joined in 1970, ruling party of Bolivia between 1966 and 1997. Dissolved after liberalization and reforms took place in the 1990s. Its de jure and de facto successor is the Movement for Socialism which still rules Bolivia. |
Korea ( Democratic People's Republic of Korea) |
Workers' Party of Korea | WPK | Joined in 1969, ruling party of Korea between 1959 until 2000. |
Manchuria ( Manchu People's Republic) |
Communist Party of Manchuria | CPM | Joined in 1970, ruling party of Manchuria from 1946 until its dissolution in 1999. |
 Myanmar ( Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma) |
Burmese Socialist Program Party | BSPP | Joined in 1969, governing party of Burma until the party was dissolved following the 1988 uprising. The party was expelled in 1983 after ethnic cleansings and ideological disagreements caused strained relationships between Burma and China. |
| Kingdom of Sierra |
Black Panther Party | BPP | Political wing of the terrorist organization Revolutionary Continental Army with multiple affiliate organizations all over Anglo-America, however only the Sierran chapter was member of the ICMMO. Dissolved in 1999 along with the RCA. |
 Tajikistan ( Tajik Socialist Republic) |
People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan | PDPT | Joined in 1969, governing party of the Tajik Socialist Republic from 1978 until its dissolution in 1994. |
World Marxist–Maoist Congress
The World Marxist-Maoist Congress is held every few years, usually every three to five years. The first Congress apart from the founding convention in 1969 was held in Beijing in 1971 with only 6 delegations participating: China, North Vietnam, the Andes, Indonesia, Tajikistan and German Qingdao.
Participation
- Key
| Icon | Meaning |
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Participated |
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Did not participate |
| M | Sent message |
| O | Observer |
| Country | Party | 2022 Cairo |
2018 Madang |
2014 Seoul |
2011 New Brandenburg |
2008 La Paz |
2005 Hamburg |
2001 Tokyo |
1999 Bogotá |
1994 Maputo |
1988 Paris |
1980 Bogotá |
1977 Jakarta |
1969 Beijing |
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| Albania |
Party Labour of Albania | |
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| Bolivia |
Movement for Socialism (before 1999 as the PSKB) | |
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| China |
Chinese Communist Party | |
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| Ethiopia |
Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party | |
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| France |
Parti Nouveau Jacobin | |
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| Germany |
KPD/RF | |
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| Indonesia |
Communist Party of Indonesia | |
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| North Vietnam |
Communist Party of Vietnam | |
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