August 29th Movement (M-L)
Encyclopedia
The August 29th Movement (or August Twenty-Ninth Movement, ATM), was a Chicano
communist organization that lasted from 1974 to 1978. It formed out of the Labor Committee of La Raza Unida Party in Los Angeles
, and other collectives, officially forming at a Unity Conference in May 1974. It was one of several organizations that were part of the New Communist Movement
, which were influenced by the thought of Mao Zedong
and Joseph Stalin
's theories on the National Question.
The ATM published a manifesto, "Fan The Flames: A Revolutionary Position on the Chicano National Question," in 1975. In it, the organization articulated the view that Chicanos living in the Southwestern United States
were an oppressed nation due to the annexation of northern Mexico
in the Mexican-American War of 1846-48, and had a right to independence. The strategy of ATM, like other NCM formations, was to build a multinational communist party.
The August Twenty-Ninth Movement published a newspaper, Revolutionary Cause, and a theoretical journal, The Red Banner.
In New Mexico
, the ATM chapter entered into the Chicano Communications Center, a media organization founded by Elizabeth "Betita" Martinez
. They were responsible for the destruction of an entire edition of her book 450 Years of Chicano History, one of the first Chicano histories, due to disagreement of how ATM saw the books portrayal of the Chicano National Question.http://www.monthlyreview.org/0702martinez.htm
In 1978, ATM merged with I Wor Kuen
, an Asian-American Communist organization, to form the League of Revolutionary Struggle
.
Chicano
The terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
communist organization that lasted from 1974 to 1978. It formed out of the Labor Committee of La Raza Unida Party in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, and other collectives, officially forming at a Unity Conference in May 1974. It was one of several organizations that were part of the New Communist Movement
New Communist Movement
The New Communist Movement ' was a Marxist-Leninist political movement of the 1970s and 1980s in the United States. The term refers to a specific trend in the U.S. New Left which sought inspiration in the experience of the Russian Revolution of 1917, the Chinese Revolution, and the Cuban...
, which were influenced by the thought of Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
and Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
's theories on the National Question.
The ATM published a manifesto, "Fan The Flames: A Revolutionary Position on the Chicano National Question," in 1975. In it, the organization articulated the view that Chicanos living in the Southwestern United States
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
were an oppressed nation due to the annexation of northern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in the Mexican-American War of 1846-48, and had a right to independence. The strategy of ATM, like other NCM formations, was to build a multinational communist party.
The August Twenty-Ninth Movement published a newspaper, Revolutionary Cause, and a theoretical journal, The Red Banner.
In New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, the ATM chapter entered into the Chicano Communications Center, a media organization founded by Elizabeth "Betita" Martinez
Elizabeth Martinez
Elizabeth "Betita" Martínez is a Chicana feminist and a long-time community organizer, activist, author, and educator. She has written numerous books and articles on different topics relating to social movements in the Americas...
. They were responsible for the destruction of an entire edition of her book 450 Years of Chicano History, one of the first Chicano histories, due to disagreement of how ATM saw the books portrayal of the Chicano National Question.http://www.monthlyreview.org/0702martinez.htm
In 1978, ATM merged with I Wor Kuen
I Wor Kuen
The I Wor Kuen were a radical Asian American group originally based in New York City named after the Boxers and influenced by the Black Panther Party and the Young Lords Party...
, an Asian-American Communist organization, to form the League of Revolutionary Struggle
League of Revolutionary Struggle
The League of Revolutionary Struggle was a communist organization in the United States. It was formed in 1978 and was dissolved by the organization's leadership in 1990...
.
Publications
- Dasco Strike: Lessons for the M-L Movement. August 29 Movement, 1974?, 7p.
- Unity Statement, 1974.
- Fan the Flames: A Revolutionary Position on the Chicano National Question, 1975.
- Selected speeches presented at forums by the August 29 Movement 1974-1975 : Marxist-Leninists unite!, 1976?.
- The Red Banner : the theoretical journal of the August Twenty-Ninth Movement (ML).
- Revolutionary Cause=Causa Revolucionaria. Newspaper.