Socialist Workers Organization (New Zealand)
Encyclopedia
The Socialist Workers Organization was a Trotskyist organisation based in New Zealand
. It was part of the International Socialist Tendency
, the Socialist Workers Party
's international tendency.
The Socialist Workers Organization was established by the merger of the Communist Party of New Zealand
and the International Socialist Organization
in 1994. The former was the direct linear organisational continuation of the old Communist Party that had been founded as a part of the Communist International. Unlike most such official Communist parties that of New Zealand had aligned itself with Beijing after China and the Soviet Union fell out in 1961. Later still the CPNZ aligned itself with Albania.
The latter group, the ISO, had been formed by a small group who had been recruited to the politics of the International Socialism Tradition while living in Australia and had decided to form their own organisation based on those politics. It came as a shock to them then when they found that the leadership of the SWP (Britain) had entered into discussions with the CPNZ and they only reluctantly fused into the new Socialist Workers Organisation at the behest of the SWP who send an emissary to New Zealand to further the fusion.
After a period of working together the core of the former ISO felt that the SWO was dominated by elements who had not broken from Stalinist
organisational practices and politics and split to refound the International Socialist Organization
. The new ISO was initially confined to Dunedin
but has since experienced some modest growth. The SWO evolved into Socialist Worker (Aotearoa)
which has branches in Auckland and Wellington, with activists in most other cities in Aotearoa.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It was part of the International Socialist Tendency
International Socialist Tendency
The International Socialist Tendency is an international grouping of unorthodox Trotskyist organisations based around the ideas of Tony Cliff, founder of the Socialist Workers Party in Britain...
, the Socialist Workers Party
Socialist Workers Party (Britain)
The Socialist Workers Party is a far left party in Britain founded by Tony Cliff. The SWP's student section has groups at a number of universities...
's international tendency.
The Socialist Workers Organization was established by the merger of the Communist Party of New Zealand
Communist Party of New Zealand
The Communist Party of New Zealand was a Communist political party in New Zealand from the 1920s to the early 1990s. It never achieved significant political success, and no longer exists as an independent group, although the Socialist Worker organisation is considered organisationally continuous...
and the International Socialist Organization
International Socialist Organization (New Zealand)
The International Socialist Organisation is a Trotskyist organisation in New Zealand. It is based in Dunedin.The founders of the ISO in New Zealand, notably Brian Roper, had developed sympathies with the International Socialism current of Trotskyism while living overseas...
in 1994. The former was the direct linear organisational continuation of the old Communist Party that had been founded as a part of the Communist International. Unlike most such official Communist parties that of New Zealand had aligned itself with Beijing after China and the Soviet Union fell out in 1961. Later still the CPNZ aligned itself with Albania.
The latter group, the ISO, had been formed by a small group who had been recruited to the politics of the International Socialism Tradition while living in Australia and had decided to form their own organisation based on those politics. It came as a shock to them then when they found that the leadership of the SWP (Britain) had entered into discussions with the CPNZ and they only reluctantly fused into the new Socialist Workers Organisation at the behest of the SWP who send an emissary to New Zealand to further the fusion.
After a period of working together the core of the former ISO felt that the SWO was dominated by elements who had not broken from Stalinist
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
organisational practices and politics and split to refound the International Socialist Organization
International Socialist Organization (New Zealand)
The International Socialist Organisation is a Trotskyist organisation in New Zealand. It is based in Dunedin.The founders of the ISO in New Zealand, notably Brian Roper, had developed sympathies with the International Socialism current of Trotskyism while living overseas...
. The new ISO was initially confined to Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
but has since experienced some modest growth. The SWO evolved into Socialist Worker (Aotearoa)
Socialist Worker (Aotearoa)
Socialist Worker is a socialist organisation based in Aotearoa/New Zealand.SW evolved out of the group known as the Socialist Workers Organization, the successor organisation of the Communist Party of New Zealand...
which has branches in Auckland and Wellington, with activists in most other cities in Aotearoa.