William Moriarty
Encyclopedia
William Moriarty (born in London
, United Kingdom
1890 - April 14, 1936) was a Canadian
Communist
and Right Opposition
ist.
Moriarty was born in England and became a trade unionist working as a tin miner in Cornwall, a railway worker and then a miner in Wales
. He moved to Canada in 1912 and worked first as a harvest worker. He joined the Socialist Party of Canada
becoming involved in its left wing and was one of the founding members of the Communist Party of Canada
and was elected to the Central Executive Committee at its founding convention May 1921 and was the first general secretary
of the Workers' Party of Canada which was the legal wing of the underground
Communist Party. He remained one of the leading members of the Communist Party throughout the 1920s and was elected to the executive of the Communist International in 1925. He was expelled from the party in 1930 as a supporter of the "Right Opposition
", pro-Bukharin, Jay Lovestone
current in the Comintern
.
He founded the Toronto-based Marxian Educational League which was a branch of Lovestone's Communist Party (Opposition) and the International Communist Opposition
. The M.E.L. affiliated with the Ontario CCF
in 1933. He was the M.E.L.'s delegate at the national Cooperative Commonwealth Federation convention that drafted the Regina Manifesto
in 1933. Moriarty remained a member of Lovestone’s international tendency until his death in 1936.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
1890 - April 14, 1936) was a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
and Right Opposition
Right Opposition
The Right Opposition was the name given to the tendency made up of Nikolai Bukharin, Alexei Rykov, Mikhail Tomsky and their supporters within the Soviet Union in the late 1920s...
ist.
Moriarty was born in England and became a trade unionist working as a tin miner in Cornwall, a railway worker and then a miner in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. He moved to Canada in 1912 and worked first as a harvest worker. He joined the Socialist Party of Canada
Socialist Party of Canada
There have been two different but related political parties in Canada that called themselves the Socialist Party of Canada . The current Socialist Party is an electorally inactive and unregistered federal political party in Canada...
becoming involved in its left wing and was one of the founding members of the Communist Party of Canada
Communist Party of Canada
The Communist Party of Canada is a communist political party in Canada. Although is it currently a minor or small political party without representation in the Federal Parliament or in provincial legislatures, historically the Party has elected representatives in Federal Parliament, Ontario...
and was elected to the Central Executive Committee at its founding convention May 1921 and was the first general secretary
General secretary
-International intergovernmental organizations:-International nongovernmental organizations:-Sports governing bodies:...
of the Workers' Party of Canada which was the legal wing of the underground
Underground resistance
Underground resistance may refer to*Underground Resistance , a musical collective from Detroit, Michigan*Underground resistance during World War II, the inhabitants of various locales resisting the rule of the Nazis, the Empire of Japan, and Mussolini...
Communist Party. He remained one of the leading members of the Communist Party throughout the 1920s and was elected to the executive of the Communist International in 1925. He was expelled from the party in 1930 as a supporter of the "Right Opposition
Right Opposition
The Right Opposition was the name given to the tendency made up of Nikolai Bukharin, Alexei Rykov, Mikhail Tomsky and their supporters within the Soviet Union in the late 1920s...
", pro-Bukharin, Jay Lovestone
Jay Lovestone
Jay Lovestone was at various times a member of the Socialist Party of America, a leader of the Communist Party USA, leader of a small oppositionist party, an anti-Communist and Central Intelligence Agency helper, and foreign policy advisor to the leadership of the AFL-CIO and various unions...
current in the Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
.
He founded the Toronto-based Marxian Educational League which was a branch of Lovestone's Communist Party (Opposition) and the International Communist Opposition
Right Opposition
The Right Opposition was the name given to the tendency made up of Nikolai Bukharin, Alexei Rykov, Mikhail Tomsky and their supporters within the Soviet Union in the late 1920s...
. The M.E.L. affiliated with the Ontario CCF
Ontario New Democratic Party
The Ontario New Democratic Party or , formally known as New Democratic Party of Ontario, is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. It is a provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. It was formed in October 1961, a few months after the federal party. The ONDP had its...
in 1933. He was the M.E.L.'s delegate at the national Cooperative Commonwealth Federation convention that drafted the Regina Manifesto
Regina Manifesto
The Regina Manifesto was the programme of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and was adopted at the first national convention of the CCF held in Regina, Saskatchewan in 1933. The primary goal of the "Regina Manifesto" was to eradicate the system of capitalism and replace it with a planned...
in 1933. Moriarty remained a member of Lovestone’s international tendency until his death in 1936.
External links
- The Regina Convention of the C.C.F. Moriarty's account of debates at the 1933 CCF convention on adopting the Regina Manifesto.