Workers' International League (US)
Encyclopedia
The Workers International League (WIL) is a socialist organization based in the United States
. It is affiliated with the International Marxist Tendency
(IMT), and describes its politics as descending from Karl Marx
, Friedrich Engels
, Vladimir Lenin
and Leon Trotsky
.
of the "commanding heights" of the economy in the form of the Fortune 500
. They view the establishment of a socialist society the only way in which to achieve a better society, as capitalism is largely unreformable.
, the WIL does not pursue entrist policies in existing political parties; this is due to the lack of a mass party of the working class
in the United States. Instead they argue for the formation of a "Mass Party of Labor based on the unions." The WIL publishes a monthly magazine known as Socialist Appeal.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is affiliated with the International Marxist Tendency
International Marxist Tendency
The International Marxist Tendency is an international socialist organisation based on the ideas of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Trotsky. The late Ted Grant was its chief theoretician and the person who built the organisation since its beginning. Currently, Alan Woods and Lal Khan are its best known...
(IMT), and describes its politics as descending from Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
, Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels was a German industrialist, social scientist, author, political theorist, philosopher, and father of Marxist theory, alongside Karl Marx. In 1845 he published The Condition of the Working Class in England, based on personal observations and research...
, Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
and Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
.
Politics
The Workers International League stands for the socialist transformation of society, based on the nationalizationNationalization
Nationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
of the "commanding heights" of the economy in the form of the Fortune 500
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
. They view the establishment of a socialist society the only way in which to achieve a better society, as capitalism is largely unreformable.
Activities
Unlike other sections of the International Marxist TendencyInternational Marxist Tendency
The International Marxist Tendency is an international socialist organisation based on the ideas of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Trotsky. The late Ted Grant was its chief theoretician and the person who built the organisation since its beginning. Currently, Alan Woods and Lal Khan are its best known...
, the WIL does not pursue entrist policies in existing political parties; this is due to the lack of a mass party of the working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
in the United States. Instead they argue for the formation of a "Mass Party of Labor based on the unions." The WIL publishes a monthly magazine known as Socialist Appeal.
See Also
- International Marxist TendencyInternational Marxist TendencyThe International Marxist Tendency is an international socialist organisation based on the ideas of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Trotsky. The late Ted Grant was its chief theoretician and the person who built the organisation since its beginning. Currently, Alan Woods and Lal Khan are its best known...
- MarxismMarxismMarxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
- Alan Woods
- Lal KhanLal KhanLal Khan, M.D., is a political activist and Trotskyist political theorist. He is the leading figure and main theorist in the International Marxist Tendency, alongside Alan Woods. He is a doctor of Medicine, although he no longer practices this profession for the sake of his revolutionary activities...
- Ted GrantTed GrantEdward "Ted" Grant , 9 July 1913 in Germiston, South Africa – 20 July 2006 in London) was a South African Trotskyist who spent most of his adult life in Britain...