CHILE

 
A Short History

The Chilean Communist Party (Proletarian Action) CP (PA) has raised to new levels the historic struggle of revolutionary organizations and movements that understood that the only way to put an end to the exploitation of man by man is by the creation of an organization ready to deepen the class struggle.

Our ideological basis, of course, is in Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin; moreover we are reviving the work carried out in Chile by Luis Emilio Recabarren, Elías Laferte and Ricardo Fonseca, outstanding communist leaders for both their theoretical and practical struggles in defense of Marxism-Leninism.

Later on there were important contributions in times of ideological confusion, carried out by the "Marxist Revolutionary Vanguard" organization. This group united various tendencies opposed to the infamous "peaceful road to power," launched at the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union under the leadership of the traitor Nikita Khrushchev. This marked the abandonment by many Communist Parties of their real revolutionary work, confining themselves to reforms and economist struggles. They lost every sense of the need to educate and organize the masses for the profound transformations required. Besides the Marxist Revolutionary Vanguard, various tendencies arose that revived Marxism-Leninism in general terms and opposed revisionism. Among these was the Revolutionary Communist Party PCR, which was harshly repressed during the first years of the fascist military dictatorship in Chile.

Founding of the Chilean Communist Party (Proletarian Action) CP (PA)

A few months after the formation of the Proletarian Action Movement, it was understood that the construction of the real Communist Party would not be realized either by mandate or decree, but by the historic need of the masses. When the organization itself, the General Staff of the class struggle, the real motive force of the social revolutions is lacking, the most conscious masses are given the task of the formation of this General Staff.

November 8, 1979, the day of the formation of the Proletarian Action Movement (at the 1st National Conference), is considered the date of the foundation of the Chilean Communist Party (Proletarian Action) CP (PA).

The CP(PA) and its struggles against the Fascist Military Dictatorship

In our beginnings as a Party, we faced the most varied struggles, both in ideology as well as in daily practice. We had to confront the military dictatorship, not as a developed and powerful organization, as others that already existed, but as a small organization that was born under the worst repression organized by the Chilean bourgeoisie and Yankee imperialism.

In these extremely harsh conditions, the existence of our Party was not easy. We struggled on the one hand against the fascism of the government, which persecuted, arrested, exiled and assassinated, provoking generalized insecurity. On the other hand, we fought as well against those who from the comfort of exile made absurd suggestions about what to do, in a reality that they did not know. They (particularly the revisionists) tried by all means to ignore our existence, accusing us more than once of practically being agents of the security services, or even of working for the C.I.A. (Yankee security agency). Against all these attempts to sabotage our development we came out with our heads held high.

We can give many examples of our main opposition, but the truth and time itself have put them in their proper place: from accusers they became defendants, from supposed fighters they became traitors, from progressives they became people who have openly fallen into reaction.

Our work in the resistance of the Chilean people to the military dictatorship was constant. We participated actively in the national protests and strikes, though with a vision critical of their bourgeois and petty bourgeois leadership.

Some forms of struggle, particularly the uprising of the communal strikes, that often allowed the dictatorship to concentrate its repression on specific sectors, facilitating the arrest and assassination of the social fighters who took part in them, were criticized by the Party. But we never stayed apart from the struggles that the people took up with valor and determination; on the contrary we were in the front ranks. Our propaganda work by way of wall murals were seen around the world and they actualized our slogans of great dimensions, which afterward were taken up by all the other political forces without exception. Our propaganda never caused confusion, on the contrary, it called for the defeat of the fascists by the struggle of the people, without creating false illusions in the siren songs of organizations that only sought the support of the masses to be able to negotiate behind the back of the people, with total impunity, a compromising and sold out solution within the limits of the dictates of Yankee imperialism.

The formation of social organizations is our constant work.

The C.P. (P.A.) has never denied the need for the broadest unity, but we understand that this unity must be understood in deed, and not only in word. Unity and Struggle, with constructive criticism and self-criticism, open to debate but with solid, clear and serious arguments.

Thus we have contributed and been founders of innumerable unitary initiatives, of which we name some examples that will serve both to refresh the memory of those who have forgotten, and as information for those who do not know it.

- Coordinator of Revolutionary Organizations (C.O.R.)
- Broad Front of Liberation (F.A.L.)
- Unitary Roundtable of the Left (M.U.I.)
- Front for a Democratic Chile
- Movement of the Pro-Allende Democratic Left (M.I.D.A.)
- Assembly for Democracy and Social Justice
- Committees against impunity
- Coordinator of Human Rights
- Anti-imperialist Coordinator.

Within this broad work, the latest period finds us dealing with the development of the United Venceremos Front, in which are united the Rodriguist Identity, the Alternative Socialist Party, the Movement of the Revolutionary Left and our Communist Party (Proletarian Action).

Those who do not know us erroneously accuse us of dogmatism and sectarianism. However, all our actions show a unitary work open to the popular masses and their struggles. Our actions also show, corresponding to our proletarian character, firmness in defense of Marxist-Leninist principles, which are now and always will be present, since as principles we neither deny them nor hide them.

Our Internationalist Tasks

In the International field we always seek to fulfill in the best possible way the Internationalist tasks that correspond to us as Communists.

In this manner we have developed strong ties with other communist organizations in the world. At various times a delegation of our Party visited Albania at the invitation of the former Party of Labor of Albania (PTA). The ex Peoples Republic of Albania was a country that took up at its time an important ideological struggle against modern revisionism which had taken power in the ex USSR, as well as in the defense of Joseph Stalin and his important ideological work.

The Internationalist tasks of the CP (PA) have led us to participate, at various times, in the Seminars on the "Problems of the Revolution in Latin America," organized by our fraternal Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of Ecuador, among other activities.

Thus also, we have been together with the comrades of the Revolutionary Communist Party of Argentina, giving them our support and solidarity, and denouncing the repression to which they are being subjected. We are, besides, part of the International Communist Movement I.C.M., of the Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations. With our articles we have made our contribution to the international journal "Unity and Struggle."

We understand that all forms of cooperation and coordination are necessary to strengthen each of our fraternal Parties, and moreover we will do all in our power to deepen the urgent internationalist tasks that we have before us. The internal conditions of the C.P. (P.A.) have not always facilitated our Internationalist tasks, but we are conscious of our responsibilities. We support and will support every people and nation that is fighting against imperialism of whatever kind (English, Japanese, Yankee, Russian, etc).  

The Press and Ideological Discussion

Since its beginnings, the Party has sought adequate methods to educate the popular masses of our country, to orient and provide tools for the political cadres. Thus our bulletins, newspapers, pamphlets, books, journals and display panels, are examples of the enormous capacity that we have to produce, publish and propagandize Marxist-Leninist ideology.

 We mention only some of our materials dedicated to political, theoretical and practical education.

 "Proletarian Action", published by the Central Committee

"Trade Union Unity and Struggle" published by the Committee of Trade Union Solidarity

"Mochila," published by the Youth Collective Mochila

"ArrojaTE" (Get Involved), published by the Committee of Trade Union Solidarity, Educational and Cultural Workers' Section.

During our history as a Party, we have also published:

The newspaper Adelante (Forward), The Assemblyperson, Workers Pen, Workers World, Force of Women, Our Truth, Red Star, and a series of educational pamphlets such as, "Reformism, Gateway to Fascism," "Biography of Che," "Return to the Future," Nos. 1 and 2 of the International journal "Unity and Struggle," etc. We are proud to have been the only ones to have published (during the height of the military dictatorship, when the fascists burned Marxist literature) an edition of the "Manifesto of the Communist Party" by K. Marx and F. Engels.

Our agitation and propaganda of the ideas of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin has been constant by the reproduction of articles, books and pamphlets; we know that all this has an incalculable value for the development of Marxist-Leninist ideas.

The present possibilities are better today in material terms. Therefore, the whole Party must seek to take advantage of the necessary conditions to reproduce and copy all materials that enable us to enrich our understanding.

The work of propagation of Marxism-Leninism and its ideological discussion makes it possible to consider carrying out initiatives for greater and better leaps along this road; an example of this is the recent brief course in Marxism-Leninism conducted by the Party to the youths of the "Mochila."

In the 23 years since the foundation of our Party, the C.P. (P.A.), we can affirm that we have shown the MOST ABJECT FAILURE IN CHILE OF THE REVISIONIST, SECTARIAN, DOGMATIC POSITIONS, ALL CLOSE RELATIVES OF CAPITALISM.

We will continue to carry out our most sincere and honest efforts to advance in the construction, strengthening and development of the Chilean Communist Party (Proletarian Action); this and nothing else is the commitment of true communists, since with it we will really advance in the destruction of capitalism and in the construction of the new socialist and proletarian society.

Communist Party of Chile (Proletarian Action)