On the stage of history

By Gus Hall

This article was reprinted from the January 31, 1998 issue of the People's Weekly World. For subscription information see below. All rights reserved - may be used with PWW credits.

Gus Hall is national chair of the Communist Party USA. The following is an excerpt from his report to the CPUSA's national committee meeting Jan. 17.

Karl Marx said that questions are resolved - are settled and acted upon - when they appear on the stage of history for solution.

The moment has come when the question of a mass Communist Party has been put on the stage of U.S. history by the objective and subjective conditions in our country.

We are on the verge of breaking free of those lingering restraints into a mass, working-class, revolutionary political party. And the time to start is now.

There are profound and dramatic changes taking place in every area of life, in every area of the world. Everything is in a process of flux, of transition and change.

We cannot begin to change into a mass party, we cannot give the kind of leadership and develop the policies and initiatives to succeed, unless we scientifically analyze and respond to what is new.

Thus, as Marxist-Leninists we appropriately begin our deliberations with a report on what is new and changing. It is new in itself that at this meeting we have to deal with more new factors, more new developments and events than ever before in our party's history.

But perhaps there is more new in and about the Party than any other area of life. Such a period opens up new opportunities to expand our size, our role, our relations, our influence.

In this regard, I would like to place up front, from the very beginning, this proposition: We can build a party of half a million by this time next year. One of my main aims is to convince you why I believe this is possible. But there is another part to this proposition. We can do it if we make sweeping changes, if we take advantage of all the possibilities.

What's new?

I will begin with the new developments as they are related to our party: First, the incredibly successful People's Weekly World events - the banquets and luncheons to benefit our newspaper. The most outstanding were held in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle and New Haven.

How were they exceptional and groundbreaking? In every way. First the big numbers, the great composition - Black, Brown and white; young and old; new members and veterans.

Perhaps the newest and most important element was the large number of trade union and political leaders who attended and who were honored at these events.

We have reached the point where we can honor a trade union leader, a pastor and Communists at the same event; the point where city councils, public officials and state institutions issue proclamations and citations recognizing our affairs and our honorees.

These affairs speak volumes about the new relations between the Party and the trade union movement, which, in turn, means new relationships with the working class. How we handle and develop these new relationships will greatly determine the direction of the Party for the next period. Expanding and deepening these relations should be a main focus of our work. The rapid decline in anti-communism and the gravitational pull of Communist ideas is not spontaneous. Our new acceptance as a party and as Communists is an expression of the changing objective and subjective conditions in our country - in the AFL-CIO, in the trade unions, among the working class and people.

They are also a reflection of the radicalization process, the deteriorating quality of life and insecurity of the great majority and our ability to express all this.

They are an expression of our ability to tap into the mass mood and sentiments of people, to provide class-based analyses, assessments, ideas, initiatives and tactics for struggle that correspond with the deepest needs and thinking of our working class and people.

They are a response to the fact that we are an integral part of the working class and its struggles and movements, but, even more, that we are able to give leadership, to project solutions and initiatives that correspond to the new reality.

A main ingredient is the fine work and initiatives of Communists, especially our trade union comrades, in shops and unions, who have reached new, higher levels of respect and influence. The initiatives of district and national leaders, as well as the tremendous Party events, have also played a big role in developing the qualitatively new level of relationships in the past year.

Our newspaper, the People's Weekly World, has played a major, in some cases a singular, role in the building of our new relations with workers and unions.

It has become not only "the voice of strikes," as workers on picket lines have dubbed it, but "the voice of all labor," as many trade union leaders are now calling it.

Nothing illustrates this more than the letter signed by over 15 local and national trade union leaders in Cleveland (PWW 1/17).

This letter is a public appeal to help complete the World fund drive. And in Buffalo a UAW local has agreed to take a bundle of 100 papers. It's history-making in Buffalo. And it's making history in other areas, too.

These happenings, among many others, should shake us out of our status quo. We have to finally reject the present readership and circulation of the People's Weekly World because it is totally inconsistent with the new status, role and acceptance of our paper. The question of how to get the Party fully involved in building a mass circulation must be on our agenda.

Although it is one of the most revolutionary changes of the day, we still do not know all the reasons why, after over 50 years, the AFL-CIO at their recent convention decided to propose that all anti-communist clauses be removed from the federation's constitution.

This act greatly affirms the Party's legality and the decline of anti-communism in the labor movement, but also across the board.

It means we can be more public in every area - on the job, in schools, in coalitions, among our co-workers, neighbors and friends. It means it will be easier to be public Communist mass leaders.

It clears the decks to building the Party and Young Communist League (YCL). It clears away obstacles to trade union and working-class unity and removes a corporate weapon of division that for so long prevented the labor movement from getting the full contributions of Communists.

The fact that the resolution passed unanimously indicates that the leadership accurately assessed the readiness of the movement to accept such a revolutionary change.

Ready or not, we have been thrown into the political and ideological mainstream. Now we have to learn how to swim in these fresh new waters.

A word of caution: The ruling class did not, and will not, give up its ideological war. It will always remain a class weapon, and always will until we have socialism.

The decline in anti-communism is not to the liking of state-monopoly capitalism and, therefore, especially as we make inroads and advances and as we continue to build a mass membership, it will intensify its ideological attacks.

Today's anti-communism is not of the fanatical-hysterical brand, but it remains a political instrument of the ultra- right, and especially the extreme religious, Christian Coalition types.

However, its success will be limited by the objective conditions, and also by our effectiveness.

As long as capitalism exists, we will always have to work at countering anti-communism, ideologically, theoretically and tactically, wherever and whenever it appears.

Another new development is the election of two Communists to public office. Both candidates were elected based on their reputations as long-time activists and leaders in struggles and movements.

Although Denise Winebrenner Edwards was elected to the Wilkinsburg, Pa. Borough Council in the face of a vicious, all-out Republican, right-wing, red-baiting campaign (PWW 1/17), many of the area's politicos and trade union leaders were present at her recent swearing-in ceremony. Councilwoman Edwards' stature and influence seem to have grown in proportion to her reputation as a Communist.

C-SPAN phenomenon

The next new development is in some ways the one that will force us to make the biggest changes.

Although last year's CPUSA holiday party was attended by hundreds and the C-SPAN coverage resulted in hundreds of calls, new members and clubs and the rebuilding of the Party in the South, this year's event topped it and then some.

Our annual holiday party, which has become the most important social-political Party event of the year, attracted almost 500 this year. Just as important as the numbers, though, was the composition.

The old-timers and veterans were there, but also many new members, many more Black, Brown and white youth.

The hall was filled with trade union movement and community leaders as well as rank-and-file activists and comrades.

We made the front page of a local newspaper, Manhattan Spirit. The headline reads: "Undead Red ... the Communist Party is making a comeback in New York. Now this Chelsea- based group is attracting the masses with a lighter, toned- down image." Inside is a full-page article which is just as good.

The holiday speech, with its awards for 1997 and predictions for 98, was broadcast nationwide on C-SPAN on New Year's Day.

Keep in mind that we were competing with all the football and basketball games on TV. Although we had a full staff on the phones after each of three showings, many callers had a hard time getting through. Some who called in the following days said they couldn't get through because the line was always busy.

Because of this, we surely missed some calls, but we answered about 300 from almost every state. The majority were from smaller towns and many, once again, from the South.

You can imagine that out of the hundreds of thousands who saw and heard the speech that there were many more who liked what they heard, wanted to call, but were too fearful to act, not yet ready to call the headquarters of the Communist Party.

Thousands of people are thinking about our party and about joining our party.

Some callers just asked for our address; others asked to join right away; still others wanted more information.

Many were so excited about what they heard because it was exactly how they feel and the problems they are facing. Many were surprised to learn that we exist, although others knew a lot about us.

Callers asked all kinds of questions about our ideas and especially what makes us different.

When people told us what a hard time they are having, we had a chance to talk about how we can fight back - together - to make life better now, but why we need socialism in the future.

The response to C-SPAN is proof positive that we can be a mass party now. We didn't realize how many things we have to do and how differently we have to do them. However, life is a great teacher.

The C-SPAN experience should tell us that it is the fastest, most successful way to reach millions at one time, to recruit hundreds at a time. Together with the Internet, it is the wave of our future in mass recruiting.

Young Communists

The Party is now just catching up with the pace of recruiting into the Young Communist League (YCL). For many months, students and young workers have been joining on the Internet at the rate of about two a day. Almost 600 youth have joined in 47 states since March. Some joined as a result of being among the 800 delegates to the Youth Festival in Cuba.

This tremendous growth has forced the YCL to take some bold steps to restructure and reorganize. The challenge is to mold this new militant generation and the new membership of the YCL into a fighting organization and movement.

Their upcoming convention this summer at Temple University in Philadelphia will take the League a giant step in that direction.

I hope you all see by now the picture of our party poised on the threshold of becoming a mass party.

The question now is: what are the changes necessary within the Party that will push us over that threshold? What are some areas and some concepts we have to review with an eye to making adjustments and changes?

We have to learn to work more openly. We need some new, fresh, bold thinking on public presence and the "Communist plus."

We have to adjust to working in a completely new atmosphere in which there are no more anti-communist laws, in which the Party is truly, completely legal.

Yes, we have to work in the U.S. political mainstream. How can we help the clubs recognize, accept and make such a radical transformation - from secret and isolated, to semi- legality, to full, complete legality?

Our structure, our methods, style and tactics were adequate for the past, for the period of anti-communism. They do not correspond to the new reality.

We have to look at all features, all aspects of the Party in a new way, including the structure. "Change" is the key word.