Committee for a Workers' International

Committee for a Workers' International

File:CWIlogo.png Emblem
Map of sections by country
Abbreviation	CWI
Formation	21 April 1974
Type	Association of Trotskyist political parties
Headquarters	London, United Kingdom
Region served	Worldwide
Membership	46 sections
Main organ	World congress
Website	socialistworld.net

The Committee for a Workers' International (CWI) is an international association of Trotskyist political parties. In all the CWI has sections in over 45 countries worldwide and is represented on every continent. Not all sections represent a sovereign state, for example, the Irish section covers both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, whilst in Canada there is a separate section for Quebec. The international also includes smaller affiliate groups, which are not regarded as full sections.

History

File:CWI Banner Logo.png

Original "Banner" emblem of the CWI

Founding

The founding conference of the CWI was held in London on 20 to 21 April 1974 and attended by supporters of what was then called the Militant tendency, from 12 countries including Britain, Ireland and Sweden. In the early years of the international, sections generally pursued a policy of entryism into social democratic or labour parties. As such, the CWI was originally secretive because to organise openly risked the expulsion of its sections from the parties in which they were working.

End of entryism

The CWI largely ended its strategy of entryism in the early 1990s. The international developed an analysis that many social democratic parties had fundamentally changed in nature and become outright capitalist parties, their main example being the UK Labour Party. This was strongly resisted by Ted Grant, one of Militant's founders. After a lengthy debate and special conference in 1991 confirmed overwhelmingly the position of the CWI in the England and Wales section, Grant and his supporters sought official faction status within the organisation, which was granted for some time, but later was revoked by the leadership. The revocation of faction status thus expelled Ted Grant and his supporters, who went on to form the International Marxist Tendency.

Since their Open Turn CWI sections have, in a number of countries, stood candidates under their own name. The CWI has elected members of regional legislatures or local councils in Sweden, Germany (members of The Left), Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Ireland, where they have 3 TDs in Dáil Éireann. In the 2005 Sri Lankan presidential elections the CWI affiliate, the United Socialist Party, came third (with 0.4%).

Supporters of the CWI launched a youth organisation, International Socialist Resistance, in 2001.

New mass workers' parties

CWI members played a leading role in founding the Scottish Socialist Party. However the SSP broke with the CWI in 1999, with a minority of members loyal to the CWI establishing the International Socialists. When Tommy Sheridan resigned from the SSP in 2006 and established a new party in Scotland, Solidarity, the International Socialists joined in conjunction with the Socialist Workers Party.

CWI members stood as National Conscience Party candidates in the 2003 Nigerian legislative elections, winning 0.51% of the national vote. In Germany CWI members have been active in the new WASG since its foundation in 2004 and in December 2005 were elected part of the new leadership of its Berlin district that ran candidates on a clear anti-cuts programme in the 2006 Berlin regional election, gaining 3.1% and several borough council seats, but the Berlin WASG later merged into Die Linke. In Brazil CWI members helped found the P-SOL Socialism and Liberty Party after left wing parliamentarians were expelled from the PT.

In the 2011 Irish general election the CWI's Irish affiliate, the Socialist Party won two seats in the Dáil as a part of the wider left group, the United Left Alliance which won five seats in total in Dáil Éireann. However, one of the elected members of the Socialist Party has since left the party to continue as an independent. In the by-election in Dublin West in 2014, the Socialist Party gained a second seat in the Dáil again, and a third seat in the 2014 Dublin South-West by-election as part of the Anti-Austerity Alliance.

Structure

World Congress Deliberative organ		International Executive Committee Executive organ		International Secretariat Administrative organ
Held every 3 to 5 years; Attended by delegates from the CWI's national sections; Responsible for establishing the international's programme and policies; Grants recognition of new sympathising sections; Elects the International Executive Committee.	Composed of members from across the CWI elected at the world congress; Responsible for the CWI's policies in between congresses; Elects the International Secretariat.	Conducts the day-to-day work of the CWI; Responsible for carrying out the directives of the IEC, to which it is accountable; Prepares documents and reports for review and approval at IEC meetings.

Sections

Groups and Sections is the name given to political parties that are members of the CWI.

Section	Name	English Translation
Australia	Socialist Party
Austria	Sozialistische LinksPartei	Socialist Left Party
Belgium	Linkse Socialistische Partij / Parti Socialiste de Lutte	Left Socialist Party / Socialist Party of Struggle
Brazil	Liberdade, Socialismo e Revolução	Freedom, Socialism and Revolution
Canada	Socialist Alternative
Chile	Socialismo Revolucionario	Revolutionary Socialism
China	中国劳工论坛	China Worker
Cyprus	Νέα Διεθνιστική Αριστερά / Yeni Enternasyonalist Sol Nea Diethnistike Aristera	New Internationalist Left
Czech Republic	Socialistická alternativa Budoucnost	Socialist Alternative Future
England and Wales	Socialist Party
France	Gauche révolutionnaire	Revolutionary Left
Germany	Sozialistische Alternative	Socialist Alternative
Greece	Ξεκίνημα Xekinima	Start
Hong Kong	社會主義行動 Sekuizyuji Haangdung	Socialist Action
India	New Socialist Alternative
Ireland	Socialist Party / Páirtí Sóisialach
Israel and Palestine	حركة النضال الاشتراكي / מאבק סוציאליסטי Ma'avak Sotzialisti / Harakat a-Nidal al-Ishtiraki	Socialist Struggle
Italy	Controcorrente	Countercurrent
Ivory Coast	CIO Côte d'Ivoire	CWI Ivory Coast
Japan	国際連帯 Kokusai Rentai	International Solidarity
Kashmir	CWI Kashmir
Lebanon	اللجنة لأممية العمال - لبنان al-Lajnah Lammyah al-Amal – Lubnan	CWI Lebanon
Malaysia	Sosialis Alternatif	Socialist Alternative
Netherlands	Socialistisch Alternatief	Socialist Alternative
Nigeria	Democratic Socialist Movement
Pakistan	Socialist Movement Pakistan
Poland	Alternatywa Socjalistyczna	Socialist Alternative
Portugal	Socialismo Revolucionário	Revolutionary Socialism
Quebec	Alternative socialiste	Socialist Alternative
Russia	Социалистическая Альтернатива Socialistecheskaya Alternativa	Socialist Alternative
Scotland	Socialist Party Scotland
South Africa	Democratic Socialist Movement
Spain	Socialismo Revolucionario	Revolutionary Socialism
Sri Lanka	එක්සත් සමාජවාදි පකෂය / ஐக்கிய சோசலிச கட்சி Eksath Samajavadi Pakshaya / Aikkiy Cōcalic Kaṭci	United Socialist Party
Sweden	Rättvisepartiet Socialisterna	Socialist Justice Party
Taiwan	國際社會主義前進	International Socialist Forward
Tunisia	البديل الاشتراكي Al-Badil al-Ishtiraki	Socialist Alternative
Turkey	Sosyalist Alternatif	Socialist Alternative
United States	Socialist Alternative
Venezuela	Socialismo Revolucionario	Revolutionary Socialism

Associated organisations

• International Socialist Resistance
• Youth against Racism in Europe

See also

• List of Trotskyist internationals
• Revolutionary socialism

External links

• Official news and analysis website of the CWI
• Official Marxist resource website of the CWI