International Marxist Tendency
The International Marxist Tendency (IMT ) (also: International Marxist Current ), known until 2006 as the Committee for a Marxist International ( KMI), is an international - one's own self -understanding revolutionary socialist - association, 1993 by Ted Grant and Alan Woods was founded and is assigned to the Trotskyist camp. They are grouped around the site In Defence of Marxism and propagated Marxist ideas.
History and programmatic
The IMT sees the biggest difference to other Trotskyist organizations that it rejects " sectarian behavior ." Such behavior is expressed in the opinion of the IMT, particularly in spin-offs left currents of the so-called traditional mass organizations of the working class (trade unions, social democracy, partly Communist parties ) due to - from the perspective of IMT - purely " subjective" organization for political or ideological considerations from. The flow works in all countries in which it seems possible such a way of working with on the basis of a " preparatory entry" within the structures of social democracy and the former communist parties. Other Trotskyist organizations have criticized the approach of the flow as opportunistic.
The IMT was originally emerged out of a split within the founded in 1974, the Committee for a Workers' International ( CWI). The main reasons for this, apart from the view advanced Verbürgerlichungsprozess the social democracy of the majority of the CWI a different assessment of the international situation after the fall of the Berlin Wall. These differences led in 1991 to a split within the British Militant and at the international level in 1992 to the break between a majority of Militant General Secretary Peter Taaffe and a minority by Ted Grant.
While sections of the CWI started now set the tactics of entrism and to establish independent organizations that are members of the later IMT continued to work within the social democracy.
The flow was known in parts of the left long under the name Committee for a Marxist International ( KMI). Neither internal nor the external representation of the group this name had in terms of self-designation ever important. The self-designation of " the flow " is since the World Congress in July / August 2006 officially International Marxist Tendency. This name is used consistently.
Presentation of the work of some selected sections
Venezuela
The campaign Hands Off Venezuela ( HOV), which was launched worldwide by the trend in 2002, has the aim that, in the unions of the industrial nations of the " revolutionary process " in Venezuela is recognized and occurs against media distortions of this process. This work is proceeding in many countries been very successful. So be it, despite serious prevention efforts of the Venezuelan and European policy, as well as various " radical left " organizations come to the big event on 11 May 2006 in the Vienna Arena, which was attended by over 5000 people and gave a speech at the Hugo Chávez. Regardless of concrete results in the global structure of the " Hands Off Venezuela " structures, the IMT- flow expects to, as the only major Marxist force the socialist character of the process of the " Bolivarian Revolution", and the role of Hugo Chávez ' within this movement from the beginning to " properly ", ie to have in his dialectical complexity adequately recognized and ( with ) defends consistent against all attacks. Therefore, the campaign - despite their political and economic independence, as well as their significant criticism especially on parts of the foreign policy, Chávez ' - the back cover of the Venezuelan president.
Alan Woods, the - in the selected function - responsible for the management of the IMT, is a friend of Chávez and Venezuela in a relatively well-known person. Nevertheless, it is a hoax, if sometimes claimed Woods was official and "professional" or paid consultant of the Venezuelan government. Nevertheless, Chávez refers - among many other ideological implications - since the spring of 2007, a positive effect on Trotsky. Whose writings and thoughts were Chávez brought closer by the work of IMT and in particular through interviews with Woods. With his occasional references to Trotsky Chávez turns according to the assessment of the IMT in no way as a Trotskyist, but these statements are therefore rather the subjective expression of the objective historical tendency toward socialism, which is observed in the opinion of the IMT in Latin America currently. Whether this trend will prevail in the end, however, the IMT depends according ultimately not from the speeches of individual politicians, but on whether it is possible "that which floats in the air " to an organized political current with the goal of conquest and transformation of political and economic power to transform.
Cuba
Since 2003 there is also contact with Cuban Trotskyists. The designation of Cuba as a Stalinist dictatorship has been dropped because the organization was clearly related to their work - Venezuela for having taken a wrong view according to its present position in regard to the Cuban Revolution in the past. According to the maxim Ted Grant, that it is not wrong to make mistakes, but that it is politically harmful rather to this do not want to admit and correct their own line may result in the Group changed its assessment of the Cuban state and Fidel Castro. The delegates of the IMT- 2006 World Congress confirmed this new line with an overwhelming majority and adopted - given the disease Castro and the associated policy choices - a message of solidarity in defense of the Cuban state. This will, however, continue seen as a " deformed workers' state." Since then defends the flow fully the achievements of the Cuban Revolution ( nationalized industry, economic planning, foreign trade monopoly, one in their view model compared to Latin America and the U.S. health care, welfare and education), but advertises the same time inside and outside of Cuba, for the initiate a process of proletarian democracy that deformed workers state, including because only in this way the above-mentioned "achievements of the revolution" could really be defended (t ) s. The defense of the Cuban and Venezuelan revolutions against " U.S. aggression " and " internal enemies " is one of the main concerns of the trend.
Pakistan
In Pakistan, the local section of the IMT named Tabqati Jeddojudh ( class struggle ) within the Pakistan People's Party (PPP ) is active. These works there since the late 1970s and is the largest membership of any part section. The Pakistani IMT comrades have some influence within the militant trade union movement and within influential left youth organizations in the Kashmir region.
Germany
The German section is grouped around the magazine The Spark, which was pre- out since 1992 from the former German CWI Group and " the flow " joined. She is currently working mainly in the youth groups of the Left Party called Linksjugend ['solid ] with. The SPD is currently training with no priority in the political work of the group.
Austria
The group The spark in Austria is based on the continued SPÖ and in particular its youth organization Socialist Youth Austria (SJ ). The comrades are also active in the fraction of social democratic trade unionists in the Austrian Trade Union Federation (FSG ). The Austrian IMT- section is also since 1992 and originated as a spin-off from CWI Group forward. Particularly active groups exist by its own account in Upper Austria, Vorarlberg and Vienna. The comrades of the Austrian spark one of the forces of the cross-party campaign were after the second last national elections, We are SPÖ! against entering into the " grand coalition " on the part of the party leadership.
Switzerland
The IMT- section in Switzerland appeared in her publication The spark for the first time on 1 May 2007, the public. It is mainly active in the Young Socialists ( Young Socialists ) and in the trade union Unia. Local groups were established in Winterthur, Basel, Bülach and Geneva.