[D66] CALL FOR ENTRYISM

[A.O.]

Trotsky's "French Turn"

"French Turn" refers to the classic form of entrism advocated by Leon 
Trotsky in his essays on "the French Turn". In June 1934, he proposed 
that the French Trotskyists dissolve their Communist League to join the 
French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) and that it also 
dissolve its youth section to join more easily with revolutionary 
elements. The tactic was adopted in August 1934, despite some 
opposition. The turn successfully raised the group's membership to 300 
activists.

Proponents of the tactic advocated that the Trotskyists should enter the 
social democratic parties to connect with revolutionary socialist 
currents within them, and steer those currents toward Leninism. However, 
entry lasted only for a brief period: the leadership of the SFIO started 
to expel the Trotskyists. The Trotskyists of the Workers Party of the 
United States also successfully used their entry into the Socialist 
Party of America to recruit their youth group and other members. Similar 
tactics were also used by Trotskyist organisations in other countries, 
including The Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Poland. Entrism was 
used to connect with and recruit leftward-moving political currents 
inside radical parties.

Since the turn in France, Marxists have used the tactic even if they had 
different preconceptions of how long the period of entry would last.

     A "split perspective" is sometimes employed in which the smaller 
party intends to remain in the larger party for a short period of time 
with the intention of splitting the organisation and leaving with more 
members than it began with.
     The entrist tactic can work successfully, in its own terms, over a 
long period. For example, it was attempted by the Militant tendency in 
Britain whose members worked within the Labour Party from the 1950s on 
and managed to get a controlling influence in the Labour Party Young 
Socialists and Liverpool Council before being expelled in the 1980s. 
Many other Trotskyist groups have attempted similar feats but few have 
gained the influence Militant attained (See Militant's Problems of 
Entrism pamphlet).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entryism

On 08-06-18 17:57, A.O. wrote:
> CALL FOR ENTRYISM
> _______________________________________________
> D66 mailing list
> D66 at tuxtown.net
> http://www.tuxtown.net/mailman/listinfo/d66