The Red Papers, Nos. 1-8 (complete run)

Revolutionary Union

Published by (Bay Area) Revolutionary Union / Revolutionary Workers Headquarters, San Francisco & Chicago, 1978

A complete run of this influential Marxist-Leninist publication that traces the theoretical evolution of the (Bay Area) Revolutionary Union while providing insight into the schismatic and schizophrenic tendencies within the broader New Communist Movement. The Red Papers began as the theoretical organ of the Bay Area Revolutionary Union (BARU), a working class organizing collective formed in 1968 out of the increasing dysfunction of Students for a Democratic Society and Progressive Labor. Its primary theoreticians at the time were Bob Avakian, Steve Hamilton and Bruce Franklin, who served as the "Correspondence Committee," and who were responsible for issuing the first Red Papers in the spring of 1969. According to New Communist activist and historian, Max Elbaum, 20,000 copies of Red Papers 1 circulated within the first year of publication making it "the most influential single document promoting the initial development of a new US Marxist-Leninist trend" (Elbaum, Revolution in the Air, p. 99). Red Papers 1 (published simply as Red Papers) offers readers insight into BARU's political influences featuring cover photographs of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin and Mao. Following a "Statement of Principles" is the publication's main article, Steve Hamilton's "Against the Brainwash: A Defense of Marxism-Leninism," which first appeared in the December 1968 issue of "Movement" and publicized the group's early efforts. Red Papers 2 was also published in 1969 and opens with a statement of support for the Black Panther Party (BPP). BARU was initially supportive of the Panthers and encouraged black activists to join that party instead of their own; but by 1970 they'd become critical of the Panthers' "revolutionary adventurism" and encouraged blacks to join their ranks. The focus of this issue is a position paper titled, "United Front Against Imperialism: Strategy for Proletarian Revolution," in which the group outlines its strategic initiative to overthrow the "Monopoly Capitalist Class." Also included are two shorter articles on the Revolutionary Youth Movement. Red Papers 3 was the first issue to carry a subtitle ("Women Fight for Liberation) and to include two women, Jane Franklin and Mary Lou Greenberg, as members of the organization's Central Committee. Articles on the role of women in liberation and working class movements and as workers, political prisoners and welfare recipients. Also included is a reprinted article from "The Movement," "Black Panther Sisters Talk About Women's Liberation, and individual articles on the position of women in Vietnam, China and the Soviet Union. Red Papers 4 - Proletarian Revolution vs. Revolutionary Adventurism: Major document from an ideological struggle in the Revolutionary Union was published in 1972 under the group's new name, Revolutionary Union, and issued from their new national headquarters in Chicago and is comprised of a series of internal documents from both sides of BARU's 1970-71 split. This split occurred around the primacy of political violence, with a faction led by Bruce and Jane Franklin advocating urban guerrilla struggle and leaving to form the short-lived Venceremos Brigade. The majority of RU dismissed the "revolutionary adventurism" of the armed struggle and promoted a sustained, protracted campaign of proletariat integration. Red Papers 5 - National Liberation and Proletarian Revolution in the U.S. (1972) marked a shift in RU's position on black nationalism, which they'd previously supported, instead advocating a new multinational Revolutionary Communist party based on the continuing dispersal of blacks from the South. This shift led to increasing tension with New Communist allies in the Black Workers Congress (BWC) and Puerto Rican Revolutionary Workers Organization (PRRWO), which culminated in permanent acrimony. Red Papers 6 - Build the Leadership of the Proletariat and Its Party (1974) outlines the importance of party-building and a discussion of the party's programme. This. Seller Inventory # 06750

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Red Papers, Nos. 1-8 (complete run)
Publisher: (Bay Area) Revolutionary Union / Revolutionary Workers Headquarters, San Francisco & Chicago
Publication Date: 1978
Binding: Soft cover