An official statement of the ORT published in 1977 noted that its establishment in 1969 “was the first step—in the transformation of the ORT into a Communist party based on the ideological and organizational positions of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought.” This position was finally formulated early in 1974 in a statement of its Central Committee of the ORT.[474]
The ORT strongly asserted its Maoist loyalty. However, the ORT put forward (in an official statement about itself published in 1977) a position with regard to the then current situation of the country following the death of Franco, that was certainly not characteristically Maoist. This statement called for “(1) stimulating the struggle of the masses towards doing away with the present antidemocratic regime; (2) its substitution by a provisional government of all antifascists without exclusion or obligations; (3) establishment of democratic freedoms; and (4) convocation of free elections for a Constitutional Assembly.”
Perhaps more characteristically Maoist was the assertion following these proposals that To approach the socialist Spain for which the working class struggles, it is necessary to resolve through the violence of armed struggle of the popular masses the contradiction which is now encountered; the contradiction between the mass of the people and the financial and landowning oligarchy.”[475]
To lead the struggle, it was necessary to build a new Communist Party, the ORT statement said. “To achieve the construction of the Communist Party, the ORT proposes and seeks to achieve the unity of Marxist-Leninists on the just basis of political and ideological principles. To this end, the ORT seeks its own strengthening as a Marxist-Leninist organization, maintaining the principles of Marxism-Leninism and of Mao Tse-tung Thought, developing the revolutionary political line and uniting closely with the masses.”
In 1977, the ORT claimed to be organized in virtually all parts of Spain, “counting today with national, regional, county and local committees and organizations.”[476] The East German Communists estimated that in 1978, the ORT had some 9,000 members, the largest concentration being in the Basque provinces. In the 1979 parliamentary elections, its candidates received about 135,000 votes.[477] It published En Lucha as the organ of its Central Committee and had regional periodicals in various parts of Spain, some of which were published in local languages rather than in Spanish.[478]
The ORT had some trade union strength. It controlled a group known as Sindicato Unitario, and in 1978 two members of the ORT were on the central body of the CCOO trade union group controlled by the pro-Soviet Communist Party of Spain.
The ORT remained loyal to the Chinese leadership after the death of Mao. Its official 1977 report noted that “the ORT is the only and first Spanish Communist party whose telegrams of condolence for the death of the great Chinese leader are being echoed in the press of the Chinese Popular Republic.”[479]
The Party of Labor of Spain
The aspiration of the Revolutionary Organization of Workers to unite all of the Spanish Maoist organizations was partially fulfilled in July 1979, when it merged with the Partido del Trabajo de Espana (Party of Labor of Spain), to form a new party, also called Partido del Trabajo de Espana (PTE).
The original PTE has been established in 1967 by a group breaking away from the pro-Soviet United Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSUC). Its strength continued to be centered in Catalonia, where it had some trade union influence. In 1976 it had two members of the Executive of the CCOO union group. Although in 1977 the original PTE suffered a split when a substantial group broke away to form the Partido del Treball de Catalunya (Party of Labor of Catalonia), the PTE was estimated by the East German Communists to have had 12,000 members even after that split.
The new PTE was founded at a Congress in Madrid in July 1979. That meeting elected a new Standing Committee of the Executive Committee, with representatives from both of the fusing groups.[480]
Both the old and new PTE stayed aligned with the Chinese after the death of Mao. The old group was reported by the Peking Review to have sent a letter to Hua Kuo-feng, congratulating him on becoming Mao’s successor.[481] The new PTE endorsed the Three Worlds Theory, and followed the Chinese line in supporting Spanish admission to the European Economic Community and NATO.[482]
The Communist Party of Unification
The fifth Maoist-oriented party in Spain, the Communist Party of Unification (Partido Comunista de Unification—PCU) was established after the death of Franco, in July 1976. It was organized as the result of a unity conference of two other groups, Class Struggle (Lucha de Clases), with a base in Barcelona and Menorca, and Long March Towards the Socialist Revolution (Larga Marcha Hacia la Revolution Socialista), which had units in Aragon, the Basque country and Madrid. Then in October 1976, another group, Labor Information Communist Organization (Organization Comunista Information Obrera), based in Galicia, joined the PCU.
In an official statement concerning its nature and organization published in 1977, the PCU said that “The PCU bases its policy on the teachings given the proletariat by the great leaders of the world labor movement: Marx, Engels, Lenin and Mao, fundamental pillars of the revolutionary theory of the workers, seeking to apply them to the problems of the revolution in Spain. This does not mean to say that the PCU doesn’t look at and study with attention many other glorious leaders of the world labor movement.”[483]
Later in this same statement the PCU said that “The PCU starts also from the idea that the class struggle continues in socialism, as is demonstrated by the degeneration of the USSR, where there has been restored a new power which is not that of the working class. The Chinese revolution, which is the most advanced world socialist experience, is the example for all peoples where have been launched and will be launched important battles against the reactionary danger.”[484]
The PCU declared its support for the “unification with the Marxist-Leninists who still are divided in different parties. This process will culminate with the creation of a true Revolutionary Communist Party, which today does not exist, since the PCE and the PSUC are in fact revisionist parties.”[485]
The PCU claimed to have groups in Aragon, Catalonia, the Basque country, Galicia, Madrid, Menorca, Navarre and La Rioja. It published a review, Unidad, as the organ of its Central Committee, and had separate publications in Catalonia, Galicia, Navarre and the Basque country, Aragon, and Menorca. In July 1976, at the time the PCU was established, there also was formed the Communist Youth of Unification (Juventudes Comunistas de Unificacion).[486]
The Union of Marxist-Leninist Struggle (ULML)