International Marxist Tendency

To find out more about the history of the IMT, visit the section on our history.

In preparing for this year’s congress of The Struggle in Pakistan, the first regional congress was held in Kashmir over the weekend with more than 450 participating. A brief report and some photos of the congress.

In July the International Marxist Tendency organised its 2006 World Congress, with comrades attending from over 30 countries. Here we provide a report on the main discussions held, in particular World Perspectives, China and Organisational tasks. It was by far the biggest attended and most successful congress of the Tendency. In the coming period we will also be publishing the documents voted by the Congress.

On the weekend of May 13-14, some 30 members and supporters of the Workers International League gatehered in St. Louis, Missouri for the 2006 National Congress. Guests included former members of Workers Action (who have now joined the WIL), and members of the rank and file UAW "Soldiers of Solidarity" movement.

This year’s Socialist Appeal conference, which was held in London, showed a significant increase in attendance over last year, particularly of young comrades. Sellers and supporters attended from all over the country to participate in a weekend of debate and discussion.

We provide this report of the book launch meeting of Lal Khan’s book Kashmir’sOrdeal – A Revolutionary Way Out. At the peak of the meeting nearly 1000 people were present, who had come to hear Alan Woods and Lal Khan speak on the question of Kashmir. As one comrade said afterwards, the meeting will turn out to be an important turning point and milestone in the struggle for a socialist Kashmir. Picture gallery available.

We publish here a report on the second day of the 25th Congress of the Struggle. The comrades discussed perspectives for Pakistan and the growth and development of The Struggle over the last year, highlighting the growth in Kashmir, Pukhtunkhawa, and Afghanistan. See also a new picture gallery. 

Over 1400 comrades participated in the 25th congress of The Struggle in Pakistan. Discussions were held on world perspectives, perspectives for Pakistan, and the situation in Kashmir. 350 comrades from Kashmir travelled for hours to participate in the congress along with comrades from Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan. See also the picture gallery.

The Marxists of the JKNSF organised a series of very successful public activities recently, culminating in a rally and mass meeting in Hajeera of over a thousand people, where they heard the case for a socialist solution to the Kashmiri question being posed.

The International Marxist Tendency organised an international school in Barcelona this summer. Around 250 comrades gathered from all over the world. There were key discussions on Venezuela, Cuba, China and many other questions. Victor Rios, a veteran of the Spanish communist movement and now an advisor to Chavez spoke. The mood was one of enthusiasm and optimism for the future.

Earlier this month, 80 young, enthusiastic Marxists and members of YFIS from all across Pakistan participated in a three-day youth summer school in Rawlakot, a city in Pakistani held Kashmir. Many of the comrades travelled long distances to get to the city high up in the mountains in order to participate in the school.

Further to our material on the 24th Congress of the Struggle in Pakistan,  we are publishing some interviews and comments made by delegates and others who attended. The Congress had a big effect on those present and  left them enthusiastic and boosted their revolutionary spirit.

The 24th congress of The Struggle – the Pakistan Marxist Tendency – opened on Wednesday 23rd March in the impressive Alhamra Hall number one in central Lahore. This is the biggest meeting hall in the city with a capacity of one thousand, but more than 1,100 comrades crowded the hall, at times sitting in the aisles or standing at the back.

We are publishing a 1945 article by Ted Grant’s which was a contribution to the discussion on the national question in Europe then taking place within the Fourth International. The IKD was the German section of the Fourth International, but some of its members had unfortunately drawn some very reactionary conclusions. Instead of the perspective of the socialist revolution they had been thrown back to the idea of the “national democratic” revolution. Ted explained the disastrous consequences this idea would have on the movement and went on to state the classical Marxist position on this question.

In 1946 the perspectives of the then leadership of the Fourth International were that through “the combined economic, political and diplomatic pressure and the military threats of American and British imperialism” the Stalinist regime in the Soviet Union could collapse. The complete opposite was the truth. Ted Grant, together with the leadership of the RCP, attempted to correct this mistaken prognosis. Here we provide the historical 1946 documentation.

Over the weekend of December 11th and 12th the 2nd National Congress of the Revolutionary Marxist Current (CMR) took place in the premises of the Bolivarian University in Caracas. This congress was held a year after the Founding Congress of the CMR in December 2003 in Barquisimeto which saw the fusion between El Topo Obrero (The Workers’ Mole) and El Militante (The Militant) groups. The Congress demonstrated the qualitative advance of the organisation with a number of new local cells being established and an increase in both the membership and in the political level of the current in general.

In 1946 the leaders of the Fourth International were predicting imminent revolutonary upheavals, when in reality capitalism was entering the biggest boom in its history. The leadership of the British Trotskyists, in particular Ted Grant, tried to convince the International that their perspective was false. History has proven Ted to be right. No one can doubt it, and we are proud to continue the tradition that he laid down of serious, meticulous analysis of the real processes taking place in society.

A comrade who was actively involved in building the Militant in the 1970s and 1980s recounts his experience, how he became disillusioned by the changes in the internal regime, how the tendency he had joined was transformed into something else. He now sees in In Defence of Marxism the genuine traditions of the Militant at its best.