Party for Socialism and Liberation facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Party for Socialism and Liberation
Leader	Central Committee
Founded	June 18, 2004; 20 years ago (2004-06-18)
Split from	Workers World Party
Headquarters	San Francisco, California Washington, D.C.
Newspaper	Liberation News
Ideology	Communism Marxism–Leninism Revolutionary socialism
Political position	Far-left
International affiliation	International Peoples' Assembly
Colors	Red
Politics of United States Political parties

The Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) is a political party in the United States. It was started in 2004 by members who left another group called the Workers World Party.

The PSL believes that a big change, called a socialist revolution, is needed. They think this change will replace capitalism (where businesses are privately owned) with socialism (where society controls resources). To achieve this, the PSL organizes protests, runs candidates in elections, and teaches people about their ideas.

Some well-known members of the PSL include Gloria La Riva, Michael Prysner, Eugene Puryear, and Claudia de la Cruz. In 2022, the PSL shared that they had members in over 100 cities across the country.

History of the PSL

PSL members protesting at the 2016 Democratic National Convention

The Party for Socialism and Liberation began in June 2004. It was formed when a group from the Workers World Party in San Francisco decided to leave. These members felt that the Workers World Party was no longer able to work towards building socialism.

Some of the people who helped start the PSL were Richard Becker, Brian Becker, Gloria La Riva, and Eugene Puryear. In 2020, several PSL members were arrested during protests against the police department in Aurora, Colorado.

Groups Connected to PSL

The PSL helped create a group called the ANSWER Coalition. This group works closely with PSL leaders. Brian Becker, one of the PSL's founders, is the National Coordinator for ANSWER. He has said that the PSL does a lot of its work through ANSWER.

PSL leaders are also involved with The People's Forum and BreakThrough News. Brian Becker and Eugene Puryear, who was a PSL candidate for vice-president in 2016, are hosts on BreakThrough News.

The PSL is also connected to the Tricontinental Institute for Social Research and its founder, Vijay Prashad. He often appears on BreakThrough News.

Another group closely tied to the PSL was Women Organized to Resist and Defend (WORD). This was a feminist group led by PSL members Peta Lindsay and Gloria La Riva. WORD started in 2012 and stopped its activities in 2016.

PSL Publications

The main publication of the PSL is its website and monthly newspaper, Liberation News. This newspaper took the place of their older magazine, Socialism and Liberation.

The PSL also has a publication called Liberation School. It features longer articles, official party documents, and study guides for learning. Additionally, the PSL publishes a quarterly magazine for women called Breaking the Chains: A Socialist Perspective on Women's Liberation. They also have a monthly newsletter for teachers called Reds In Ed.

What the PSL Believes (Ideology)

A PSL supporter protesting in 2021.

The PSL describes itself as a Leninist or Marxist-Leninist party. This means they follow the ideas of Vladimir Lenin and Karl Marx, who believed in a society without social classes.

The main goal of the PSL is to replace capitalism with state socialism. They see state socialism as a step towards a communist society. They believe that people today have only two choices: "an increasingly destructive capitalism, or socialism."

The PSL follows a rule called democratic centralism. This means that once the party makes a decision, all members must publicly support and carry it out, even if they disagreed with it at first. The highest group in the PSL is its Party Congress, which meets every 2 to 3 years. This Congress chooses the party's leaders, called the Central Committee.

Views on the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

The PSL supported Russia taking over Crimea in 2014. While they did not support the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, they blamed the war on the expansion of NATO (a military alliance led by the US). They also mentioned the situation of ethnic Russians in the Donbas region.

Views on the Syrian Civil War

The PSL is against the US getting involved in the Syrian Civil War. They have generally supported Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russia's military actions in Syria. The PSL does not agree with international groups that say the Syrian government used chemical weapons.

Views on the Soviet Union

The PSL has a positive view of the Soviet Union. However, they believed that some economic changes made by Vladimir Lenin led to new social class differences. The PSL blames the reforms started by Mikhail Gorbachev for the end of the Soviet Union.

Views on China

The PSL sees the Chinese Communist Revolution in a good light. They believe the Chinese Communist Party has greatly helped socialism and fighting against powerful nations. They argue that even with its problems, it's important to strongly defend the Chinese government. This, they say, helps prevent efforts to overthrow it or break it apart.

The PSL has generally defended China's human rights record. For example, they deny that the Chinese military harmed student protestors in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. The PSL supports China's policies towards Tibet and was against the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests. They called these protests "separatist" and "anti-China."

Views on North Korea

The PSL believes that North Korea is unfairly targeted by other countries. They want to end economic restrictions against North Korea and have US troops leave South Korea. They also support North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

For example, a writer for the PSL's newspaper said in 2013 that North Korea having nuclear weapons should be welcomed by anyone who opposes powerful countries interfering in others' affairs. The PSL has also questioned claims about North Korea's human rights situation. They argue that conditions there are better than in many other developing countries. They also state that criticisms of North Korea's human rights are often just reasons for the US to act aggressively towards them.

Views on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

The PSL supports a free Palestine. They want the US to stop giving aid to Israel and for all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails to be released.

Election Results

The PSL has put forward candidates for elections at the local, state, and national levels in the United States. PSL candidates usually run as independent candidates or as candidates for smaller parties. These include the Peace and Freedom Party or the Green Party.

No PSL candidate has won an election yet.

Presidential Elections

The PSL ran Gloria La Riva and Sunil Freeman in the 2020 United States presidential election. Originally, Leonard Peltier was chosen as the vice-presidential candidate, but he later withdrew due to health reasons.

Congressional Elections

State Elections

Local Elections

National Meetings (Conventions)

The PSL holds national meetings, called conventions or congresses, where members discuss ideas and make decisions.

Well-Known Members

• Eugene Puryear, a reporter and candidate for vice president in 2008 and 2016.
• Gloria La Riva, a political activist who has run for office many times.
• Jodi Dean, a university professor.
• Michael Prysner, an activist against war.
• Kristin Richardson Jordan (formerly a member), a poet, activist, and former member of the New York City Council.
• Peta Lindsay, a presidential candidate.
• Jon Siebels, a guitarist for the band Eve 6.
• Kimberly Barzola, an artist and organizer.

See Also

In Spanish: Partido Socialismo y Liberación para niños

• American Left
• History of the socialist movement in the United States
• Workers World Party
• Democratic Socialists of America
• Communist Party USA
• Socialist Alternative (United States)