International socialist organization

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International Socialist Organization
founding 2016
newspaper the international
Alignment Socialism
Trotskyism
Colours) red
International connections Fourth international
Website intersoz.org

The International Socialist Organization (ISO) is a Marxist organization and the German section of the Fourth International . It was created in December 2016 from the union of isl and RSB .

history

Originally the German section of the Fourth International was the International Marxists Group (GIM), which united in October 1986 with the formerly Maoist- oriented KPD (until 1980: KPD / ML) to form the United Socialist Party (VSP).

Two different organizations emerged from the flow of the Fourth International within the VSP. The Revolutionary Socialist Bund (RSB) was founded in 1994, followed in 2001 by the international socialist left (ISL). Both organizations stood on different wings of the Fourth International, the ISL supported the policy of the international majority, which under certain conditions included the formation of broad anti-capitalist parties that are not part of the Fourth International as a whole, while the RSB supported the independent organization of revolutionaries and emphasized the importance of a German section of the Fourth International. Members of the isl have worked with the electoral alternative work and social justice (WASG) and the Left Party since it was founded , while the RSB spoke out against it and oriented towards extra-parliamentary movements. In 2011 a discussion and organization process began in which several small groups, who see themselves as anti-capitalist and revolutionary, tried to unite to form an active “new anti-capitalist organization” (“ NaO process ”). RSB and isl also took part in it. This was followed in 2014 by the rapprochement between the two organizations. On December 3rd and 4th, 2016, the union finally took place at a joint conference. In contrast to its predecessor, the RSB, the ISO has no party status.

Content profile

2 ISO flags at a demonstration in Hamburg 2017.

The International Socialist Organization sees itself as a new beginning and would like to contribute to overcoming the fragmentation of the revolutionary and anti-capitalist forces. She sees herself in continuity with the left opposition to Stalinism . The ISO stands for “a revolutionary break with capitalism, for the replacement of the bourgeois state by the administration of the producers themselves.” It invokes the idea of ​​council democracy . She puts these goals in the context of a revolution on a world scale. She emphasizes the necessity of the democratic organization of such a socialist society, which allows opposition and disputes of different political directions. In the Marxist tradition, she sees the working class as the decisive force that can overcome capitalism . The ISO emphasizes the ecological component in the implementation of a democratically planned economy. In a fundamental document of its founding conference, it refers to eco-socialism and feminism . The position on the Left Party remains controversial within the ISO. While some of the members work in the party, sometimes in higher positions, others reject participation in the party and its support. The criticism is particularly directed at the government participation of the party Die Linke .

organization structure

At the founding conference, a statute of the ISO was adopted, in which the rights and obligations of the members and the bodies of the organization as well as some basic features of the organizational structure are recorded. The ISO holds federal conferences, which must be called after 18 months at the latest; there may also be extraordinary federal conferences. According to the statute, the federal conference is the highest body of the organization. A nationwide committee called coordination is elected at the conferences and meets approximately every two months. A secretariat takes care of current affairs between the coordination meetings. There are also various nationwide working groups on topics such as companies and trade unions or eco-socialism. The statute provides that all members have the right to address the other members and guarantee the right to form tendencies and political groups. In a document on the self-image of the ISO an attempt has been made to draw lessons from various negative experiences in the past with the practice of the formation of organized currents in the predecessor organizations and in other organizations of the Fourth International and to develop more fruitful approaches for dealing with differences of opinion.

Publications

The ISO publishes the bimonthly magazine “die Internationale”, which goes back to the magazine “ Inprekorr ” formally published by the management of the Fourth International and publishes articles from the press of the Fourth International, but also articles from German-speaking countries. The monthly newspaper of the RSB, Avanti, has not appeared since the ISO was founded. The ISO supports the Socialist Newspaper (SoZ) as an autonomous organ. In addition, it publishes brochures and leaflets that are distributed nationwide at irregular intervals. She runs a website and a Facebook page.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Die Freiheitsliebe: ISO - Step towards overcoming left fragmentation - In conversation with Manuel Kellner , December 6, 2016 (last checked on March 15, 2018)
  2. Angela Klein and Jakob Schäfer: RSB and isl want to overcome their separation , SoZ No. 01/2015 (last checked on March 15, 2018)
  3. Provisional secretariat of ISO: International Socialist Organization founded , Inprekorr No. 6/2016 (last checked on March 15, 2018)
  4. a b c d e ISO: Our self-image , April 7, 2017 (last checked on March 15, 2018)
  5. ISO: On the strategic orientation of ISO , January 7, 2019 (last checked on March 2, 2019)
  6. ISO: Our Core Programmatic Beliefs , April 19, 2017 (last reviewed on March 15, 2018)
  7. ISO: "die internationale", an offer for discussion in the form of a magazine , January 21, 2017 (last checked on March 15, 2018)