Freedom Road Socialist Organization

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Previous FRSO logo

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) is a communist political party in the United States. FRSO formed in 1985 as a merger of several Maoist-oriented New Communist movement organizations.

FRSO describes itself as a revolutionary socialist and Marxist-Leninist party, because capitalism "cannot be reformed out of existence", so socialists must "take the sledgehammer of revolution to the chains of oppression". FRSO describes itself as a Marxist–Leninist organization, working to "build a new, revolutionary, communist party" in the United States.<ref name=Program2022>Template:Cite web</ref>

Membership

FRSO has two levels of membership. "General" members pay dues annually and must attend one online seminar per year. "Cadre" members must adhere to Leninist organizational norms,<ref>Template:Cite web "General Members are required to agree with the FRSO Program, pay annual dues of at least $20 annually, and commit to attending at least one online General Members meeting annually. These are the minimum expectations, but many General Members are more involved in various ways, such as attending our quarterly online meetings, participating in online study sessions, attending local district-level General Members meetings, and participating in local community organizing. General Members do not attend internal FRSO meetings and may not represent FRSO publicly unless directed to do so by FRSO local or national leadership."</ref> including democratic centralism.<ref name=FRSOUnity2001 />

In December 2020, FRSO claimed "over 500" general members.<ref name=Members2020>Template:Cite web</ref> In March 2021, FRSO claimed almost 1000 members and "hundreds" of cadre.<ref name=Members2021>Template:Cite web</ref>

Associated groups

In 2002, FRSO created the Anti-War Committee (AWC), which it leads.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2008, the AWC protested the 2008 Republican National Convention.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2006, FRSO helped create the new Students for a Democratic Society (SDS or "new SDS"), which has significant FRSO leadership<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and FRSO collaboration.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Publications

FRSO's main publication is the website and monthly paper Fight Back! News (FB!N) and its Spanish section Lucha y Resiste.<ref name=FightBackWWS>Template:Cite news</ref>

History

Origins

In 1985, the Proletarian Unity League and the Revolutionary Workers Headquarters merged to create FRSO.<ref name=Metz2002>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=Woodford2006>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=Leary2022>Template:Cite journal</ref> In 1986, FRSO fused with the Organization for Revolutionary Unity.<ref name=Metz2002 /> In 1988, FRSO absorbed the Amílcar Cabral-Paul Robeson Collective.<ref name=Metz2002 /><ref name=FRSOUnity2001 />

In 1993, FRSO merged with the Socialist Organizing Network (SON)<ref name=Metz2002 /><ref name=Woodford2006 /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and adopted the placeholder name "Freedom Road Socialist Organization / Socialist Organizing Network" (FRSO/SON). The SON was formed by former members of the League of Revolutionary Struggle (LRS), which had dissolved in the late 1980s.<ref name=FRSOUnity2001 /> The 1994 FRSO Congress, which formalized the merger, was called the "First Congress of FRSO/SON". However, no new name emerged, and FRSO/SON reverted back to FRSO afterwards.Template:Citation needed

FRSO's component groups believed that ultraleftism was the US New Communist movement's main error. Merging under the FRSO banner, these groups hoped to consolidate the movement's remnants in a single organization and move beyond the sectarianism that marked the previous decades.<ref name=Leary2022 />

1999 split

In response to Tiananmen Square and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, FRSO began to develop two distinct positions on socialist countries. The "Left Refoundation" group, aligned with democratic socialism, argued that these events resulted from a deep crisis of Marxism. The "Fight Back!" group, aligned with Marxism-Leninism, argued that these events resulted from revisionism rather than failures within Marxism.<ref name=Metz2002 /><ref name=FRSOUnity2001>Template:Cite web</ref> These divisions grew during the 1990s. In 1998, the Left Refoundation group wrote an internal document, "Theses on Left Refoundation", and requested an organization-wide discussion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The FRSO National Executive Committee (NEC) unanimously rejected this discussion.<ref name=Saba1999NEC>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1999, the Left Refoundation group received a second hearing, at which the NEC and FRSO as a whole split in two.<ref name=Saba1999Future>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Both factions claimed the name "Freedom Road Socialist Organization". In 2006, the Left Refoundation group renamed itself to "FRSO/OSCL", combining the English and Spanish acronym. In 2019, the Left Refoundation group renamed itself to Liberation Road.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

FBI raid

On September 24, 2010, over 70 FBI agents raided the homes of 6 antiwar activists, 5 of which FRSO members, and the Anti-War Committee (AWC) headquarters. The FBI claimed to be searching for evidence of "material support of terrorism".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> FRSO formed the "Committee to Stop FBI Repression" and claimed that FBI agents left behind documents indicating that the raids were aimed at people suspected of FRSO membership, due to the AWC's political support for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> FRSO further claimed that the FBI had placed informants inside its organization.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On February 26, 2014, a federal judge unsealed the extensive documents the FBI collected during its nearly three-year surveillance of FRSO.<ref name=DRAD2020>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The FBI never charged any person involved.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Ideology

FRSO and new SDS protesters in January 2017 at DisruptJ20

FRSO is a Marxist–Leninist<ref name=MainDocumentsSocialism /><ref name=DRAD2020 /> and democratic centralist organization.<ref name=MainDocumentsSocialism />

In labor, FRSO advocates a strategy of the building of a "militant minority" within the unions and opposing "collaborating union officials".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In elections, FRSO generally encourages members to tactically vote against the "most reactionary" candidate, usually Republicans.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, in the 2024 election, FRSO stated "we don’t advocate voting for Harris as a way to oppose Trump", as a result of Harris' support for Israel bombing Palestine.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

FRSO recognizes China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, and Vietnam as socialist countries.<ref name=MainDocumentsSocialism>Template:Cite web</ref> FRSO "positively evaluates" Albania, the Soviet Union, and the Warsaw Pact countries, but argues they "gave up on Marxism".<ref name=MainDocumentsSocialism /> FRSO also supports the United Socialist Party of Venezuela and Nicolas Maduro as "leading the masses of people in building a new society".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> FRSO participates in the annual International Communist Seminar.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> FRSO is Anti-Zionist.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

National conventions

The table below includes only the "Fight Back!" majority faction, which retains the FRSO name.

Name Date Statement Main Political Report Program Notes
9th Congress Spring 2022 Seize the Time Three parts: 1, 2, 3 Program
8th Congress May 2018 Statement 2018 MPR Program
7th Congress 2014 Statement Three parts: 1, 2, 3
6th Congress 2010 Congress of Victory 2010 MPR before FBI raids
5th Congress May 2007 Period of Struggle 2007 MPR Program no program before 2007
4th Congress June 2004 Building on Success 2004 MPR
3rd Congress May 2001 2001 Unity Statement 2001 MPR after split, Fight Back! group explicitly gave FRSO "Marxist-Leninist" label
2nd Congress November 1997 FRSO Strategy before 1999 split
1st Congress 1994 1993 Unity Statement merged FRSO and SON
n/a 1986 ORU Merges merged FRSO and ORU
Unity Conference October 1985 1985 Unity Statement merged RWH and PUL

See also

References

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