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Workers' Democracy Pracownicza Demokracja | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Andrzej Żebrowski |
| Founded | 1990 (1990) |
| Ideology | Trotskyism Socialism Marxism Internationalism |
| Political position | Far-left |
Workers' Democracy (Polish:Pracownicza Demokracja) is a smallTrotskyist group inPoland. Originally namedSocialist Solidarity, it is affiliated with theInternational Socialist Tendency.
Workers' Democracy advocates for the abolishment ofcapitalism through an anticapitalist, socialist revolution and replacing the former system with workers' democracy. Their programme advocates for a system based on workers' committees and workers' councils established in the workplaces. WD's supporters are againstracism,fascism andantisemitism.[1][2] The Movement is alsoprogressive, adhering tofeminism, and fighting against LGBT+ discrimination.[3]
Workers' Democracy claims that inPoland,Czechoslovakia and theUSSR (from circa 1928 onwards) and otherpeople's democratic states establishedstate capitalism, rather than socialism.[4] The movement argues that the workers had no control over the economy and the state, and the power was held by avanguard party, separate from the workers' interests.
The movement also argues, in opposition to otherTrotskyist movements, that theCuban andChinese revolutions were not workers' revolts, but a "permanent revolution that has diverged from its course". Workers' Democracy argues that these revolts are leading to state capitalism, rather than socialism, due to the revolutions being led by themiddle-class, rather than theworking class.[5]
In the movement's opinion, the lack of crisis of capitalism sinceWorld War II, comes from apermanent militarist economy, that has managed, up to the 1970's, to avoid reaching the said crisis.[5]
Workers' Democracy is organizing various debates, cultural events and film projections.[6] Every year, the organization co-organizes an "Anticapitalism Weekend", which has been attended by various guests, includingTadeusz Kowalik,Albert Garcia,Roman Kurkiewicz andPiotr Ikonowicz.[7][8] The movement also is a part of a "11th of November Coalition", that serves a purpose of blocking theIndependence March, that happens annually inWarsaw.[9][10]
The movement is one of the main founders of theanti-war movement in modern-day Poland. Workers' Democracy has participated in protests againstamerican interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, and is supportive of thePalestinian efforts against Israel,[11] along with "all other real national liberation movements".[3]
Workers' Democracy has not ran in any elections as a movement, however it has supported numerous left-wing candidates in many elections:[12][13][14]
