Communist Workers Party Records
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Historical/Biographical Note
The Communist Workers Party (1979-1985), was a U.S. Maoist oganization that had its origin in 1973 as the Asian Study Group (renamed the Workers' Viewpoint Organization in 1976) established by Jerry Tung, a former member of the Progressive Labor Party. The CWP is best known for the "Greensboro (North Carolina) Massacre," where the American Nazi Party attacked an anti-Ku Klux Klan rally held by the CWP, shooting and killing five people, including two CWP members. Formerly supporters of the "Gang of Four," the prominent followers of Mao ZeDong imprisoned in China after Mao's death, after the massacre the group gave up its Leninist structure and moved towards a social democratic politics; it dissolved and formed, in 1985, the New Democratic Movement, which lasted only a few years. The most important remnant of the CWP/NDM can be found in the Greensboro Justice Fund which promotes groups struggling for social justice.
Scope and Contents
The collection (date span 1980-1986) contains bulletins, working papers, memos, meeting notices, position papers, and papers from the third party congress.
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Organizations
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Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright (and related rights to publicity and privacy) to materials in this collection created by Kenneth Janken was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Provenance unknown, most likely donated by Kenneth Janken in 1989. The accession number associated with this collection is 1989.017.
