CHICAGO, August 15—Communist ideas belong to the working class, not a few special people. Our local collective held a communist cadre school this weekend to strengthen our political understanding and organizational unity. A dynamic mix of members of Progressive Labor Party (PLP) and close friends came together over two days to socialize, engage in rich political discussion, and share in collective responsibilities such as food preparation and cleaning.
Cadre schools are one of the main ways the Party develops communist mass organizers, guided by a dialectical materialist (scientific) understanding of history and the Party’s collective experience. Without regular evaluation and struggle, the political line that guides our work can risk stagnating and becoming diluted. By discussing key aspects of the Party’s political analysis, we reach a higher level of understanding which allows us to be sharper fighters for communist revolution and the international working class.
The three main political subjects that we covered over the weekend included:
Nationalism, a weapon used to divide our class. There is no such thing as revolutionary or progressive nationalism. Any idea dependent on treating one set of workers as special over another group of workers undermines our inherent interest in internationalism. For more, see PLP’s document, “Revolutionaries Must Fight Nationalism.”
Democratic centralism, the way decisions get made in the interest of the whole working class. It is the best expression of the most freedom for the working class of the world, and it is the best form of human relations—making an agreement and sticking to it. For more, see PLP’s document, “For Communist Economics and Communist Power.”
Revolutionary violence, a necessity to abolish capitalism. Under this system, “non-violence” means the working class accepts violence by the state and is not allowed to retaliate. We are against individualistic violence. We cannot destroy capitalism and liberate our class without an organized violent revolution. See PLP’s document, “Reform and Revolution” and Lenin’s “State and Revolution.” All PLP documents are at www.plp.org under the “Key Documents” column.
Our choices for discussion were directly guided by our conversations and political work in recent months with new Party members and close friends. While capitalism relies on ignorance and complacency, PLP has confidence that workers can be won to the highest level of understanding and commitment. We need everyone to own these ideas and fight to make them a reality.

Here are four impressions from the weekend:
As someone who's been around the Party my whole life, joining seemed like an easy step to take. But after attending a few meetings and joining a book club, I realized I had many questions about what the Party is and does. How are decisions made? How is the Party structured? The cadre school did a great job at starting to answer these questions, and gives you a good foundation to start to help you feel more confident in being involved in the Party.
I've been a part of PLP for over a year now and this was my first cadre school ever. I didn't know what to expect coming in, but it was a very much needed experience. Not only were we able to take a deep dive, discussing politics but we also got to build unity and camaraderie within our party through these discussions. It didn't matter if you've been a member of the PLP for 20 years or two months, your voice and opinions were heard and that's something I always appreciate about Progressive Labor Party. Overall, the cadre school provided me with the tools to become a better communist and Party member and I'm eager to take my learnings and spread them within my community.”
“I wasn't sure what to expect with my first cadre school. Discussions in other settings can be hit or miss. However, it didn't take long for the group to get involved in the discussions. The term “school” seems wrong because we weren't just sitting down taking notes, but having challenging conversations and working together to understand the subject more. The cadre school was an open place for us all to share our thoughts and participate. I've learned a lot from the facilitators but also my other comrades, and have a new appreciation for having a space where we can all talk in person and work together to formulate our ideas.
The recent cadre school proved that our political and social interactions with new and potential comrades continues well after the event. The camaraderie during our time together strengthened the existing relationships in our local collective. It showed that our line and dedication to the Party is beyond the collective with whom they most typically interact. The cadre who attended are continuing the conversations initiated there and are raising the struggles that happened. Additionally, our mass work involving those who were present can be positively affected and increased. The discussions also helped to renew the political involvement of existing comrades, which is always necessary.

The Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong said, “We should check our complacency and constantly criticize our shortcomings, just as we should wash our faces or sweep the floor every day to remove the dirt and keep them clean.” Cadre schools and active struggle build stronger communists and a stronger PLP.