Maoism in the Developed World

The evolution of Chinese policy, first with Mao Tse-tung’s move for the rapprochement with the United States, and then with the internal struggle within the Chinese party following the death of Mao, caused serious problems for the European Maoists. Although some parties remained loyal to the leadership of the Chinese Party through all of its changes of position, others did not. A few joined Albania in its denunciation of the Chinese, following Mao’s death. In at least one case, Spain, there appeared a party which, like the Revolutionary Communist Party of the United States, declared its continuing loyalty to the late Mao Tse-tung, but repudiated both the successors to Mao and the Albanians.

Clearly, by 1980, Maoism was in decline in Europe. A few of the parties had already gone out of existence. Those which had not were clearly so divided—not only within the various countries, but in their attitudes toward the memory of Mao Tse-tung and the people who took over the leadership in China after Mao’s passing—that they in no way constituted any longer (if they had ever done so) parts of a coherent international movement.

Austrian Maoism

Virtually since their establishment soon after World War I, the Austrian Communists have constituted a fringe group in their country’s left-wing politics, which has been overwhelming dominated by the Social Democrats. As long as Soviet troops controlled a substantial part of the country after World War II, the Communists enjoyed certain prestige and a good deal of patronage from the Soviets, but they never surpassed 5 percent in the post-World War II elections.

After the signing of the State Treaty of 1955 and the withdrawal of foreign troops, the Austrian Communist Party (KPO) suffered the first in a series of splits—in 1956, over the issue of the Soviet invasion of Hungary.[120] Subsequently, it suffered a number of other schisms, including a serious one after the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, which resulted in the suppression of the party’s youth organization and the expulsion of its most famous leader, Ernst Fischer.[121]

The Maoist split in the Austrian Communist ranks was thus one of several schisms in a party which was itself of minimal significance in national politics.

The Marxist-Leninist Party Of Austria

A pro-Chinese current appeared in the Austrian Communist Party in 1963, and its leaders were expelled from the party.3 In May 1966, the Maoists established the country’s first party of that tendency, the Marxist-Leninist Party of Austria (M-LPO). Its First Secretary was Franz Stroble and it was estimated to have about 500 members. Its periodical was Rote Fahne.

During the late 1960s and early 1970s the Marxist-Leninist Parry of Austria was loyal to the opposition of the Chinese, although we have no indication of whether or not it held the Chinese “franchise.” Dennis L. Bark wrote in 1973 that “The M-LPO believed that the KPO believed that the KPO did not understand the essence of Leninist policy of peaceful coexistence … which the Chinese Communist Party always recognizes, follows and defends, and that capitulationist and counterrevolutionary falsification of this policy which the Khrushchev-Brezhnev clique pursued and continues to pursue.“[122]

In following their pro-Chinese policy, the M-LPO defended the visit of President Richard Nixon to China early in 1972.[123]

In that period, the M-LPO was also very sympathetic to the Albanian party and regime. In July 1973, Franz Stoble visited Albania, at the invitation of the Albanian Party of Labor.

The M-LPO was not itself immune from splits. In 1968, a faction broke away to form the Union of Revolutionary Workers of Austria-Marxist Leninist. Its principal activity seems to have been to publish a monthly periodical, Fur die Volksmacht.[124]

The Communist League Of Austria (KB)

By the latter half of the 1970s, the M-LPO was superseded by the Communist League of Austria (KB) as the principal Maoist organization in Austria. It was established in 1976.[125] It published a daily newspaper, Klassenkampf, and a monthly Kommunist After the fall of the Chinese Gang of Four it sent a message to the Chinese Party attacking the Gang and extolling Chairman Hua Kuo-feng.[126]

The KB held its first National Congress in January 1978. Walter Lindner was elected secretary of the Central Committee. The Congress passed a resolution saying that the party “should struggle against the attempt of the two superpowers to place Austria under their economic, political or military control.” In September 1978 it signed a joint statement with the Worker-Peasant Party of Turkey in defense of Kampuchea, which the statement said “is being attacked by Vietnamese leaders at the instigation of the social-imperialists.”[127]