Maoism in the Developed World

The Marxist-Leninist Communist Unity Movement Of The Netherlands

The Marxist-Leninist Center of the Netherlands (MLCN), led by Nico Shrevel, was reported as early as 1966 to have local organizations in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Eindhoven and Delft. It was by that time publishing De Rode Tribune (The Red Tribune).[322]

The Marxist Leninist Center was reported as having “found favor with the Chinese and Albanians, who are believed to have offered substantial support at one time.” However, because of its close association with the Marxist Leninist Party of Belgium, led by Jacques Grippa, who had fallen out of favor with the Chinese by 1968, it was said that the association of the Dutch group with the Chinese “had weakened” by that time.

The MLCN held its Second Congress in January 1970. At that meeting it decided to change its name to the Marxist-Leninist Communist Unity Movement of the Netherlands (KEN-ML), which was proclaimed to have the purpose of strengthening “the unity of the working class and unity of intellectuals and workers in the struggle for socialism.” It was reported at the time “the party is well organized and appears to be growing rather rapidly.”

At its inception, the KEN-ML had a youth organization, and it maintained a school and library at the Marxist-Leninist Center in Utrecht. That institution offered courses in Marxism-Leninism and in the works of Mao Tse-tung.

The 1970 congress decided to make the party newspaper De Rode Tribune more popular and topical, instead of being “contemplative” as the congress claimed it had been theretofore. It was reported that “During the rest of the year, the paper devoted articles to criticizing the CPN congress … charging that CPN policies were contributing to a ‘direct strengthening of the existing system’ … criticizing Soviet foreign policy as ‘imperialism with a socialist label’ … and describing the KEN-ML as the Vanguard’ of the Dutch working class in the West European class struggle.”[323]

The KEN-ML controlled several front groups in the early 1970s. These included the Marxist-Leninist Students Union, Marxist-Leninist Youth, “a trade union named Workers Power,” a Union of Tenants and Those in Search of Housing; and a group concerned with environmental problems.[324]

The influence of the KEN-ML was certainly minimal in the labor movement. In 1971, its newspaper De Rode Tribune accused the Dutch unions of having “betrayed the workers” and said that their proper role was to become “schools of communism.”[325]

Although it was reported that in 1972 the KEN-ML “declined considerably,” it did “play a role” in a large metal workers strike by helping in publicity for the walkout. It also participated in an anti-Vietnamese War campaign.[326]

In May 1977, the KEN-ML participated in elections for the first time. However, its candidates had “very poor results.” In that year, it also was a major element in the founding of a Netherlands-China Friendship Organization.[327]

In spite of its efforts to win support among the organized workers, the KEN-ML consistently had its principal following among students. H.J.M. Mennes and Dennis L. Bark reported in 1972 that “most of the followers of KEN-ML can be found in the Communist Students Union.”[328] Six years later C. C. van den Heuvel noted that the KEN-ML still “consists primarily of students.”[329]

In 1979, after three Maoist groups had joined to form a new one, the Communist Workers Organization Marxist-Leninist (KAO-ML), the KEN-ML cooperated “in various fields” with the new group, but refused to merge with it.[330]

Communist Party Of The Netherlands (Marxist-Leninist)-Socialist Party

The Communist Party of the Netherlands (Marxist-Leninist) was formed as the result of a split in the KEN-ML in 1971. H.J.M. Mennes and Dennis L. Bark reported that “In the course of 1971 controversies arose within the KEN-ML between a group of theoreticians’ (advocates of propaganda) and the group of ‘practicians’ (advocates of action). The differences of opinions caused a split in October. The group of theoreticians’ retained the name KEN-ML and continued publishing the party organ, De Rode Tribune. The ‘practicians,’ led by D. Monge, renamed themselves the Communist Party of the Netherlands (Marxist-Leninist).”[331]