Spartacus League Head Says Students Must Form 'Revolutionary Intelligensia'

A "revolutionary intelligensia" of students must show the American working class that socialist revolution is in its best interest, the national chairman of the Spartacus Youth League told a Boylston Hall audience of 25 last night.

Joseph Drummond said students have to create an alternative to the "trade-union bureaucracy" in order to lead workers, because "working class oppression by itself doesn't make apparent the need for socialism."

Drummond said the traditional union leadership has in the past been "helping the capitalist class in policing workers," but without an alternative leadership workers will remain loyal to labor leaders like George Meany and continue to be "economically and culturally expropriated."

'Working Class Upsurge'

In the 1970's however, workers will bring an end to the domination of leaders like Meany and create a "working class upsurge that will reach and polarize students between the working class and the capitalist class," Drummond said.

He said there is now "a whole new wave or workers, and a new openness of workers to Communist propaganda and programs."

Drummond warned that without the intervention of Marxist students, racial issues will stand in the way of the workers' revolution.

"The science of Marxism is not readily apparent in the shop or the ghetto. Without a student core there is never a revolutionary movement. There has to be a vanguard party," Drummond said