The Association for Solidarity Perspectives (german: Verein für solidarische Perspektiven, VsP) is a

far-left Far-left politics, also known as the radical left or the extreme left, are politics further to the left on the left–right political spectrum than the standard political left. The term does not have a single definition. Some scholars consider ...

political organization A political organization is any organization that involves itself in the political process, including political parties, non-governmental organizations, and special interest advocacy groups. Political organizations are those engaged in poli ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The VsP was formed in October 1986 in

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

as the United Socialist Party ('Vereinigte Sozialistische Partei', VSP), a perhaps 600-strong merger of the

Trotskyite Trotskyism is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Ukrainian-Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and some other members of the Left Opposition and Fourth International. Trotsky self-identified as an Orthodox Marxism, orthod ...

International Marxist Group :''See also the International Marxist Group (Germany). The International Marxist Group (IMG) was a Trotskyist group in Britain between 1968 and 1982. It was the British Section of the Fourth International. It had around 1,000 members and supporte ...

(GIM) and the

anti-revisionist Anti-revisionism is a position within Marxism–Leninism which emerged in the 1950s in opposition to the reforms of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Where Khrushchev pursued an interpretation that differed from his predecessor Joseph Stalin, ...

Communist Party of Germany/Marxists–Leninists The Communist Party of Germany/Marxists–Leninists (german: Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands/Marxisten-Leninisten, KPD/ML) was a clandestine communist party active in West Germany and East Germany during the Cold War. It was founded in 1968 ...

. The parties combined their newspapers, ''was tun'' (What to do) and ''Roter Morgen'' (Red Dawn) respectively, to launch the ' (Socialist Newspaper, SoZ). The newly founded party negotiated for over 2 years with the

League of West German Communists The League of West German Communists (german: Bund Westdeutscher Kommunisten, abbreviated BWK) was a Maoist communist political organization in the Federal Republic of Germany, active between 1980 and 1995 and one of the last surviving " K Groups" ...

('Bund Westdeutscher Kommunisten') about another amalgamation, but this efforts remained fruitless because of their differences over

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

. The VSP attacked

German reunification German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...

and was engaged in the fleeting

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

resistance movement ('Never again, Germany!'). When the former ruling party of the

German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, the Socialist Unity Party (SED), reconstituted itself as the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) after

, individual members of the VSP entered the party and obtained official positions. However, the VSP remained independent of the PDS. In 1994, the VSP changed its name and organisational form to Association for Solidarity Perspectives (''Verein für solidarische Perspektiven'', VsP). One faction of the

Trotskyist Trotskyism is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Ukrainian-Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and some other members of the Left Opposition and Fourth International. Trotsky self-identified as an orthodox Marxist, a rev ...

current in the VsP departed in 1994 and formed the Revolutionary Socialist League (RSB). The Trotskyists who remained in the VsP formed a

caucus A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to a meeting ...

called the International Socialist Left (ISL). In the 2005 federal elections, the VsP supported ''

Die Linke The Left (german: Die Linke; stylised as and in its logo as ), commonly referred to as the Left Party (german: Die Linkspartei, links=no ), is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The party was founded in 2007 as the result of th ...

'', the descendant of the PDS.

References

External links

VsP website

''Sozialistische Zeitung'' website

ISL website

RSB website

Inprekorr
- magazine co-published by the ISL and RSB 1986 establishments in West Germany Communist organisations in Germany Fourth International (post-reunification) Organizations established in 1986 Trotskyist organisations in Germany {{Germany-poli-stub