The Maoist Youth Union (, abbreviated UJM) was a youth organization in Spain during the
transition to democracy
Democratization, or democratisation, is the structural government transition from an authoritarian government to a more democratic political regime, including substantive political changes moving in a democratic direction.
Whether and to what ...
. It was founded as the youth wing of the Workers Revolutionary Organization (ORT) in 1975.
The organization upheld Marxism–Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought. In March 1975 ORT issued a statement labelled 'A call to the revolutionary youth'. UJM was founded at a conference on November 29, 1975. Faustino Bosquet Villaescusa was elected general secretary of UJM in July 1976. In the same month, UJM took part in founding the Democratic Platform of Political Youth Forces (along with the Socialist Youth,
Communist Youth Union of Spain
The Communist Youth Union of Spain (, UJCE; also simply the Communist Youth) is a Marxist-Leninist youth political organization that fights for the interests of the working class and its youth, it was formed by young communists in the Spanish stat ...
and the Young Red Guard).
On February 22, 1977 UJM appealed to the government for its legalization. The appeal was presented by Pedro Izquierdo and Fernando Casanova. UJM demanded that a 'Youth Charter' be included in the new Spanish constitution.
UJM began publishing the bulletin ''Forja Comunista'' ('Communist Forge') in January 1976. It began publishing the journal ''El Joven Maoista'' ('The Young Maoist') in 1977.
UJM held its first congress at the
Estadio de Vallehermoso
Estadio de Vallehermoso is a multi-use stadium in Madrid, Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost poin ...
in
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
on January 7–8, 1978. The congress elected a Central Committee and re-elected Faustino Bosquet as general secretary. The congress rejected the Moncloa Pact, urged support for the ''
Sindicato Unitario
Sindicato Unitario ("Unitary Trade Union", abbreviated SU) is a trade union movement in Spain. SU was tied to the Workers Revolutionary Organization (ORT), a Maoist political organization.Sindicato Unitario de Catalunya. QUIENES SOMOS''
Split in ...
'' trade union movement and declared its non-participation in the
World Festival of Youth and Students
The World Festival of Youth and Students is an international event organized by the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) and the International Union of Students after 1947. History
The festival has been held occasionally since 1947, mainl ...
in
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. In one of its statements, it declared that North American imperialism and Russian social imperialism were "sworn enemies of the sovereignty and liberty of the peoples", threatening the peoples of the world with the risk of a new world war.
In February 1978 UJM co-signed an appeal against the law decree issued by the government on youth associations. Other signatories included the Socialist Youth, Communist Youth Union of Spain and
Nuevas Generaciones
New Generations of the People's Party (, NNGG) is the youth wing of the People's Party. It operates in all Spain and also has structures in other countries. They share the same ideological platform of the PP: a centre-right ideology and economic ...
. UJM campaigned for a "Yes" vote in the 1978 constitutional referendum. In the spring of 1979 the UJM office in Madrid was targeted twice in
Molotov cocktail
A Molotov cocktail (among several other names – ''see '') is a hand-thrown incendiary weapon consisting of a frangible container filled with flammable substances and equipped with a Fuse (explosives), fuse (typically a glass bottle filled wit ...
attacks.
UJM held its second congress in April 1980. The organization later disappeared.