The founding of the Revolutionary Communist Party in Austria: a historic step

On Saturday, 340 communists from all over Austria, as well as guests from neighbouring countries, came together in Vienna for the founding of the Revolutionary Communist Party (RKP). The purpose of this new party is to overthrow capitalism and build a society without exploitation, misery and oppression.

[Originally published in German at derfunke.at]

In the German-speaking world, 9 November is a historic day: it is the anniversary of the November Revolution in Germany in 1918. In their struggles from 1918 to 1923, the German workers came the closest they ever have to a successful socialist revolution. At the same time, however, it is also the anniversary of Kristallnacht – the November pogroms by the Nazis against the Jews in 1938 – where it became clear what the price of the failure of the November Revolution was: the rise of fascism and bloody imperialist war.

The demonstration showed that the ideas of revolutionary communism are increasingly getting an echo today / Image: RKP

With this in mind, we organised a demonstration before the founding event, a march through the proletarian 10th district of Vienna, titled: ‘Down with capitalism, racism and war – workers of all countries, unite!’. The demonstration showed that the ideas of revolutionary communism are increasingly getting an echo today. Passers-by joined the demonstration, waved to us from the windows, bought newspapers (over 60 in total!) and joined in with slogans, especially those directed against the oppression of the Palestinians. Anti-capitalist and anti-fascist slogans also found favour with the public, and probably for the first time many onlookers heard the slogan ‘Communism, communism, now, now, now’.

While the Austrian ‘left’ wallows in pessimism and cynicism, and even allows the bourgeoisie to question its anti-fascism and anti-capitalism on 9 November, the demonstration and the subsequent founding of our party were proof of the enthusiasm of the revolutionary communists. Indeed, we have every reason to be enthusiastic, because our optimism and enthusiasm are rooted in an understanding of the world situation and the road to revolution.

Anti-capitalist and anti-fascist slogans also found favour with the public / Image: RKP

Perspectives for the revolution 

The main hall for the event itself, the Ernst Kirchweger House, was filled to capacity. People without a seat crowded the edges of the hall and many had to move to a second room to take part via livestream. Sonja Kopf, chair of the former Socialist Youth Vorarlberg – which split from the Austrian Social Democratic Party earlier this year and encouraged its members to join the RKP – opened and moderated the evening.

It was clear from the outset that the new RKP is part of a unified world party: the Revolutionary Communist International (RCI). International guests from Germany, Switzerland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary and former Yugoslavia also came to Austria to attend this milestone event for revolutionary communism. The evening began with a video message from Niklas Albin Svensson from the International Secretariat of the RCI.

The main hall for the event itself was filled to capacity / Image: RKP

In the first speech that followed, Yola Kipcak made it clear that we are at a historic turning point: “We are only at the very beginning of a new period that will not only bring crises and wars, but also massive class struggles and revolutions.” Capitalism is in one of its deepest crises and the imperialists continue to pour oil on the fire by trying to save their profits through wars, trade wars, and attacks on the working class.

The Austrian capitalists, meanwhile, are being crushed between the imperialist blocs. In the backrooms of the halls of power, the bourgeoisie and their ‘financial experts’ are therefore preparing harsh attacks on the working class. On this basis, major class struggles are inevitable in Austria. New layers of the working class are constantly being thrust into the political and economic struggle.

However, the leadership of today's labour movement does not represent the struggles of the future, but rather those of the past. What is needed is a revival of the revolutionary traditions of the Austrian labour movement.

It was clear from the outset that the new RKP is part of a unified world party / Image: RKP

Emanuel Tomaselli, editor-in-chief of Der Funke (the newspaper of the RKP) echoed the words of Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky, when he said that the crisis of humanity can be traced back to the crisis of the leadership of the labour movement. The life story of Ernst Kirchweger (the namesake of the house where the event took place) exemplifies the revolutionary potential of the Austrian working class as well as the disastrous role of the movement's leadership.

As a young sailor, Kirchweger took part in the uprising of the Austro-Hungarian fleet in Cattaro in 1918. He went to Hungary, like hundreds of young workers, to fight in the Hungarian Red Army, before returning to join the Social Democrats and experiencing first-hand the disastrous policies of reformism, which ultimately led to the defeat of the Austrian February Uprising in 1934. 

He then joined the Communist Party and took part in the resistance against fascism. The Stalinist leadership of the party, however, orientated this struggle towards the rebuilding of a capitalist Austria. This corresponded to the interests of the Stalinist bureaucracy of the Soviet Union, which had abandoned the goal of world revolution in favour of cooperation with the bourgeoisie and enforced this policy throughout the world communist movement. In 1965, Kirchweger was killed by a fascist in ‘free’ Austria – his murderer got away with 10 months in prison for ‘exceeding the limits of self-defence’.

What is needed is a revival of the revolutionary traditions of the Austrian labour movement / Image: RKP

Reformist policies lead to the same false conclusions today. Today, social democracy is preparing to support the attacks of the bourgeoisie in government. The Communist Party (KPÖ), meanwhile, is drawing the wrong conclusions from its failure to win parliamentary seats in this year’s election and wants to limit itself to small-scale charitable work. The working class, however, needs a party that stands firm against the attacks of the capitalists, openly declares the need to overthrow capitalism, and which is systematically preparing for major class struggles and revolutionary situations.

Marxist theory and fighting spirit

The RKP will be this party. Florian Keller, who spoke about building the party, said: “The RKP is not a party of politicians, but of revolutionaries. Anyone looking for a career, an easy life or a quiet position has no place in this party.” The RKP is the party for a new generation of communists shaped by the current crisis of capitalism, who are searching for a revolutionary solution.

The Bolshevik Party of Lenin and Trotsky is the model on which we base ourselves / Image: RKP

The Bolshevik Party of Lenin and Trotsky is the model on which we base ourselves. The Bolsheviks led the Russian workers to power in 1917, but we are in a much better starting position today, with the working class in Austria now much stronger than it was in Russia in 1917.

Our immediate task is therefore to organise and train the cadres of Austrian Bolshevism. In every workplace, every school, every university there is a need for communists who can link the class struggles of the present to the perspective of revolution and socialism in our lifetimes. 

This is why we are building the RKP, and the enormous enthusiasm for this was evident in all aspects of the event. This enthusiasm is also to be found in our publications, our newspaper and our revolutionary fundraising, which give us the opportunity for us to speak the truth, independently from the state apparatus and the capitalists. Overall, the organisation of the event itself ensured that it ran completely smoothly and professionally – thanks to the dedicated work of dozens of comrades.

The thirst for our ideas could be seen at the book stalls during the breaks and after the event / Image: RKP

The thirst for our ideas could be seen at the book stalls during the breaks and after the event. Participants crowded around the tables, which sold around €4,000-worth of literature and other merchandise. Two new editions of classic Marxist texts made up a large proportion of the sales. These were: What is to be done? and The Proletarian Revolution and the Renegade Kautsky by Lenin. Both books are an essential part of any communist's reading list for building the revolutionary party and fighting against reformism.

The event ended with the singing of the Internationale – a perfect beginning for an evening of workers' songs led by Pius Jungblut. Comrades sat together in groups until well into the night to continue their discussions.

The founding of the RKP is just the beginning. Major class struggles are already clearly on the horizon. If you are disgusted by the massacre in Palestine, if you are fed up with the lies of politicians and the media, if you want to finally overthrow capitalism – that is: if you are a communist –, then the RCI and RKP is your party! Join us!