Maoist Youth Union

The Maoist Youth Union (Spanish: Unión de Juventudes Maoístas, abbreviated UJM) was a youth organization in Spain during the transition to democracy. It was founded as the youth wing of the Workers Revolutionary Organization (ORT) in 1975.[2]

Maoist Youth Union
Unión de Juventudes Maoistas
Secretary GeneralFaustino Bosquet
FoundedNovember 29, 1975 (1975-11-29)
HeadquartersC/ Caños del Peral, Madrid[1]
IdeologyMarxism–Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought
Mother partyWorkers Revolutionary Organization (ORT)
MagazineForja Comunista, El Joven Maoista

The organization upheld Marxism–Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought.[3] 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.[4] 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 and the Young Red Guard).[5]

On February 22, 1977 UJM appealed to the government for its legalization. The appeal was presented by Pedro Izquierdo and Fernando Casanova.[6] UJM demanded that a 'Youth Charter' be included in the new Spanish constitution.[7]

UJM began publishing the bulletin Forja Comunista ('Communist Forge') in January 1976.[8] It began publishing the journal El Joven Maoista ('The Young Maoist') in 1977.[9]

UJM held its first congress at the Estadio de Vallehermoso in Madrid on January 7–8, 1978.[10][11] 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 trade union movement and declared its non-participation in the World Festival of Youth and Students in Havana.[11] 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.[12]

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.[13] UJM campaigned for a "Yes" vote in the 1978 constitutional referendum.[14][15] In the spring of 1979 the UJM office in Madrid was targeted twice in Molotov cocktail attacks.[1]

UJM held its second congress in April 1980.[16] The organization later disappeared.[2]

Bibliography
Notes
  1. El País 1979
  2. Auñamendi 1998, p. 459
  3. Unión de Juventudes Maoistas 2012
  4. Moreno Sáez 2012
  5. El País 1976
  6. El País & February 1977
  7. El País & August 1977
  8. Paradela 1977, p. 92
  9. Iglesias 1984, p. 176
  10. El País & January 7, 1978
  11. El País & January 10, 1978
  12. Unión de Juventudes Maoistas 1978, p. 10
  13. El País & February 1978
  14. El País & November 1978
  15. Brugos Salas 2012
  16. Unión de Juventudes Maoístas. Congreso (2n : 1980) 1980, p. 777
References
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