Entryism (or entrism or enterism) is a political tactic by which an organisation encourages members to infiltrate another organisation in an attempt to gain recruits, or take over entirely.

In situations where the larger organization is hostile to entryism, the entryists may engage in a degree of subterfuge to hide the fact that they are, in fact, an organization in their own right. In the case of the Militant Tendency, this was done by claiming that the tendency was in fact simply a newspaper, Militant, its editorial board and readers. Militant was open about its support for Trotskyism and revolutionary socialism. Other entryist groups have gone to the extent of hiding their political views as well as their organisational existence. The Militant Tendency was a Trotskyist faction within the Labour Party in the United Kingdom, accused of entryist tactics. ... Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. ... Socialism is an ideology with the core belief that society should exist in which popular collectives control the means of power, and therefore the means of production. ...

An important thing to note is that entryism does not involve dissolving the small organisation into the larger one. Entryism is often (but not always) done secretly and often in organisations run on democratic centralist lines. Entryism is seen by some as a logical conclusion from Leninist political theory which postulates that a "revolutionary vanguard" can successfully foment a revolution within a larger capitalist society, but according to some the strategy of entryism is as old as politics itself^[1]. For the connotation of the term relating to chemistry, see Solvation. ... Secrecy is the condition of hiding information from others. ... In Liberalism, Democratic centralism is a political philosophy that forms the basis of building a democratic unitary state, as opposed to a democratic federal state. ... Vladimir Lenin in 1920 Leninism is a political and economic theory which builds upon Marxism; it is a branch of Marxism (and it has been the dominant branch of Marxism in the world since the 1920s). ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Capitalism The page is about the economic system. ...

In Australia, the practice was widespread during the 1950s, where Communists battled against Catholics and other anti-Communists, known as 'Groupers', for control of Australian trade unions. The Groupers subsequently formed the breakaway Democratic Labor Party. // Events and trends This map shows two essential global spheres during the Cold War in 1959. ... This article is about the historical Communist Party of Australia, dissolved in 1991. ... Anti-communism is the opposition to communist ideology, organization, or government, on either an ideological or pragmatic basis. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... For alternative meanings, see Democratic Labour Party The Democratic Labor Party (DLP) is a minor political party in Australia. ...

Entryism is not an exclusively left-wing phenomenon; it is also found in the far-right entering mainstream right-wing groups. e.g. National Front infiltration of National Council of Civil Liberties in U.K, British National Party members joining the UK Independence Party.In the US the John Birch Society, and other groups were accused of entryism in relation to the surprise selection of Barry Goldwater as the Republican candidate for US President in the 1964 election. The Far Right, Radical Right, or Hard Right are terms used by many scholars to discuss political groups, movements, and political parties that are located to the right of mainstream electoral conservatism. ... In politics, right-wing, the political right, or simply the right, are terms which refer, with no particular precision, to the segment of the political spectrum in opposition to left-wing politics. ... In the United Kingdom, the British National Front (most commonly called the National Front or NF) is a extreme right-wing political party that had its heyday during the 1970s and 80s. ... Liberty is a pressure group based in the United Kingdom. ... The British National Party (BNP) is a small political party of the far-right in the United Kingdom. ... The United Kingdom Independence Party (commonly known as UKIP, pronounced you-kip) is a right-wing political party that aims at British withdrawal from the European Union. ... The John Birch Society (JBS) is an ultra-conservative organization that was founded in 1958 to fight the threat of Communism and other un-American influences in the United States and promote the free-enterprise system. ... Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 1, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was a United States politician and a founding figure in the modern conservative movement in the USA as well as being a major inspiration for many of his youthful followers to join the libertarian movement. ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party), is one of the two major political parties in the United States, the other being the Democratic Party. ... Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 1, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was a United States politician and a founding figure in the modern conservative movement in the USA as well as being a major inspiration for many of his youthful followers to join the libertarian movement. ...

Socialist Entryism

Trotsky's "French Turn"

This is the classical version of entryism advocated by Leon Trotsky in his essays on "the French Turn" in which Trotskyists entered the youth wing of the French Socialist Party (the SFIO) for a brief period in the 1930s. Similar tactics were used by Trotsky's organisation in other countries. Entrism was used to connect with left-warding moving political currents inside radical parties. A "split perspective" is sometimes employed in which the smaller party intends to remain in the larger party for a short period of time with the intention of splitting the organization and leaving with more members than they began with. Leon Trotsky ▶ (help· info) (Russian: Лев Давидович Троцкий; also transliterated Leo, Lev, Trotskii, Trotski, Trotskij and Trotzky) (October 26 (O.S.) = November 7 (N.S.), 1879 – August 21, 1940), born Lev Davidovich Bronstein (Лев Давидович Бронштейн), was a Bolshevik revolutionary and Marxist theorist. ... // Events and trends The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the global depression. ...

However, this tactic can work successfully over a long period. For example, it was attempted by the Militant Tendency in Britain who worked within the Labour Party from the 1960s on and managed to get a controlling influence in the Young Socialists and Liverpool Council before being expelled in the 1980s. Many other Trotskyist groups have attempted similar feats but failed to gain the influence Militant attained (See Militant's Problems of Entrism pamphlet). The Militant Tendency was a Trotskyist faction within the Labour Party in the United Kingdom, accused of entryist tactics. ... The Labour Party is the principal centre-left political party in the United Kingdom (see British politics). ... The 1960s in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1960 and 1969, but the expression has taken on a wider meaning over the past twenty years. ... The Young Socialists is the name given to the youth sections of several socialist and social democratic political parties. ... Liverpool City Council is the governing body for the city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. ... The 1980s, in its most obvious sense, was the decade between 1980 and 1989. ... Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. ...

Deep Entryism 'sui generis' (Entryism 'of a special type')

In this type, Entryists engage in a long-term perspective in which they work within an organization for decades in hopes of gaining influence and a degree of power and perhaps even control of the larger organization. This is sometimes known as entryism sui generis (of a special type - in which Trotskyists do not openly argue for the building of a Trotskyist party) or 'deep entry' (because of its long duration).

The tactic is closely identified with Michel Pablo and Gerry Healy, who were leaders of the the Fourth International in the late 1940s and 1950s. The 'Deep Entry' tactic was developed as a way for Trotskyists to respond to the Cold War. In countries where there were mass Social Democratic or Communist parties, it was as difficult to be accepted into these parties as Trotskyist currents as to build separate Trotskyist parties. Therefore Trotskyists were advised to enter secretly, and not to come forward as Trotskyists with their full program. Michel Pablo (August 24, 1911 - February 17, 1996 ) was the pseudonym of Michel N. Raptis, a Greek Trotskyist leader. ... Gerry Healy (December 3, 1913 - December 14, 1989) was a Trotskyist activist. ... For the left communist Fourth International, see Communist Workers International. ... For the generic term for a high-tension struggle between countries, see cold war (war). ...

In Europe, this was the approach used, for example, by The Club in the Labour Party, and by Fourth Internationalists inside the Communist Parties. In France, Trotskyist organizations, most notably the Parti des Travailleurs, have successfully entered Communist-led trade unions and mainstream left-wing parties (see Lionel Jospin for a famous example). The Club is a play by Australian playwright David Williamson, that follows the fortunes of a football club over the course of a season. ... The Party of the Workers (Parti des Travailleurs or PT), is a French political party which was formed by the Trotskyist Internationalist Communist Party (PCI) led by Pierre Boussel better known by his pseudonym Pierre Lambert (it was customary for senior leaders of the party to be known under pseudonyms... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... In politics, left-wing, political left, leftism, or simply the left, are terms which refer (with no particular precision) to the segment of the political spectrum typically associated with any of several strains of socialism, social democracy, or liberalism (especially in the American sense of the word), or with opposition... Lionel Robert Jospin (born July 12, 1937 in Meudon, a suburb of Paris) is a French statesman who served as Prime Minister of France from 1997-2002. ...

Open Entryism

Some political parties, such as the Workers' Party in Brazil or the Scottish Socialist Party allow political tendencies to openly organize within them. In these cases the term entryism is not usually used. Political groups which work within a larger organisation but also maintain a "public face" often reject the term "entryism" but are nevertheless usually considered to be entryists by the larger organisation. Wikinews has news related to this article: Category:Political crisis in Brazil The Partido dos Trabalhadores (Portuguese for Workers Party) is a left-wing political party in Brazil. ... This article deals with the Scottish Socialist Party that was formed in 1998. ...

Religious entryism

A similar technique is used by the Aryan Nations Religious branch Church of Jesus Christ-Christian / Christian Identity as well as the Creativity Movement in taking over small churches. Aryan Nations (AN) (also known as the Aryan National Alliance) is an anti-Semitic White supremacist anti-government group based in the United States. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... The Church of Jesus Christ-Christian is a white supremacist group, since 1978 part of the Aryan Nations, which was founded in 1946 by Ku Klux Klan organizer Wesley A. Swift the son of a Methodist Church minister and who was considered the single most significant figure in the early... Christian Identity is a label applied to a wide variety of loosely-affiliated groups and churches with a racialized theology. ... The Creativity Movement is a racist, anti-semitic and white-supremacist organization which advocates a White Religion called Creativity. ... A church building (or simply church) is a building used in Christian worship. ...

In the United States

During the 2000 presidential election in the United States, some members of the Reform Party, which had been founded by Ross Perot, charged that the presidential campaign of Pat Buchanan was engaging in entryism. However, while a large number of new members did join to support Buchanan he did not maintain a large separate organization outside of the Reform Party. It is worth noting that, after the election, many of Buchanan's support did split from the Reform Party, taking several state organizations with them, to form the America First Party. Ironically, the America First Party itself was quickly engaged in a controversy involving alleged entryism by supporters of James "Bo" Gritz. Presidential electoral votes by state. ... The Reform Party of the United States of America (abbreviated Reform Party USA or RPUSA) is a political party in the United States, founded by Ross Perot in 1995 who said Americans were disillusioned with the state of politics--as being corrupt and unable to deal with vital issues--and... Henry Ross Perot (born June 27, 1930), is a billionaire American businessman from Texas best known as a candidate for President of the United States (in 1992 and 1996). ... Pat Buchanan Pat Buchanan (born November 2, 1938), is an American author, syndicated columnist, and television commentator. ... A group of Pat Buchanan supporters left the Reform Party in 2002 and formed the America First Party. ... James Bo Gritz (born January 18, 1939 in Enid, Oklahoma) was the most decorated Green Beret officer during the Vietnam War. ...

Another example of charges of entryism involving the United States Reform Party involved supporters of Fred Newman and the New Alliance Party joining the Reform Party en masse and gaining some level of control over the New York State affiliate of the Reform Party. Another United States politican, Lyndon LaRouche, has attempted an entryist strategy in the Democratic Party since 1980, but with little success. Fred Newman is a controversial philosopher, playwright and political activist. ... The New Alliance Party was an American political party formed by psychotherapists Fred Newman and Lenora Fulani. ... Defunct California Proposition 64 North American Labour Party Party for the Commonwealth of Canada Parti pour la république du Canada U.S. Labor Party Lyndon Hermyle LaRouche, Jr. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...

In Canada

Although the term entryism was used little if at all, opponents accused David Orchard and his supporters of such an attempt to take over the leadership of the former Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in the late 1990s and early 2000s. This page is about the Canadian politician. ... The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (PC) was a Canadian centre-right conservative political party that existed from 1867 to 2003. ... The 1990s refers to the years 1990 to 1999; the last decade of the 20th Century, but in an economical sense The Nineties is often considered to span from the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 to the September 11 attacks in 2001. ... Saddam Hussein shortly after his capture Major controversy over U. S. presidential election (November 7-December 13, 2000) September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on New Yorks World Trade Center and Virginias Pentagon killing almost 3000 people. ...

Orchard had made his name as a leading opponent of free trade, which was perhaps the singular signature policy of the Progressive Conservatives governments of Brian Mulroney in the late 1980s and early 1990s. While opponents pointed to this remarkable distance, Orchard and his supporters argued that they represented traditional values and the traditional economic nationalism that the older Conservative party, and the Progressive Conservative party before Mulroney, had espoused. Free trade is an economic concept referring to the selling of products between countries without tariffs or other trade barriers. ... The Right Honourable Martin Brian Mulroney, PC , CC , GOQ , LL.D (born March 20, 1939), was the eighteenth Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993. ... The 1980s, in its most obvious sense, was the decade between 1980 and 1989. ... The 1990s refers to the years 1990 to 1999; the last decade of the 20th Century, but in an economical sense The Nineties is often considered to span from the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 to the September 11 attacks in 2001. ... The name which emphasised a revitalised National Policy and links to Britain. ...

Opponents of the merger between the Progressive Conservative and Canadian Alliance parties, also charged Alliance members with entryism. It was widely speculated that most, if not all of the approximately 25,000 Canadians who swelled the PC Party's membership before the merger vote where Alliance members. They would likely have voted in favour of the merger.

Members of Socialist Action, a small Trotskyist group, play a leading role in the New Democratic Party Socialist Caucus, a small faction on the left wing of that social democratic party, and advocate that their members join and engage with the NDP. Socialist Action is a Trotskyist political group in Canada. ... The New Democratic Party (French: Nouveau Parti démocratique) is a left wing political party in Canada that advocates varying forms of social democracy and democratic socialism. ... Categories: Canadian political movements | Trotskyist organisations | Canadian socialist organizations | New Democratic Party of Canada ... Social democracy is a political ideology emerging in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from supporters of Marxism who believed that the transition to a socialist society could be achieved through democratic evolutionary rather than revolutionary means. ...

References

^  David Robertson, The Routledge Dictionary of Politics ISBN 0415323770

External links

• "Problems of Entrism" by Ted Grant with an introduction by Peter Taaffe and various writings by Leon Trotsky as published in a Militant Tendency booklet.