Red Guards (United States)

The Red Guards was the name adopted by several distinct Marxist-Leninist organizations in the United States during the late 1960s and early 1970s, inspired by the Red Guards of Maoist China's Cultural Revolution. These groups, while sharing a general ideological alignment, were not a unified national entity and often operated independently with varying degrees of success and impact.

Key characteristics of the various Red Guards groups in the U.S. included:

• Maoist Ideology: A commitment to Mao Zedong's revolutionary theories, including the "mass line" approach to organizing and the importance of armed struggle, although the degree to which this was put into practice varied.

• Focus on the Working Class and Oppressed Minorities: Emphasis on organizing among the working class, particularly industrial workers, and within marginalized communities such as African Americans, Latinos, and other ethnic minorities. They often saw these groups as the key to revolutionary change in the United States.

• Anti-Revisionism: A rejection of what they perceived as "revisionist" tendencies in the Soviet Union and other communist parties, viewing them as having betrayed the principles of Marxism-Leninism.

• Community Organizing: Efforts to address immediate community needs while simultaneously raising political consciousness and building a revolutionary movement. This often involved establishing community centers, providing services like food banks and healthcare, and engaging in local struggles.

• Emphasis on Self-Criticism: A practice of rigorous self-assessment and criticism, influenced by Maoist thought, aimed at correcting errors and improving revolutionary practice.

Different groups calling themselves "Red Guards" existed in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco, each with its own specific focus and activities. For example, some focused more on industrial organizing, while others prioritized community-based activism. The lifespan of these organizations was typically short, often lasting only a few years, due to internal divisions, external pressures from law enforcement, and changing political landscapes. Their impact on American society was limited, though they contributed to the broader radical left movement of the period.