Collection Guide
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Democratic Socialist Party collection
HLL.2019.014
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
Holt Labor Library at CSU Dominguez Hills
Title: Democratic Socialist Party collection
Identifier/Call Number: HLL.2019.014
Physical Description:
.83 Linear Feet
Physical Description:
2 boxes
Date (inclusive): 1995-2002, undated
Abstract: This collection contains discussion and information bulletins and various education materials that reflect the political sentiments
and educational activities of the Democratic Socialist Party (DSP). The DSP began as the Socialist Workers Party of Australia
in 1972, changed its name to the Democratic Socialist Party in the 1990s and then to the Democratic Socialist Perspective
in 2001, and merged with the Socialist Alliance in 2010.
Language of Material: Collection material is in English.
The Democratic Socialist Party Collection, 1995-2002, undated comprises discussion and information bulletins that reflect
the activities and political sentiments of the Democratic Socialist Party, as well as syllabi and study guides related to
the Party's education initiatives.
For information about citing archival material, see the
Citations for Archival Material guide, or consult the appropriate style manual.
The Democratic Socialist Party Collection was donated to the Holt Labor Library in San Francisco, California between 1992
and 2019, and was acquired by the Gerth Archives and Special Collections at California State University, Dominguez Hills,
in 2019.
There are no access restrictions on this collection.
The collection is alphabetically arranged in one series.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives
and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical
materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
The Democratic Socialist Party (DSP), originally called the Socialist Workers Party of Australia (SWP), was an Australian
political party that was founded in 1972 by members of the Socialist Youth Alliance. The SWP was affiliated with the 4th International
as well as the American Socialist Workers Party until 1986 when the SWP transitioned away from Trotskyist ideology towards
Leninism. In the 1990s the SWP was re-named the Democratic Socialist Party (DSP), and in 2001 it changed its name to the Democratic
Socialist Perspective, when it became an internal tendency within the Socialist Alliance. In 2010, the Democratic Socialist
Perspective voted to merge completely into the Socialist Alliance, effectively ceasing its function as an affiliate organization.
The Party believed in the importance of organizing the working class as a way to meet their goal of replacing capitalism with
socialism. Although labor unions rely on collective action and solidarity, the Party believed that unions alone were incapable
of organizing workers for revolutionary action, and therefore a revolutionary socialist party was needed that could support
and strengthen unions through promoting trade union democracy and class consciousness. The Party sought to educate workers
about exploitation and oppression under capitalism by disseminating various publications and through various other educational
initiatives.
Bibliography:
Program of the Democratic Socialist Party. Doug Lorimer Archive, Socialist Alternative. https://www.sa.org.au/node/4008#3
Recoba, Alvaro. "An Outline History of a Chameleon Party : a history of the Democratic Socialist Party of Australia."
Revolutionary Democracy, Vol. 8, No. 2, September 2002.
https://www.revolutionarydemocracy.org/rdv8n2/dsp.htm
Allison Ransom processed the collection and wrote the finding aid in March 2020.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Socialism--Australia
Democratic Socialist Party (Australia)
Democratic Socialist Perspective (2003-2010)