Ideological orientation: Maoists
Founded: 1968
Leader:
Publications: Kommunist (1968-1976), Arbejderavisen (weekly, 1976-1994), Kommunistisk Tidsskrift (theoretical)
Representation in parliament: No
Election results: 13.000 votes as most (1979)
International relations:
Images:

History: Kommunistisk Forbund Marxister-Leninister (KFML, Communist League Marxist-Leninists) were formed the 15th of september l968. At the foundation, the group had 30 members.

In  1970 the small organization suffered intense ideological infighting on the issue of Stalin. A minority critizized that KFML did not recognize Stalin as a revolutionary equal to Lenin and Mao. After a split, the anti-stalinists reconstituted KFML. However, the total membership sunk from 50 to 13. The youth league KUML (see below), was dissolved as a consecuence.

In 1972 a new situation surged. Among the house occupants, the squatter movement, a maoist tendency was developed. In 1972 it organized itself as Den revolutionære Boligorganisation marxister-leninister (BOm-l, The revolutionary Inhabitant Organization marxists-leninists). BOm-l and KFML started discussions, and BOm-l declared that they were ready to accept the political leadership of KFML. This spark new entusiasm with KFML. But, the cultural differances between the theoretical-ideological KFML and the "activist" BOm-l were to great, and the to organization quickly went from friends to rivals. This split was final when BOm-l constituted Marxistisk-Leninistisk Enhedsforbund (MLE, Marxist-Leninist Unity League). MLE and KFML had almost identical programs and both searched recognition by the same foreign parties, such as AKP(ml) (Norway) and KFML (Sweden).

However, KFML survived the confrontation with MLE. In 1974 there was a split in MLE, and about 50% of it's members joined KFML. In 1975 MLE was dissolved and the majority of it's remaining members joined KFML. Now, KFML had grown and had hundreds of members around the country. KFML militants were active in the struggle against EEC, in the students movement and also to some extent in trade union and women's political struggle. The crucial moment was in 1975, when KFML-militants played a role in a strike a the B&W shipyard in Copenhagen. After this event, the trade union leadership and the social democracy raged against the "Chinese moles" and an anti-KFML campaign was initiatited. This meant that KFML went from being a obscure sect to a organization in the political spotlight. Except for the B&W trade union, KFML gained influence in Trafikfunktionærernes Forbund (Trafic Functionaries Union), postal workers' union and a teachers organizations.

The paractical results meant that the work to constitute a communist party was taken up on the agenda. Kommunist, the main organ, was renamed Arbejderavisen, a newsweekly and Kommunistisk Tidsskrift was published as a political-theoretical monthly. KFML now had hundreds of members and local sections outside the two traditional stronghold, Copenhagen and Århus.

In 1976 KFML reconstituted itself as Kommunistisk Arbejderparti (KAP, Communist Workers' Party). The period 1977-79 was the peak of KAP. The party now had about a thousand members and wanted to participate in elections to the national parliament. Before the 1979 parliamentary elections KAP made an intensive campaign and expected to get the 2% which was needed to enter parliament. The result was poor, only 13 000 votes, less than 0,5%. This was a hard blow from KAP.

1980 started a long period of decay. The political development in China complicated things for the danish maoists. KAP remained attached to the "Mao Tse-Tung thought" but distanced itself from China and lauched the principle of "socialism in Danish". Intense internal discussion started, and during two years about half of the party members left KAP. The result of the parliamentary elections in 1981 was a catastrophy, only 4 000 votes.

In 1989 the political situation changed drastically for the left around the world. KAP only had about a hundred members left. In Denmark, groups like DKP and VS started to explore the possibilities of electoral cooperation. The result was Enhedslisten - de Rød-grønne (Unity List - the red-greens). At first DKP vetoded so that KAP couldn't join Enhedslisten. Since 1991 KAP militants began to enter Enhedslisten as individuals. After a while the KAP militants had concentrated the larger part of their political work within Enhedslisten. A debate surged within KAP whether KAP should continue to be an independent organization or integrate fully within Enhedslisten. A proposal was made that KAP should be replaced by a broader network, called Marxistisk Forum. This proposal gained little attention outside KAP. On the 24th of November KAP was dissolved and it's militants totally integrated themselves to Enhedslisten. A group of KAP-militants formed a network called "Solidaritetsforeningen af 1994" (Solidarity Association of 1994), which never got any real importance.

Kommunistisk Ungdom Marxist-Leninister (KUML, Communist Youth Marxist-Leninists, 1968-1971):
KUML was formed after a split of SUF (originally the youth of SF, after 1967 the youth of VS). KUML was the youth of KFML until 1971 when the organization was dissolved and the KUML-militants joined KFML.
 

Other related sites (not party or youth league sites):
Text about KAP by Solidaritet (This article is the main source for the text above)