The party's roots are planted deeply in the nineteen century tradition of European revolutionary working class parties. Our party was formed by members, mostly workers, that 1967 broke apart from the former Communist Party of Sweden that this year was renamed Left Party. The Left Party adopted an almost social democratic program.

Together with these experienced communist workers our party was also formed by youngsters engaged in the solidarity movement with the Vietnamese peoples struggle in the 1960:ies against US imperialism. The women and men that formed our party were attracted by the Chinese opposition to Soviet Union in the universal revolutionary movement, and the party was named Communist Party Marxist-Leninist revolutionaries.

In those days in the late 1960:ies and early 1970:ies there was a revolutionary awakening in the whole Western Europe. In Sweden like elsewhere there were formed a bouquet of parties calling themselves communists of various traditions, often dominated of young people especially students.

From the early 1970:ies our party took as its task to organize working class people. We literally turned our face toward the worksites and started building party cells inside big industries, hospitals, construction plants. New members were recruited and in some cases our party managed to challenge the social democrats that since the early 1950:ies totally dominated the trade unions. In those cold war times the Swedish social democratic prime minister Tage Erlander, the predecessor of Olof Palme, declared: "We shall make the trade unions the battleground where communism shall be defeated". And they were successful in this task.

From this time class cooperation was made the fundament of the so called the Swedish model, which by Social Democrats was presented to the workers as a functioning peaceful way to socialism. In reality it has nothing to do with socialism. The truth is that what was called the Swedish model in fact is a corporative capitalist state built on the cooperation between big business, the state including its political leadership and the reformist trade unions.

Politically our party challenged this model saying that the working class only can get in power of the state by a socialistic revolution. Especially in Gothenburg the dominating industrial town of Sweden our party grew strong. In the late 1970:ies and early 1980:ies we were the only political force that took stand against the decision of the state and the capitalists to close down the entire Swedish Shipyard industry. In Gothenburg we at that time in our party cells organized almost 100 shipyard workers out of a workforce of 10 000 persons.

The social democrats agreed to close down the shipyards claiming that the future is in the car industry. Unfortunately we were unsuccessful in our attempts to organize a powerful resistance to this shameful policy. Today, when the car industry is about to fall, we once again are trying to organize workers resistance. We have party cells in the Volvo plants but it is not easy to form a policy when the workers does not believe in the power of the class.

Let me also mention that our party of course have had many other political activities on the agenda during the years. It is with great pride we refer the international solidarity of the Communist party of Sweden towards oppressed peoples and peoples fighting against imperialism and capitalist oppression. Like already mentioned Vietnam and the other counties in South East Asia struggling against US Imperialism. We can also mention the fight against Franco fascism in Spain and the fascist junta I Greece. The solidarity with the people of Chile, in El Salvador and Nicaragua. Of course the solidarity with the southern African countries in their fight against apartheid.

Most extensive has been our solidarity with the struggle of the Palestinian people. Twenty-five to thirty years ago our party sent tens and tens of doctors and nurses to PFLP clinics in Lebanon. One of our party nurses was severely injured during the defense of the refugee camp Tel El Zaatar.

Through fundraising by the Communist Party and in the Proletarian we have collected almost 1,5 million Swedish crowns, 150 000 Euros, from ordinary people all around Sweden. Politically we fight and condemn the Palestinian resistance being listed as terrorist by US, EU and the Swedish authorities, including the Social Democratic and bourgeoisie parties. Resistance against an aggressor is never terrorism. Fighting for national freedom is every peoples right and duty.

It is sad to see how social democrats in Sweden today are turning their backs against the oppressed people. The years are long gone when Olof Palme made Sweden a friend of the third world as when he attacked US imperialism.

As a fact the social democrats in our land accepted neo liberalism already when Palme was still alive and working as prime minister. But the economic change strengthened the monopoly capital that then turned its back to corporative class cooperation. This new political situation was completed by Sweden joining the European Union.

The Communist Party participated actively in the strong opposition that almost managed to hold our country outside EU. The referendum in 1994 was close, 53 percent against 47. Among the working class if counted as union members 60 percent voted against Sweden joining the capitalist club of monopolist that EU really is.

In Sweden like in all European countries there was a declining among the progressive forces and the revolutionary workers movement during the 1980:ies as a part of the process of neo capitalism gaining power. In our country almost all of the Marxist-Leninist groups and parties that were born in the 60:ies died. Also our party lost great many members, in fact more then every second member. But we survived. Our newspaper the Proletarian survived.

When socialism fell in Soviet Union and Eastern Europe it was natural to shorten our name to just Communist Party to show that we are the Communists of Sweden, the revolutionary party for the 21 century. We have a modern party program that points out the task for generations to come.

Today the party focuses on growing stronger again. We must attract more people and get them to join the struggle as activists. A main tool in this work is to spread our weekly paper the Proletarian. Every party branch are to choose at least one big worksite outside whitch the paper shall be sold regularly.

Domestically our political focus is on the capitalist crisis. What in bourgeois rhetoric is called a finance crisis in fact is a very deep capitalistic over production crisis. There is not enough money among the people to by the goods that are produced. At the same time the demands and needs of the people and the working class are not fulfilled. Poverty is a reality not only in the poor countries but also in the rich countries like in Sweden. And indeed in the US where millions of houses are empty because the owners could not afford to pay the rent for their loons to the bank. At the same time millions of US citizens do not have a home.

This situation of overproduction has been built up for decades and the capitalism in the rich countries have prolonged the crisis by letting the people consume on borrowed money. Now the time has run out.

In a situation where there is almost no resistance among the workers against the crisis and rapid rising unemployment rate, today one forth of the metal workers are about to loose their jobs, the Communist party of Sweden still claims that there are a revolutionary way of fighting the capitalist crises.

All political parties in the parliament, the ruling right wing government, the Social Democrats and also the Left party are sticking to neo liberalism and claiming that the capitalist state must have its economy in balance. No state deficit is allowed by the parliament parties. Sadly the leadership of the Unions agree on this standpoint.

On the contrary as the only political force the Communist Party claims that it is right of the state to take loans, in fact it is the duty to the people to under balance the budget and to use the money to invest in consumption. To build houses and roads, to expand the social sector especially hospitals, to raise the salaries for the workers and to employ all those that the capitalist are throwing out of their jobs. Use the money to create jobs we say. Let the state take over every factory that is closed.

We have also a focus on global politics. US imperialism still is the strongest force standing against all progressive movement in the world. Even if its power is challenged by other capitalist countries. In the light of the world wide crises it is hard to predict how this will effect the balance between the capitalist countries.

But we know that for the years to come it will be necessary to fight US imperialism and its wars. In Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Palestine however it here is fought by the Zionist state of Israel, and in whatever country US imperialism is staging a new war.

The Swedish Communist Party is actively working to raise our people against every Swedish participation in these shameful wars. We oppose the present Swedish participation in the war in Afghanistan. We are doing our best to strengthen the solidarity movement to all oppressed people and we will do our best to strengthen the solidarity to the present progressive development in Latin America. We have the best relations to the Swedish Cuban league in Sweden, and we work to deepen the understanding in Sweden for the Cuban revolutionary example. To show the progress the Cuban people have made despite the shameful economic blockade initiated by US imperialism and in Sweden effectuated thru our country's membership in the European Union.

The party participates in the yearly International Communist Seminars in Brussels and we see the need for strengthening of communist unity, but our party do not belong to any specific grouping in the international Marxist – Leninist movement. Our party has always upheld its independence in the International Communist movement, a standpoint that is respected among our friends.