Democratic Workers Party

For the Egyptian political party, see Workers Democratic Party.
Democratic Workers Party
Founded1974 (1974)
DissolvedAugust 1987 (August 1987)
Ideology
Political positionFar-left

The Democratic Workers Party was a United States Marxist–Leninist party based in California headed by former professor Marlene Dixon, lasting from 1974–1987. One member, Janja Lalich, later became a widely cited researcher on cults. Lalich characterized the DWP as a political cult with Dixon serving as its charismatic leader.[1] She estimated that the Democratic Workers Party at one point had 125-150 full-time members and 300-1,000 members with various degrees of affiliation.[2]

  1. ^ Janja A. Lalich (2004). Bounded Choice: True Believers and Charismatic Cults. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
  2. ^ Lalich, Janja. The Social Movements Reader: Cases and Concepts (3rd ed.). p. 126.