And the WWP, traditionally the most staunch supporter of Stalinism, views Gorbachev most harshly. "His policies can only weaken the Soviet Union," says Doares. "We hope that he will turn it around or that he will be kicked out and others will turn it around."

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But Gorbachev's success in tearing down the old communist order could shake the faith of even the staunchest supporters of Marxism.

Then again, being a communist in the U.S. has never been easy. Even in Massachusetts, renowned for its liberalism, radical leftists are few and far between.

Two of the more vocal groups, WWP and the ISO, can claim local memberships of only about 20 people each. And although the parties are international, members say worldwide membership for either does not exceed 1000.

"Today I think we would have to say that the working class struggle, in this country at least, is at a low ebb," says George Axeiotis, a member of ISO. "And that's not pessimism, it's realism."

"It's important not to be pessimistic, but it's important to realize that without much influence in the working class, socialism can only grow at a moderate rate," says Robert L. Dahlgren, also a member of ISO. "And there isn't very much out there to show that it will be changing in the near future."

Although WWP members say they have made some headway into Local 8751, an AFL-CIO steelworkers' union, communists have generally not had much luck with the traditional revolutionary tactic of labor agitation. According to Lawrence, they are more often baited by unionized workers than they are welcomed with open arms.

So local Marxists have turned to social justice issues instead. Often supporting mainstream liberal causes, they have targeted racism, sexism, homophobia and poverty for eradication. They have also been active in the pro-choice movement, according to Lawrence.

And it was Gregory Lee Johnson, a member of an RCP-affiliated organization, who sparked one of last year's hottest constitutional debates by burning an American flag in 1984 outside the Republican National Convention in Dallas. He was arrested under a Texas statute, which was struck down in June by the U.S. Supreme Court in a highly controversial decision.

American communists say their other immediate goal is to educate the public. Although most parties rely on their newspapers to communicate to the masses--journals such as Revolutionary Worker and People's Daily World--they also hold public forums and discussions to spread their message.

All of which is in preparation for revolution in this country, area communists say. "Our ultimate goal is to eradicate the system of capitalism that we are living under," says Maureen Skehan, a WWP member.

"The only way we can do that is to build a multinational working class party," says Skehan. "So a day-to-day goal of ours is to educate and empower the workers."

Although local communists say they don't forsee such an uprising at any time in the near future, they add that it is important to prepare now for the inevitable showdown. The poor and oppressed of America will eventually confront the ruling class, they believe, and they intend to be ready to lead the battle.

"In this kind of a country you're going to have a fairly long period of political preparation, and then a fairly quick political revolution," says Lawrence.

And apparently it is not going to be pretty. Not all local communists advocate violent overthrow of the government, but the RCP is not shy about the means that will be necessary to bring about a classless society.

"We certainly say there's no way there will be a peaceful transition to communism," says Lawrence, whose party is affiliated with the Maoist Shining Path guerillas of Peru. "The people who are in power now are not going to give it up unless it is taken from them."

And for Americans who dismiss their revolutionary language as the irrelevant rhetoric of an insignificant minority, local communists have a word of warning.

"There is no way of knowing when an uprising is going to happen," says Springston. "But what's happening in Eastern Europe shows that almost overnight the situation can change; what history teaches you is that when you least expect it, expect it."