Draft:Integrated Revolutionary Organizations

The Integrated Revolutionary Organizations (Spanish: Organizaciones Revolucionarias Integradas, ORI) was the short-lived revolutionary government of Cuba that was formed on July 26, 1961, as the result of a merger of the three last remaining revolutionary forces following the Cuban Revolution: M-26-7, the Popular Socialist Party, and the Revolutionary Directorate. Purposed as an interim political entity until a true cohesive vanguard party could be established, the ORI was beset by sectarianism between 'old communists' Stalinists and 'new communists' Fidelistas. This internal conflict, named the Escalante Affair, ultimately led to its dissolution and replacement by the United Party for the Socialist Revolution of Cuba (PURSC) on February 1963.

Following the successful overthrow of Fulgencio Batista in the 1959 Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro and his supporters sought to consolidate their newly won power by establishing a party apparatus through which they could govern, as the loose anti-Batista coalition had quickly began unraveling in the revolution's aftermath. Thus in early 1961, a new vanguard party began to form with its founding being finalized in July 26, 1961, through the merger of the M-26-7 Movement, the Revolutionary Directorate, and the old communist party - the Popular Socialist Party. Due to only the PSP having actual organizational experience and veteran cadres between the three, they were entrusted with leading the ORI - namely Anibal Escalante. With backstage support from the USSR, the PSP was able to make the ORI fall into the control of the "old communists" by leveraging their expertise to consolidate dominance within. In their efforts to solidify control, Escalante used his position as Organizing Secretary to strategically appoint allies to key positions without considering competence or public popularity, meanwhile sidelining those from the M-26-7 and DR, effectively making the ORI become the new party apparatus of the PSP in all but name.

Intended by Fidel Castro as a transitional institution that would eventually lead to a unified party with the cooperation of all parties involved, PSP leader Anibal Escalante instead envisioned the ORI itself as the new party of the country and planned to integrate the Fidelistas into a Stalinist-run structure.

This power struggle culminated into a full confrontation between Fidel Castro and Anibal Escalante with Castro initiating a "campaign against sectarianism" by 1962. On March 17, 1962, Castro denounced the sectarianism and privilege permeating within the ORI, asserting that it had become disconnected from the masses. A week later on March 22, the National Directorate of the ORI met and established the apparatus for reorganization - the National Secretariat of the ORI. The Secretariat in turn created the Organization Commision to oversee the restructuring process, one filled of M-26-7 veterans such as Osvaldo Dorticos and Emilio Aragones. In a televised address to the people on March 26, Castro heavily criticized Escalante and the ORI itself, accusing it of having devolved into sectarianism and favoritism, undermining the credibility of the revolution. Shortly after, the ORI ceased operations and was completely dismantled within months. Escalante was soon expelled from the National Directorate and sent into exile to Czechoslovakia for two years.

Beset by sectarian infighting that was marked by the Escalante Affair, the ORI was eventually disbanded and reorganized into the United Party for the Socialist Revolution of Cuba (PURSC) under the leadership of Fidel Castro. From 1962 through 1963, mass purges of the party membership were done to weaken PSP influence.

Organization Structure
The ORI was run by a National Directorate (13 from M-26-7, 10 from the Popular Socialist Party, and 2 from the Revolutionary Directorate) which was in turn dominated by a 6-man strong Secretariat with Anibal Escalante serving as organizing Secretary.

On March 26, 1962, a new National Directorate was formed, shifting power away from the "old communists" and to the "new communists" with Anibal Escalante expelled from it. A new governing Secretariat was also formed, one full of Fidelistas with only ex-PSP member Blas Roca remaining. Fidel Castro served as First Secretary while Raul Castro served as Second Secretary.