It was established in January 1992 by former members of the Communist Party of Great Britain who disagreed with the CPGB's disbanding and reforming in 1991 as the Democratic Left think-tank.
Leading members of the CPGB in Scotland joined the new party, including Mick McGahey, who had been a leading member of the National Union of Mineworkers in the 1970s and 1980s, and former CPGB General Secretary Gordon McLennan.
[6] In 2007, the CPS published a discussion pamphlet titled Perspectives for Scottish Independence with contributions from Eric Canning, Maggie Chetty and Rhona Fleming.
[7] In 2008, the CPS organised a conference aimed at "uniting the left in Scotland around a number of shared political positions on Scottish independence".
[9] The Scottish Socialist Party paid tribute to his "unshakeable commitment to the cause of socialism and independence".