Communist Party of the USA
and Workers Party of America
Main Early American Marxism CPUSA Document Page
Brief History of C.P.U.S.A.
Communist Party linked time-line page on the Early American Marxism site.
Trade Union Educational League:
The Railroaders’ Next Step 1921
The Bankruptcy of the American Labor Movement, 1922
A Fighting Union For The Needle Workers!, September 1926
Documents
1919: and the founding of the two Communist Parties in the U.S.
Four letters of the Socialist Party's Left Wing on the eve of the split which formed the Communist Party:
Letter by John Reed and Ben Gitlow to the Labor Committee of the National Conference of the Left Wing Section of the Socialist Party, August 13, 1919
Reply by James P.Cannon to Reed and Gitlow, October 15th 1922
Statement to the National Executive Committee of the Communist Labor Party in Cleveland from the Central Executive Committee of the Communist Party of America in Chicago, October 23, 1919.
Reply by Stankowitz to Reed and Gitlow, August 19, 1919
Reply by L.E. Katterfeld to Reed, August 19, 1919
Break the Blockade of Russia! Declaration Issued by the Central Executive Committee of the Communist Party. [CPA leaflet #2, distributed Nov. 1-9, 1919.]
Confidential Circular Letter of the CPA’s “Proletarian Club” Minority to its Supporters [circa Oct. 15, 1919]
Speech in Celebration of the 2nd Anniversary of the Russian Revolution: Hunts Point Place, New York City — Nov. 7, 1919.
1920: The founding of United Communist Party and factional issues
Military Intelligence Division Undercover Surveillance Report of the Communist Labor Party [events of Dec. 30, 1919 to Jan. 2, 1920]
Report to UCP Executive Secretary Alfred Wagenknecht in New York from William Costley, United Communist Party in San Francisco, April 6, 1921
The Lesson of Albany by Walter B. Dillon Published in The Toiler [Cleveland], whole no. 115 (April 16, 1920)
The Class War in Oregon [April 19, 1920] by K.W. Oster Published in The Toiler [Cleveland], whole no. 118 (May 7, 1920)
Letter to Alfred Wagenknecht, Executive Secretary of the CLP in New York, from Charles Dirba [“D. Bunte”], Acting Secretary of the CPA in New York, April 20, 1920
Letter from Alfred Wagenknecht in New York to C.E. Ruthenberg in New York, April 26, 1920
Larkin Conducts Own Case. First published in Voice of Labor [New York]. Reprinted in The Toiler [Cleveland], whole no. 118 (May 7, 1920)
Debs and Socialist Unity. Unsigned editorial published in Communist Labor [New York]. Reprinted in The Toiler [Cleveland], whole no. 118 (May 7, 1920)
Letter to Alex Georgian in New York from C.E. Ruthenberg in Cleveland,
May 14, 1920.
Constitution of the United Communist Party of America. [founding convention at Bridgman, MI — May 26-31, 1920]
Greetings to the Communist International. A Statement Adopted by the First Convention of the United Communist Party of America, May 31, 1920.
“At Last.” Unsigned article in The Communist [UCP], v. 1, no. 1 (June 12, 1920), Most likely writer was the publication’s Editor, C.E. Ruthenberg.
“At Last” the Centrists Unite! (“A Convention of Revolutionists”) by Charles Dirba. Article in The Communist [CPA], new series v. 2, no 7 (July 1, 1920). Unsigned in the original and attributed to the publication’s editor, Dirba.
The First Month’s Activity of the New Executive Committee: A Brief Report [events of Aug. 7-25, 1920] by “M.K.” Published in The Communist International [Petrograd], No. 13 (n.d. [c. Sept. 1920])
Save the Party! An Appeal to All Members of the Communist Party! A leaflet published as “Statement No. 1” by the Central Caucus fraction, circa Oct. 12, 1921
Letter to the Executive Committee of the Communist International in Moscow from the Central Executive Committee of the CPA in New York, October 19, 1920
Calm Review of the Seattle Situation by John Downie
Letter to the United Communist Party in New York from Charles Dirba, Executive Secretary of the Communist Party of America in New York, Oct. 15, 1920
The Last Days with John Reed. A Letter to Max Eastman in New York, From Louise Bryant in Moscow, November 14, 1920.
“Indicted.” by Marion E. Sproule
Minutes of the Central Executive Committee of the United Communist Party of America,
November 2-5, 9-16 — 1920
Walter Thomas Mills — His Record by Thomas J. Morgan
Letter to the Central Executive Committee
of the United Communist Party in New York from Charles Dirba, Executive Secretary of the Communist Party of America in New York, November 3, 1920
1921: Activities, repression, letters, essays and the continuing debate of legality
The Case of John P. Anderson [An Investigation by the Communist Party of America: Hearing held March 22, 1921, transmitted April 14, 1921.] by Charles Dirba
Financial Report of the National Office, United Communist Party of America. As of April 1, 1921.
On Unity: Telegram Sent Jointly to the Communist Parties in America by their Representatives in the Communist International, April 21, 1921.
The Philadelphia Red Raids [raids of April 25/26, 1921] by Erasmo S. Abate
Letter to the Central Executive Committee of the United Communist Party in New York from Max Bedacht [“James A. Marshall”], Representative of the UCP to ECCI in Moscow, April 25, 1921.
Letter to the Central Executive Committee of the United Communist Party in New York from Max Bedacht [“James A. Marshall”], Representative of the UCP to ECCI in Moscow, May 16, 1921
The White Terror. (unsigned reportage from The Toiler, May 21, 1921).
Bureau of Investigation Confidential Surveillance Report of the Unity Convention
of the Communist Party of America: Woodstock, NY — May 15-28, 1921. [pre-FBI organization report]
Circular Letter to All UCP Groups from Alfred Wagenknecht [“Paul Holt”],
Outgoing Executive Secretary, June 1, 1921.
Circular to All District, Sub-District, and Section Organizers of the CPA Regarding the YCL, from Charles Dirba [“C. Dow”], Executive Secretary of the CPA in New York, circa June 6, 1921.
The Economic Basis of the Tulsa Race Riot by Elmer T. Allison
Comrade Louis Shapiro (Bain): An Obituary.
Statement of the CEC on the Suspension of the 19 Russian Members [circa September 20, 1921]
Resolution of Protest Against Actions of CEC and For National Convention. [Adopted by Central Caucus, circa Oct. 1, 1921.]
Membership Series by District for the (unified) Communist Party of America,
June to October 1921.
Our Agrarian Problem. by Harold Ware [“H.R. Harrow”]
Letter to James P. Cannon in New York from Ludwig Katterfeld in Moscow, Dec. 10, 1921.
1922: Organization of the Workers (Communist Party), Factionalism and Union activities
Workers (Communist) Party of America Statement on the Labor Party, October 15th 1922. Full PDF of the original pamphlet.
Minutes of the Central Executive Committee of the Communist Party of America, March 8, 10, 14, 16, 23, 27, 29, 31 — 1922.
Declaration: By Carr [Ludwig Katterfeld] for the CEC of the CP of A (Majority) and Moore [John Ballam] for the Minority Group.
Questions to Debs. [Aug. 3, 1922] by J. Louis Engdahl
The Convention Has Spoken. An Unsigned Lead Article, circa September 1, 1922
Decisions of the Second Annual Convention of the Communist Party of America: Bridgman, MI — Aug. 17-22, 1922
Letter to the Executive Committee of the Communist International in Moscow from Abram Jakira, Executive Secretary of the Communist Party of America, Sept. 17, 1922
Circular Letter to All Members of the CP of A and to All Members of the Former
“Opposition” Faction of the Party from Executive Secretary Abram Jakira, Sept. 30, 1922.
1923
Soviet Russia: A Triumph of Marxism by C.E. Ruthenberg
1924
Resolution on Shop Nuclei, Adopted by the 3rd Convention of the Workers Party of America
Our Party — Three Tendencies by C.E. Ruthenberg
New York Organization Expels Hendin and Gruss
The Workers Party Convention [Chicago — Dec. 30, 1923 to Jan. 2, 1924] by Philip Kerr
LaFollette and the Communists
Leading the World Revolution by Alexander Bittelman
Letter to C.E. Ruthenberg from Alexander Trachtenberg
Working Class Sport Organizations vs. Bourgeois Sport Organizations Leaflet of the Workers’ Sport Alliance of America
1926
New Leader Refuses to Admit Fabrication of Stalin’s Speech by C.E. Ruthenberg
1928: Expulsion of the Left and Right Oppositions, ILD, Labor activities
Report on International Labor Defense activities, Martin Abern, July 1928
On the Textile Situation, Arne Swabeck, July 1928
Report on the Mining Situation, Arne Swabeck, August 1928
Attack on the National Miners’ Union Convention, Martin Abern, September 1928
Subject Archives on US Marxism
Early American Marxism (EAM) History Archive (1864-1946)
EAM Communist Party Document Download Page
Biographies
Olgin, Moissaye 1878-1939
John Keracher 1880-1958
William Z. Foster 1881-1961
Louise Bryant 1885-1936
John Reed 1887-1920
James P. Cannon 1890-1974
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn 1890-1964
Jay Lovestone 1898-1990
US Government Policy
US Government Relations with the USSR
Cuban Missile Crisis
Periodicals
Workers World 1919, Kansas City, MO
The Communist 1919 – 1922 The name for at least 6 periodicals representing the different and competing factions inside the early Communist Party.
The Worker (1919 – 1920) Boston publication of New England communists.
The Toiler (1918 – 1920) Cleveland, OH. Covering the mid-west section of the CP
The Ohio Socialist (1918 – 1920). Similar to The Toiler list above it also represented the Left-Wing Socialists in Ohio transitioning into the Communist Party
The Daily Worker (1924 – 1956). The longest running publication of the Communist Party with the same name.
Southern Worker (1930 – 1937) Chattanooga, TN/Birmingham, AL
Western Worker (1932 – 1937)
Labor Defender (1926 – 1937)
Topical or genre periodicals run by or heavily influenced by the Communist Party
Art Front (1934 – 1937)
The Working Woman and the The Woman Today (1929 – 1937)
Workers Theatre (1931 – 1933)
Pamphlets & Book Series
International Pamphlets – Series A series of pamphlets published starting in 1930 running through 1937.
The Little Red Library Collection. Collection of pamphlets issues by the Communist Party or organizations that it controlled during the 1920s.
Trade Union Unity League
Trade Unity Educational League
International Labor Defense Associated with the Labor Defender journal of the ILD there there are 7 pamphlets in this series.
The complete set of anti-Trotskyist pamphlets issued by the CPUSA and WPA from the mid-1930s through the 1930s
[See also The Daily Worker link above for more pamphlets and documents.]
Voices of Revolt A book series on famous revolutionaries.
Opposition Communist Periodicals
Various factions of the communist movement were organized and expelled from the CPUSA during the consolidation of Stalin’s rule in the USSR. These Oppositions were organized in support of various oppositions in the U.S.S.R itself, namely Leon Trotsky and Nikoli Bukharin. Here are are links to three of them:
The Militant (1928 – 1966) Representing the Communist League of America and supporters of the International Left Opposition founded by Leon Trotsky
The Revolutionary Age (1929-1932) Representing the Communist Party (Opposition), supporters of the International Communist Opposition (or Right Opposition) founded by N. Bukharin.
Workers Age the continuation of The Revolutionary Age under a different name.
Books by CPUSA Members
I Confess by Benjamin Gitlow, 1939. Digitized for archive.org by Jonathan Wright. Converted to black and white scans by Marty Goodman. 81MB.