Communist Party of the United States of America

Communist Party of the United States of America
Abbreviation	CPUSA
Co-chairs	Joe Sims Rossana Cambron
Founder	C. E. Ruthenberg
Founded	September 1, 1919
Newspaper	People's World
Youth wing	Young Communist League USA
Membership (1944)	80,000
Political orientation	Marxism–Leninism (de jure) Bill of Rights Socialism Revisionism Reformism (de facto) Historical: Browderism USA nationalism
Website
https://www.cpusa.org/

The Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA) is a communist party in the United States currently under a reformist and opportunist leadership. It was established in 1919 after a split from the Socialist Party of America.

History

Formation

In 1919, the Comintern urged the formation of a Statesian communist party composed of left elements of socialist groups that supported the dictatorship of the proletariat. On July 28, many members of the Socialist Party of America, including C. E. Ruthenberg, Louis Fraina, and Bertram D. Wolfe, decided to split and form a new party.

After being expelled from the Socialist Party of America's convention, the Michigan group of the Socialist Party formed the Communist Party of America on September 1, 1919. The Communist Party soon had a membership of 58,000. Another smaller party was formed from this split, the Communist Labor Party. The CPA decided not to cooperate with non-revolutionary parties.

Palmer Raids

On October 16, 1919, the police raided the headquarters of the CLP in Cleveland and arrested its leadership. In New York City, 700 police raided meetings celebrating the anniversary of the October Revolution. During the night of January 6, 1920, President Woodrow Wilson authorized Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer to carry out raids in 70 cities that led to approximately 10,000 arrests. Much of the leadership of the communist parties was arrested and over 500 people were deported. As a result of the Palmer Raids, the membership of the CPA dropped from 60,000 to 10,000. In May 1920, the CPA and CLP combined to form the United Communist Party of America.

In August 1922, the government raided a party convention being held in Bridgman, Michigan.

The majority of party members were foreign-born and the party ran 27 publications in almost 20 languages.

Purges

In October 1928, the CPUSA expelled about 100 Trotskyists led by James Cannon and Max Shachtman. They went on to found the Socialist Workers' Party. In June 1929, following the sixth congress of the Comintern, the party expelled a group of right-oppositionists led by Jay Lovestone.

Great Depression

In October 1929, a major economic crisis known as the Great Depression began. 17 million workers became unemployed and basic industrial production dropped by 50%. During the first four years of the Depression, party membership increased from under 10,000 to 18,000.

On March 6, 1930, the CPUSA organized a demonstration of over a million workers and unemployed. In New York City, the demonstration was met with 25,000 police and firemen.

The Seventh National Convention of the CPUSA was held in New York City in 1930 with 306 delegates. Party leaders, including William Z. Foster, did not participate because they were in jail after attempting to present the demands of the unemployed to Mayor Jimmy Walker.

In 1932, William Z. Foster ran for president and received over 100,000 votes.

Second World War

The CPUSA was initially opposed to U.S. involvement in the Second World War but changed its position after Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union. 15,000 party members fought against fascism during the war. While many communist men were fighting in the war, women increased their share of leadership in the party and four women were elected to the National Committee.

In 1943, Communist Peter V. Cacchione was elected to City Council in the New York municipal elections. At the same time, Benjamin J. Davis Jr. became the first Black communist to be elected to public office. By 1944, the party had 80,000 members.

General Secretary Earl Browder made an opportunist error and assumed that the United Kingdom and United States would support the communist movement because they had agreed to help the Soviet Union in the war.

Postwar period

In 1947, the party affirmed the line that the African diaspora has a right to full nationhood.

In the 1948 presidential election, the CPUSA supported the Progressive Party, led by Henry A. Wallace, which had been created in 1948. The Progressive Party received 1,158,000 votes in the election.

In July 1948, the USA brought indictments against 12 of 13 National Board members under the Smith Act, including William Z. Foster, Eugene Denis, Benjamin Davis, and Gus Hall. 11 of the 12 defendants received five-year sentences.

The CPUSA opposed the Korean War and Syngman Rhee's puppet government in South Korea as well as the U.S. puppet states in Taiwan Province and South Vietnam. On June 29, 1951, the CPUSA held the People's Congress for Peace in Chicago. The congress had 5,000 delegates, including 1,500 Black delegates and over 1,600 women.

Modern era

In 2008, before he became national chairman, Joe Sims published an article titled Ten Worst and Best Ideas of Marxism in Political Affairs, a magazine associated with the party that he is now the editor of. His article has been criticised as denouncing core principles of Marxism and has raised questions as to how someone so hostile to Marxism could become national chairman of a communist party. Conversely, his article has also been defended as satire.

In 2022, an anonymous party member published a criticism of the party's leadership for isolating itself from the rank and file. In it, the member decries the Webbite tendency -- named after ex-national chairman Sam Webb from 2000 to 2014, who enacted policies to purge out the Marxist-Leninist elements within the party and wanted to abandon the word communism from the party's name -- and which, the member believes, survives to this day in the CPUSA.

Structure

National level

National conventions of the CPUSA are held once every four years. They may be postponed by a 75% vote of the National Committee or special conventions may be held with a 40% vote of the National Committee or a majority vote of all state and district committees. The national convention can amend the party constitution with a majority vote.

At the national convention, a new National Committee is elected. The National Committee meets at least three times a year and can amend the party constitution with a 75% vote in addition to a majority vote of the majority of state and district committees.

District level

The National Committee of the CPUSA can establish state and district organizations. District organizations may cover multiple states or parts of states. State and district conventions meet once every four years, before the National Convention does. Additional state/district conventions can be called with a one-third vote of the State/District Committee or upon the request of clubs representing a third of the state or district's party membership. The State/District Committee meets at least four times a year, or three times a year in districts covering large geographic areas.

Club level

Clubs are the smallest organizations of the CPUSA and represent local communities or workplaces. Club conventions meet once a year and elect a chair. Additional officers may also be elected depending on the club's size.

Districts

The CPUSA website has a list of districts with contact information:

• Arizona
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota and the Dakotas
• Missouri/Kansas
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• San Francisco Bay Area
• South Carolina
• Southern California
• Texas
• Virginia
• Washington (state)
• Washington, D.C.
• Western Pennsylvania