Communist Party USA Celebrates 95th Anniversary in Chicago

6/16/2014

By Kim D. 

@ Capitalist Preservation

Over the weekend, the Communist Party USA gathered in Chicago, hailed as the birthplace for the movement. The party's three-day convention focused on bringing members more up to date with the online era.

The Communist Party USA has posted recent videos of convention events for your viewing pleasure:

• Opening plenary & Keynote speech
• Role of the media in building the progressive movement
• Building a movement for racial justice
• The Future at Stake: The Environment Is Basic
• International Solidarity & Culture Night

So, what exactly is the Communist Party USA and how large is this movement?  According to a 2008 How Stuff Works report, it is the formal organization in the United States of persons who advocate Marxism-Leninism and support the Communist movement. The goal of the party is the overthrow of capitalism, by peaceful or revolutionary means, and the establishment of a Communist society.

The first Communists appeared in the United States after the Russian Revolution of 1917. They were few in number, but their advocacy of revolution caused widespread fear and led to a series of arrests and deportations. Two competing parties were formed in 1919, the Communist Party of America and the Communist Labor Party. They merged in 1921 as the Communist Party of America (becoming the Communist Party, U.S.A., in 1940). The party remained weak until the 1930's, when the Depression caused membership to rise to about 100,000. It gained control of some labor unions and liberal organizations.

After World War II many people in the United States became concerned about Communist espionage and subversion. Federal laws were enacted that virtually outlawed the Communist party. Many Communists were imprisoned, and party membership decreased.

During the 1960's, the United States Supreme Court declared many provisions of the anti-Communist laws of the previous decade unconstitutional. The party became openly active again in the 1970's.

Membership is estimated at about 15,000.

Of related Interest: 

Toeing the Communist Party Line: How The Left Conquered Hollywood

Posted by Kim D. at Capitalist Preservation