History of the Communist Party of the United States

by William Z. Foster

This comprehensive history shows how Socialist ideas arose with the development of the American working class over a century ago. It analyzes the impact of Marxist thought upon American workers and discusses the political trends in the nineteenth century labor movement and the Socialist Labor and Socialist parties.

It describes the founding of the Communist Party in 1919 and shows how American Marxists have worked for a policy and a party which would represent the interests of the working people and carry them forward on the road to socialism. The book assess the role of the Communist Party in the great democratic upsurge after 1929 and its activities in the fight against fascism before and during World War II.

It deals with the postwar struggles of the Communist Party against growing reaction and for peace, civil rights, and the rights of the Negro people.

Throughout, the activities and ideas of the Socialist and Communist movements are set against the major historical events of each era.
—from the front flap of cover

Genres: History, United States, Nonfiction

600 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1952

About the author

Labor organizer and Marxist politician. Joined the Socialist party in 1901, later became a Wobbly, Syndicalist, and Communist. Three times a presidential candidate of the Communist party.

Reviews

[Jacob Woocher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is both an essential history of the CPUSA by a first-hand participant and a sweeping and sophisticated marxist analysis of US history as a whole from the vantage point of 1950. However, I would have preferred for Foster to have gone into more detail on the former topic and less on the latter.