Reflections on the US Communist Movement: William Z. Foster’s History of the CPUSA

A highly interesting and informative article published in "New Worker", the official publication of the Communist Workers’ Platform of the USA (CWPUSA):

Introduction

The communist movement in the US is in a dire state. The working class in the US finds itself without a genuine Communist Party, as the historical Party has mutated into, at best, a social-democratic mass organization. 

Communist Workers’ Platform USA: Regarding the so-called “American Communist Party”

 Regarding the so-called “American Communist Party”

On July 21, 2024, several “communist” internet personalities gathered in Chicago to form the “American Communist Party.” Among the founding members are Eddie “Liger” Smith, Carlos Garrido, Noah Khrachvik, and Kyle Pettis (former member of Maoist Collective – Red Guards and American Party of Labor) of Midwestern Marx; Adam “Haz Al-Din” Tahir, Henry Ahmad, and Grayson Preutz of the Infrared Collective; Jackson Hinkle (prominent MAGA communist) of The Dive With Jackson Hinkle; Christopher Helali of the Party of Communists USA; and Rev Laskaris of RTSG. Together, these ten individuals constitute the ACP Plenary Committee.

The CPUSA and the "Lesser Evil"

 By Marxist-Leninist Today Editors

Recently the CPUSA published a document Forward Together (now posted at cpusa.org) which was approved by the CPUSA National Committee on January 27 to frame the discussion leading up to the Party’s June 2024 convention in Chicago. 

The national convention of a Communist Party is important. A convention is the leading body of the Party, and its decisions govern the political direction of the Party in the four years ahead.

CPUSA Again Shows True Colors, Sides with PSUV Against Revolutionary PCV

In recent months, the governing party of Venezuela – the PSUV – under the leadership of Nicolas Maduro has brought the hammer down on the revolutionary Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV). 

 

The PCV has taken the principled communist stance of opposing the bourgeois regime of PSUV and exposing the irrefutably capitalist nature of the Venezuelan state and the PSUV’s role in perpetuating the continued economic crises in the country.

 

California: A communist for Long Beach City Council

Good news come from California and especially Long Beach where a Communist Party (CPUSA) member is running for the City Council elections on June 2022. 

 

Steven Estrada, a community organizer and U.S. Army Veteran, is candidate for District 1 and, if elected, he would serve a four-year term alongside eight others representing different council members, People's World reports. 

Derek Chauvin verdict is a victory for justice won by people’s struggle, says the Communist Party USA

"The Communist Party USA celebrates this verdict, a victory for justice won by people’s struggle. Much remains to be done before the racist killings of African Americans by the police ceases", reads a statement of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) concerning the conviction of police officer Derek Chauvin who murdered George Floyd on May 25, 2020.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of all charges, including  second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. 

CNN's big anti-communist lies

One of the most popular theories in modern anti-communism is the so-called “two extremes theory”; a dangerous and unhistorical ideological fabrication that tries to equate communism with the monsters of nazism-fascism. Recently, guided by this theory, CNN tried to equate the struggles of American communists in the mid-20th century with the far-right Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol last January!

Concerning CNN's anti-communist lies, Tony Pecinovsky writes in “People's World”:

Trump's fascism shall not pass! America's communist and pro-worker parties react to Washington DC riots

In public statements and posts on social media, Communist and pro-worker parties in the United States strongly condemn the riots caused by Trump supporters in Washington DC, pointing out that the far-right, fascist and nationalist menace must be defeated by the people's struggle. 

In a comment on Twitter, the Party of Communists, USA (PCUSA) pointed out:

"The situation that happened in Capitol Hill today should show the whole country the danger of nationalism and the type of danger that Trump and his base represents. This was a taste of the terror we can expect from this group is nothing is done about it. Join and organize."

How America's Communist and Workers parties reacted to the outcome of the Presidential election

The workers-people's struggle must continue no matter who is the next President is the common denominator in the reactions of Communist and Workers' parties in the United States, following the November 3rd election.

Below, you can read statements and commentary by major parties and organizations of the U.S. Communist Left on the outcome of the Presidential election, the victory of Joe Biden and the defeat of incumbent President Donald Trump.

Gus Hall: A great figure of the U.S. communist movement

By Nikos Mottas.

The 13th of October marked the 20th anniversary since the death of American communist and long-time leader of the Communist Party, USA (CPUSA) Gus Hall.

General Secretary of the CPUSA from 1959 to 2000, Hall was one of the most brilliant figures of the U.S. communist movement, alongside William Z. Foster, Paul Robeson, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, W.E.B. Du Bois and others.

His birthname was Kustaa Halberg and was born in 1910 in Saint Louis County, Minesota. Son of Finnish immigrants, he grew up in a working class family and was involved early on in the labor movement. He left school at the age of 15 in order to support his poor ten-child family by working in mines, railroads and lumber camps. 

Free Simon Trinidad! Joint statement by the Communist Parties of the USA and Colombia

Joint statement by the Communist Party, USA (CPUSA) and the Communist Party of Colombia (Partido Comunista Colombiano) for the release of political prisoner and former FARC-EP combatant, Simón Trinidad (real name Ricardo Palmera):

On the occasion of his 70th birthday, the Communist Party USA, together with Communist and Workers’ parties, and with other political organizations, calls upon the U.S. government to release political prisoner Simón Trinidad.  

George Floyd's Murder: U.S. Communist and Left Parties in solidarity with the protesters

The brutal murder of African American George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis on May 25 has sparked a wave of protests across the United States. 

Thousands of people took the streets of Minneapolis and other major U.S. cities, demonstrating against police repression and demanding justice for Floyd and the other victims of police brutality.

Since the tragic incident became known, several communist and left political forces in the U.S. have strongly condemned the murder of George Floyd, expressing their solidarity and support to the protesters across the country. Below you can read some of the statements: 

Covid-19 in the USA: Statements by Communist and Left parties demanding Free Healthcare

The COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, the most powerful economy in the world,  has already showed the disastrous results of capitalist development in people's healthcare. 

According to the latest data, there are more than 50,000 confirmed cases and 655 deaths throughout the country as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.  

Below you can read the view of U.S. Communist and Left parties on the Covid-19 pandemic, their critique towards capitalist establishment and the Trump administration, as well as their demands including public and free healthcare. 

American and Canadian communists condemn U.S. aggression against Iran

Communist parties from the United States and Canada have condemned the U.S. attack in Baghdad, which led to the death of Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani and the escalation of Trump government's imperialist aggression against Iran. At the same time, thousands of people took the streets in many cities across the U.S., joining the anti-war movement and demonstrating against the drone attack in Iraq. 

Below you can read statements issued by the Party of Communists, USA (PCUSA), the Communist Party, USA (CPUSA) and the Communist Party of Canada. 

The voice of American Communists: PCUSA on Trump, Cuba-US relations and opportunism

The Party of Communists USA (PCUSA) was founded on May Day 2014. Formed out of the ashes of the Communist Party USA, the PCUSA aspires to become the base for a new beginning for the communist movement in the United States. On the occasion of Donald Trump's rise to power, we asked from the PCUSA to share with us the party's views on some topics. 

Below we publish the response we exclusively received by the PCUSA's Council of Secretaries.

"Clinton makes History": CPUSA's opportunist transformation

COMMENTARY

The transformation of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) into an opportunist political organisation has been a long process. Since 1988, the CPUSA endorses the candidates of the bourgeois Democratic Party: Dukakis (1988), Clinton (1992, 1996), Gore (2000), Kerry (2004), Obama (2008, 2012). In an article published yesterday on 'People's World', the presidential nomination of Hillary Clinton is presented as "a major milestone in the fight for women's rights". Once again, CPUSA endorses a political representative of the U.S. monopoly capital and a war criminal. What a shame really for a party with such a long, significant history and close ties with the U.S labour movement.

Hillary Clinton, like Donald Trump, is a choice of the U.S. monopoly capital, of the country's bourgeois class, for the position of the President. Mrs.Clinton's service as Obama government's Foreign Secretary is known and has been proved disastrous: Libya, Haiti, Honduras, Iraq, Syria, Yemen. The people of these countries know, better than anyone, what Imperialism means and what was Clinton's contribution in war crimes.