The American Exceptionalism of Jay Lovestone and His Comrades, 1929-1940

Description

Few figures in the history of the American Left can claim a more significant and yet contradictory legacy as Jay Lovestone. Lovestone and his comrades briefly controlled, and then were dramatically expelled from, the Communist Party of America. The so-called “Lovestoneites” struck out on their own, forming a new Communist political organization with a unique analysis of American conditions and the international political situation—different in content, but similar in its development, to the Trotskyist “Left Opposition.” This book, the first in a six volume series examining the ideology of dissident Marxist movements in America, provides fundamental documents illuminating the political and foreign policy ideas of Lovestone’s “Communist Party Opposition,” which included within its ranks at various times such prominent activists as Benjamin Gitlow, Bertram D. Wolfe, Will Herberg, Charles S. Zimmerman, Louis C. Fraina (Lewis Corey), and Ellen Dawson.   By assembling this collection and providing commentary on these little known documents and articles from the Lovestone group, Le Blanc and Davenport have rendered an invaluable service to historians and activists looking to better understand the political landscape of twentieth-century radicalism. Contents What is the Communist Party Opposition 2 Politics, Activism and Marxism of the Lovestone Group 3 The Organisational Roots of Jay Lovestone's Communist Party Opposition 4 The Lovestone Split of 1929 1 'Proposals of the Delegation of the Sixth National Convention 2 Joseph Stalin, 'Speech in the American Commission of Eccr 3 Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov, 'Speech in the American Commission of ECCI 4 'Address of ECCI to all Members of the CPUSA 5 Max Bedacht, et al., 'Appeal to the Comintem, of 14 May 1929 6 Joseph Stalin, 'First Speech of 14 May 1929 in the Presidium of ECCI 7 Joseph Stalin, 'Second Speech of 14 May 1929 in the Presidium of ECCI 8 'The Split Telegram of 15 May 1929 9 cc of the CPUSA, 'Decisions of Central Committee of CPUSA on 14 May Address of Comintem 10 CPUSA, 'The Significance of the Comintem Address 11 'Material for the Enlightenment of the Members' (Lovestone's Cable and Wolfe's Reply to Ultimatum 12 cc of the CPU SA, 'Statement of the cc on the Expulsion of Jay Lovestone 13 Jay Lovestone, et al., 'Appeal to the 10th Plenum of ECCI,July 14 cc of the CPUSA, 'Statement of the cc on the July 10 Lovestone Appeal 15 Ben Gitlow, 'For the Sixth Congress Decision 16 Statement of the Polbureau of the CPUSA on Expulsions 17 CPUSA Majority Group, 'Declaration to the Plenum of the Central Committee 5 Russia and International Affairs: 1929-36 1 Jay Lovestone, 'The Crisis in the Communist International 2 Alex Bail, 'Defend the Soviet Union! Smash the Imperialist "Holy War" against the ussR 3 Revolutionary Age, 'Wave of Revolt Sweeps India 4 Louis Becker, 'Dizzy with Success 5 Jay Lovestone, 'Thirteen Years of the Russian Revolution 6 Jay Lovestone, 'Germany at the Crossroads: Fascism on the Rampage 7 Will Herberg, 'Jews in Russia - Negroes in the USA: a Lesson from the Soviet Union 8 CPU SA( o) Resolution, 'On General Line and Inner-Party Course of the CPSU 9 Jay Lovestone, 'The Nazis Take Power - Now What 10 CPU SA( o ), 'On the New Line of the Comintem 11 Jay Lovestone, 'Soviet Foreign Policy and the World Revolution 12 Workers Age, 'The Russian Events 6 International Affairs: 1937-40 Jay Lovestone, 'People's Front Illusion 2 Bertram D. Wolfe and Lambda, 'The Truth about the Barcelona Events CONTENTS 3 Jay Lovestone, 'The Meaning of the Soviet "Purgesn 4 Will Herberg, 1acobin Defense in the Spanish War 5 Bertram D. Wolfe, 'Stalinism Menaces the World Labor Movement 6 'Another Moscow Trial! A Statement' [Bukharin Trial 7 Lewis Corey, 'War and Armament Economics 8 Workers Age, 'Stalin Indicates Reich Alliance 9 Jay Lovestone, 'Tomorrow's War 10 ILLA, 'Stalin-Hitler pact- What Does it Mean u ILLA, 'Keep America Out of War 12 Workers Age, 'Russia Invades Poland, Ready for Grab 13 Workers Age, 'And Now Finland 14 Will Herberg, 'The New Imperialism of Stalinist Russia 15 ILLA, 'Resolution on War Policy' (Convention 28-29 December 1940 PHOTOGRAPHS (following 377) 7 Social Struggles in the United States 1 Ben Gitlow, 'The AFL Convention and the Left Wing 2 Ellen Dawson, 'Gastonia 3 Charles S. Zimmerman, 'Second Convention of the Needle Trade Union 4 Harry H. Connor, 'The Communists and the Unemployed Council 5 Edward Welsh, 'The Harlem Tenants Council Race and Racism 6 Grace Lamb, 'The Church versus the Negro 7 Communist Party Opposition, 'Marxism and the "Negro Questionn 8 Edward Welsh, 'The National Negro Congress 9 Lyman Fraser, 'Economic Problems of Negro Workers 10 Ernest Calloway, 'New Problems for Negro Labor 11 Jay Lovestone, 'Problems and Tasks of the American Labor Movement 12 Jay Lovestone, 'Address to ILG WU Convention 13 Charles S. Zimmerman, 'American Labor Faces the Future 14 Charles S. Zimmerman, 'Hope of Trade Union Movement 15 Will Herberg, 'The CIO and the Problem of Unity 16 Charles S. Zimmerman, 'Call for Labor Unity United Auto Workers 17 Auto Striker, 'Flint Striker Tells Story of GM Violence 18 Stuart Meffron, 'The Battle of Flint 19 E.B. and Mary Flint, 'Women in the Auto Strike 20 Jay Lovestone, 'Implications of the Sit-Down 21 Jay Lovestone, 'Latest Stalinist Assault Upon Auto Union Regarding Others on the Left 22 Bertram D. Wolfe, 'Trotsky and Trotskyism 23 Dorothy Dare, 'joining the CPO 24 Edward Welsh, 'May Day Speech, 1937 25 Bernard Herman, 'Review of Ben Gitlow's I Confess 8 Marxist Theory Applying Marxism 1 Jay Lovestone, 'Some Specific Features of the American Labor Movement 2 Will Herberg, 'The Heritage of the Civil War 3 Bertram D. Wolfe, 'Marx and America 4 Will Herberg, 'The Passing of the Gods 5 Will Herberg, 'Does Fascism Menace America Re-examining Marxism 6 Workers Age, 'Marxism Probed in Fine Symposium 7 Lewis Corey, 'Recreating Socialism 8 Will Herberg, 'Dilemma of Socialism 9 Bertram D. Wolfe, 'The Basic Core of Marxism 9 Fadeout 1 Jay Lovestone, 'Marxists and the Unions 2 Will Herberg, 'Convention of a New Beginning 3 'Jay Lovestone's Testimony to House of Un-American Activities Committee 4 'Letter From Dissidents on Organizational Disintegration 5 'Towards a Genuine American Democratic Socialism!' (1940 Dissolution Statement Bibliography Index