The Soviet World of American Communism (Annals of Communism Series) - Hardcover

Klehr, Mr. Harvey; Haynes, John Earl

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300071507 ISBN 13: 9780300071504

Publisher: Yale University Press, 1998

Synopsis

The Secret World of American Communism (1995), filled with revelations about Communist party covert operations in the United States, created an international sensation. Now the American authors of that book, along with Soviet archivist Kyrill M. Anderson, offer a second volume of profound social, political, and historical importance.

Based on documents newly available from Russian archives, The Soviet World of American Communism conclusively demonstrates the continuous and intimate ties between the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA) and Moscow. In a meticulous investigation of the personal, organizational, and financial links between the CPUSA and Soviet Communists, the authors find that Moscow maintained extensive control of the CPUSA, even of the American rank and file. The widely accepted view that the CPUSA was essentially an idealistic organization devoted to the pursuit of social justice must be radically revised, say the authors. Although individuals within the organization may not have been aware of Moscow’s influence, the leaders of the organization most definitely were.

The authors explain and annotate ninety-five documents, reproduced here in their entirety or in large part, and they quote from hundreds of others to reveal the actual workings of the American Communist party. They show that:

· the USSR covertly provided a large part of the CPUSA budget from the early 1920s to the end of the 1980s;

· Moscow issued orders, which the CPUSA obeyed, on issues ranging from what political decisions the American party should make to who should serve in the party leadership;

· the CPUSA endorsed Stalin’s purges and the persecution of Americans living in Russia.

About this title

Review:

In this follow-up to 1995's Secret World of American Communism, newly available documents from Russian archives firmly establish the deep relationship between the Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA) and Moscow. The Soviet Union controlled CPUSA leadership and policy, including the crushing of dissent within the ranks. Among the revelations in this volume are confirmation that the criticisms which eventually led to the ouster of CPUSA head Earl Browder originated from within the Kremlin. The publication of these documents forces a harsh reevaluation of the notion that American Communists, as a whole, were simply idealistic patriots fighting for social justice.

From Kirkus Reviews:

With the publication of this book, the debate about whether the Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA) was a genuinely home-grown movement or a tool of the Soviet Union has been finally answered. Based on the archives of the Communist International (Comintern) in Moscow, Klehr and Haynes (coauthors of The Secret World of American Communism, not reviewed) and Anderson (a Russian archivist) make it clear that, throughout the period from its founding in 1919 until the dissolution of the Comintern in 1943, the CPUSA was heavily funded by the Soviet Union, which selected and paid its leaders, and dictated its strategy. The volume doesn't purport to be a comprehensive history of the party but concentrates on the relationship with Moscow. It is clear that that subordination damaged the ability of the party to make the alliances and adjustments that would have increased its already considerable influence in the labor movement, where by the end of WW II Communists led or helped lead 18 CIO affiliates. While large numbers of individual members became disillusioned and resigned, the party obediently followed every twist in Soviet strategy, from the Nazi-Soviet Pact to its repudiation when Germany attacked the Soviet Union. Most shameful of all, the authors note, there is not a single document in which an official of the CPUSA tried to save anyone from Stalin's purges. Indeed, there were occasions in which they leveled accusations that sent Americans to the Gulag. This belief in Soviet perfection ``gave American Communists strength,'' convincing them that it was possible to create an American utopia; the Khrushchev revelations about Stalin's crimes lost the party more than three-quarters of its membership. This is one of those seminal books that do not merely contribute to a debate, but effectively end it. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0300071507
• ISBN 13: 9780300071504
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 378