About the Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA (CPUSA) was founded in Chicago in 1919. Its official history describes Party participation in labor organization, unemployed councils, racial-equality campaigns, peace movements, and other working-class struggles. Readers can compare this introduction with the Party's official history and information.
During the Great Depression, Communist organizers participated in unemployed movements, tenant struggles, industrial-union campaigns, and efforts that contributed to the rise of the Congress of Industrial Organizations. The scale and character of those contributions should be studied through both Party and independent labor histories.
The International Labor Defense, closely associated with the Communist movement, played a central role in the defense of the Scottsboro Nine. Anti-racist organization has remained a major part of CPUSA's stated program because racism divides the working class and reinforces political and economic inequality.
During the Cold War, CPUSA members faced prosecution, surveillance, imprisonment, deportation proceedings, and employment blacklists. These events form part of the broader history of political repression in the United States.
In later decades, Party members participated in movements for civil rights, peace, women's equality, labor rights, and economic justice. Specific claims should be evaluated with dates, named campaigns, and reliable sources.
The current CPUSA Party Program advocates a peaceful transition achieved through mass democratic, electoral, and non-electoral struggle. It describes its goal as Bill of Rights Socialism: expanding democratic and constitutional rights while placing major economic power under public and democratic control.
The CPUSA Constitution explains membership, clubs, districts, conventions, elected leadership, accountability, and organizational decision-making.