William Z. Foster Quotes
These middle-class professionals, when equipped with Leninist-Stalinist training, and a genuine Communist outlook, are of great service…but their entry presents to the Party new problems …
The devastating and disillusioning effect of The Depression on the middle class brought a new kind of recruit in droves to the Communist ranks. The Party was used to attacking the middle class and its values not appealing to them. The party workers were blue collar and now thousands of professionals with their work styles and value system entered the ranks. These new communists were better educated, more independent, better read, and less ideological than the Party was used to. They joined quickly and quit the party if there was something they didn’t like. So they were received by the party loyalists ambiguously.
William Z. Foster, 1881-1961, Chairman, American Communist Party, Communist Candidate for President of the United States, Memo, ~1936
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In 1927 the Russian Communist Party changed its position regarding the world union movement. Prior to that the Communists would not organize unions competing with already existing trade unions. Foster was one of the communist leaders who was the strongest advocate of this solidarity of the working class. However, after years of preaching one thing, he reversed himself. This type of adherence to party discipline led to him getting a derogatory nickname. See {592421}.
Although the Nazis railed against the Communists & Socialists, the potential opposition they feared the most was the middle class. See also {582966}.
Richard Moore, a black attorney, was representing August Yokinen, an immigrant Finn who belonged to the Communist Party, before a “Workers Court” in Harlem, New York. Yokinen was charged with treating three Black men with a lack of courtesy and accused of being a racist, capitalist, and a white chauvinist. Moore requested that Yokinen be given clemency seeing how expulsion from the party would be too extreme. The “worker jury,” however, unanimously decided to expel him.
So often in America, citizens and government officials have made alliances or joined organizations under the theory that “the enemy of my enemy must be my friend.” It has almost always been a mistake ranging from joining the Communist Party in the 1930s to supporting the dictators or the Middle East, Asia, and South America. In the 1930s Fascism was growing and already on the march and neither America nor England—the leading democracies were not doing anything to combat the threat. America was emerging from the Great Depression, had a string Isolationist movement, and a small but influential group of Fascists and Hitler enthusiasts. Also, no one outside of Russia knew about the Stalin atrocities.
Note that he proudly describes himself as a Marxist-Leninist, but distinguishes that from Communism—especially Russian Style communism.
This to some is a surprising statement for a Marxist, but Marxists have a wide range of political opinions just like Republicans, Christians, and Factor Owners do.
Orthodox communist thinking assumed that the Blacks would “fall into the communist camp,” because of the legal support for racism and discrimination of the majority of America. While a few did, as Allen warned most would not as much of the communist doctrine was antithetical to Black cultural values. Religion is probably the best example. Allen was prescient.
Commenting on political parties in Cuba:
Comintern was upset by the American Socialist Party because the party had rejected the 21 Conditions for Affiliation and withdrew their intent to join the Third International. To Comintern, the Socialist Party was a party of “bourgeois socialism.”
This was the typical language of the 1940’s and 1950’s at the height of the Red Scare used by the FBI and others to smear their opponents and political enemies. Seldes had published an article very critical of the FBI and its investigations of labor unions and other liberal organizations. See George Seldes, 1940 quotation.
Every sect of Russian communism had an offshoot in America and in other countries as well. When bad blood broke out between sects in Russia, the battle spread to the rest of the world as when Leon Trotsky was assassinated by Stalinists in Mexico and the Trotskyites were viciously and physically attacked here in America. In many cases there was little ideological difference but the split reflected different leadership styles and personalities. Despite Frank’s warning, American communism was a mirror reflection of Russia until Stalin negotiated the WWII pact with Hitler, when anti-Stalin Communists began to be active, and because America was a more open society, American communists were ahead of their Russian comrades in denouncing Stalinism.
A. B. Magil
William Z. Foster was a radical American labor organizer and Communist politician, whose career included serving as General Secretary of the Communist Party USA from 1945 to 1957. He was previously a member of the Socialist Party of America and the Industrial Workers of the World, leading the drive to organize the packinghouse industry during World War I and the steel strike of 1919.
