Much of interest in the number of ‘The Communist’ including William Z. Foster’s critique of A.J. Muste’s C.P.L.A.; Harry Haywood’s critique Jay Lovestone’s ‘Workers Age’ on the question of Black self-determination; Cyril Briggs on the ‘declining Garvey movement’; D.R.D. continues their in depth series on the political economy of Puerto Rico; and two rare historical finds from Alexander Trachtenberg; an 1873 Manifesto on unemployment from the U.S. First Internationalists, and introducing a new translation of Engels ‘Anti-Duhring’ with a section ‘On Justice.’

The Communist. Vol. 10 No. 6. June, 1931.

Contents: Musteism “Left” Demagogy a La Mode by William Z. Foster, The Course of the Economic Crisis in the United by Harry Gannes, The Theoretical Defenders of White Chauvinism in the Labor Movement by Harry Haywood, The Growing Political Crisis in Poland by Edward Leno, Our Present Tasks in Cuba by O. Rodriguez, Demagogy and Unemployment insurance in the United States by Sam Darcy, Rationalization and Its Consequences in the Building Construction industry in the United States by A. Peterson, The Decline of the Garvey Movement by Cyril Briggs, A “Model” Colony of Yankee Imperialism by D.R.D., An Unemployment Manifesto During the Crisis of 1873 With Editorial Note by Alexander Trachtenberg, Engels on “Justice”, Book Reviews.

There were a number of journals with this name in the history of the movement. This ‘The Communist’ was the main theoretical journal of the Communist Party from 1927 until 1944. Its origins lie with the folding of The Liberator, Soviet Russia Pictorial, and Labor Herald together into Workers Monthly as the new unified Communist Party’s official cultural and discussion magazine in November, 1924. Workers Monthly became The Communist in March, 1927 and was also published monthly. The Communist contains the most thorough archive of the Communist Party’s positions and thinking during its run. The New Masses became the main cultural vehicle for the CP and the Communist, though it began with with more vibrancy and discussion, became increasingly an organ of Comintern and CP program. Over its run the tagline went from “A Theoretical Magazine for the Discussion of Revolutionary Problems” to “A Magazine of the Theory and Practice of Marxism-Leninism” to “A Marxist Magazine Devoted to Advancement of Democratic Thought and Action.” The aesthetic of the journal also changed dramatically over its years. Editors included Earl Browder, Alex Bittelman, Max Bedacht, and Bertram D. Wolfe.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/communist/v10n06-jun-1931-communist.pdf