Series Information:

This series includes a large body of literature published by various leftist organizations throughout the 20th Century and into the early 21st Century. It is comprised of bulletins, newspapers, newsletters, journals, pamphlets, and other documents. A wide range of topics are covered; from internal debates, to international issues, civil rights, war, economics, the environment, and many more.

Historical Context:

The United States experienced a tremendous amount of political and social upheaval during the 20th Century. It was during this time period, mostly during the 1960s to the 1970s, that various New Left (the all-encompassing name for the counter-culture movement), socialist, and communist oriented political organizations gained wide recognition. Many of these organizations have their roots planted earlier in the century between both world wars. Some would disappear while other organizations would endure for much longer, or be born out of other organizations as a result of various disagreements. Of these organizations only one would leave a lasting imprint on the American politics of the left; the Socialist Workers Party. It was arguably the largest and most successful of all of the political parties created at the time. Its influence and reach can easily be seen throughout the collection. However, they were not the only party heavily involved in the political, social, and cultural movements of that era; dozens of other parties and hundreds of individuals all contributed to politics and thought. Together, these organizations presented a formidable front that stood against mainstream American politics and regularly sided with the government’s opponents. As the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movements began winding down, most of these groups disbanded or became a shell of their former selves, never regaining the strong positions they once held.

Major organizations whose publications appear in the collection:

Socialist Workers Party [1938-Present]: Lead by James P. Cannon, the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) was a conglomeration of Cannon’s old party, the Workers Party of the United States, and a bulk of the youth as well as many radical workers from the Socialist Party. Together, they created the Socialist Workers Party on New Year’s day in 1938 under Cannon’s leadership. After WWII, the SWP experienced fluctuations in membership with the greatest loss taking place following WWII and again in the Sixties and early Seventies during the Civil Rights and Anti-War movements of that era. After the 60’s and 70’s the party suffered a series of splits and diminishing membership numbers so that by the 1990’s, it had cease to exist as a major political organization.

Young Socialist Alliance [1960-1992]: Before becoming the Young Socialist Alliance (YSA) the organization was known as the Young Socialist League (YSL), a youth organizational branch of the Independent Socialist League (ISL). As the ISL began drifting to the far right of American social-democracy the Young Socialist League started to adopt Trotskyist ideology. By the mid-late 1950’s the YSA was already communicating with the Socialist Workers Party and was eventually recruited into that organization in 1960 taking on a new name, the Young Socialist Alliance. It was during the anti-Vietnam War movement that the YSA would see its membership hit record levels and achieve its greatest success. However, once the war was over the YSA fell into rapid decline and finally dissolved in 1992.

Revolutionary Marxist Committee (RMC) [1975-1978]: An organization that briefly split from the Revolutionary Socialist League in 1975 before fusing with the Socialist Workers Party in 1978. It published the Revolutionary Marxist Papers and an internal bulletin.

Fourth International Tendency [1984-1992/5]: The Fourth International Tendency (FIT) was founded by Leon Trotsky and his supporters following the dissolution of the Third International, or Comintern, by Joseph Stalin in the early 1940’s. By 1983 the US Socialist Workers Party (SWP) distanced itself politically from the Fourth International and expelled two groups who felt the party was moving away from its Trotskyist roots. One of these groups, headed by George Breitman and Frank Lovell, established the FIT and attempted to reassert the importance of Trotskyism. After the SWP completely cut ties with the FIT, the organization soon dissolved. By 1995 most of its members had joined Solidarity.

Socialist Action (SA) [1983-Present]: Alongside the FIT, a group of members who advocated continual revolution were also expelled from the Socialist Workers Party in 1983. This group formed the Socialist Action party. From 1985 to 1986 the party suffered a series of splits but did not break apart. The SA is still active and currently publishes an online newspaper promoting equal justice for all and supporting various social movements across the United States.