National Campaign Committee for Unemployment Insurance
Encyclopedia
The National Campaign Committee for Unemployment Insurance (NCCUI) was a mass organization of the Communist Party USA
established in October 1930 in an effort to build a radical movement around the issue of unemployment insurance, thereby advancing the American Communist Party's cause. Headed by Alfred Wagenknecht
, the NCCUI gathered a claimed 1.4 million petition
signatures, which were presented to United States Congress
amidst a heightened police presence on February 10, 1931. Three of the group's 140 delegates were expelled from the gallery of the U.S. Senate on that date for interrupting the debate.
in 1930, the Communist International (Comintern) based in Moscow
began to see millions of unemployed
workers around the world as a fertile field for the sowing of revolutionary
ideas. Directives were issued to the member parties of the Comintern instructing that efforts be made for the organization of the unemployed and to attempt to build a mass movement around the demand for unemployment insurance.
To this end, the decision was made to form a new auxiliary of the Communist Party USA
was established to direct the unemployment insurance campaign. On November 11, 1930, representatives of a number of the Communist Party's so-called "mass organizations" (pejoratively known as "front groups"
) were assembled at a conference held in New York City
to establish a new organizaiton known as the National Campaign Committee for Unemployment Insurance. Among those party organizations represented at this gathering were the Communist Party's Unemployed Councils, its newly established fraternal organization the International Workers Order
, and the party's radical trade union
organization, the Trade Union Unity League
.
The gathering determined to launch a petition drive aimed at bringing the signatures of at least 1 million Americans to Congress in an effort to force the adoption of a program of unemployment insurance in the United States. Veteran Communist Party functionary Alfred Wagenknecht
was placed in charge of the campaign.
On February 10, 1931, the fruits of the NCCUI's efforts, petitions said to contain some 1.4 million signatures, were brought to Washington, DC by a group of 140 of the organization's active supporters, headed by Wagenknecht. The United States Capitol Police
were called out in force in anticipation of the arrival of the Communists.
Three members of the NCCUI were ultimately expelled from the gallery of the U.S. Senate for interrupting debate. After presenting their petitions the group quietly departed the capitol on the next day, with Wagenknecht declaring, "Next time we will not come with signatures. We will come with organized mass power."
The U.S. House of Representatives took up the matter of Communism in America during its floor debate on February 11 with conservatives
opining the desirability of deporting
alien radicals from America, while progressives
such as Rep. Fiorello LaGuardia of New York declaring that Congress should indeed pass some sort of unemployment insurance legislation as a way of undercutting revolutionary sentiment.
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
established in October 1930 in an effort to build a radical movement around the issue of unemployment insurance, thereby advancing the American Communist Party's cause. Headed by Alfred Wagenknecht
Alfred Wagenknecht
Alfred Wagenknecht was an American Marxist activist and political functionary. He is best remembered for having played a critical role in the establishment of the American Communist Party in 1919 as a leader of the Left Wing Section of the Socialist Party...
, the NCCUI gathered a claimed 1.4 million petition
Petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer....
signatures, which were presented to United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
amidst a heightened police presence on February 10, 1931. Three of the group's 140 delegates were expelled from the gallery of the U.S. Senate on that date for interrupting the debate.
Organizational history
With the deepening of the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
in 1930, the Communist International (Comintern) based in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
began to see millions of unemployed
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
workers around the world as a fertile field for the sowing of revolutionary
Revolution
A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
ideas. Directives were issued to the member parties of the Comintern instructing that efforts be made for the organization of the unemployed and to attempt to build a mass movement around the demand for unemployment insurance.
To this end, the decision was made to form a new auxiliary of the Communist Party USA
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
was established to direct the unemployment insurance campaign. On November 11, 1930, representatives of a number of the Communist Party's so-called "mass organizations" (pejoratively known as "front groups"
Communist front
A Communist front organization is an organization identified to be a front organization under the effective control of a Communist party, the Communist International or other Communist organizations. Lenin originated the idea in his manifesto of 1902, "What Is to Be Done?"...
) were assembled at a conference held in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to establish a new organizaiton known as the National Campaign Committee for Unemployment Insurance. Among those party organizations represented at this gathering were the Communist Party's Unemployed Councils, its newly established fraternal organization the International Workers Order
International Workers Order
The International Workers Order was a Communist Party-affiliated insurance, mutual benefit and fraternal organization founded in 1930 and disbanded in 1954 as the result of legal action undertaken by the state of New York in 1951...
, and the party's radical trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
organization, the Trade Union Unity League
Trade Union Unity League
The Trade Union Unity League was an industrial union umbrella organization of the Communist Party of the United States between 1929 and 1935...
.
The gathering determined to launch a petition drive aimed at bringing the signatures of at least 1 million Americans to Congress in an effort to force the adoption of a program of unemployment insurance in the United States. Veteran Communist Party functionary Alfred Wagenknecht
Alfred Wagenknecht
Alfred Wagenknecht was an American Marxist activist and political functionary. He is best remembered for having played a critical role in the establishment of the American Communist Party in 1919 as a leader of the Left Wing Section of the Socialist Party...
was placed in charge of the campaign.
On February 10, 1931, the fruits of the NCCUI's efforts, petitions said to contain some 1.4 million signatures, were brought to Washington, DC by a group of 140 of the organization's active supporters, headed by Wagenknecht. The United States Capitol Police
United States Capitol Police
The United States Capitol Police is a federal police force charged with protecting the United States Congress within the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its territories.-History:...
were called out in force in anticipation of the arrival of the Communists.
Three members of the NCCUI were ultimately expelled from the gallery of the U.S. Senate for interrupting debate. After presenting their petitions the group quietly departed the capitol on the next day, with Wagenknecht declaring, "Next time we will not come with signatures. We will come with organized mass power."
The U.S. House of Representatives took up the matter of Communism in America during its floor debate on February 11 with conservatives
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
opining the desirability of deporting
Deportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
alien radicals from America, while progressives
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
such as Rep. Fiorello LaGuardia of New York declaring that Congress should indeed pass some sort of unemployment insurance legislation as a way of undercutting revolutionary sentiment.
Further reading
- Alfred Wagenknecht, "The Struggle Against Unemployment in the USA," International Press Correspondence, March 26, 1931, pp. 340-341.
See also
- International Unemployment Day (March 6, 1930)International Unemployment DayInternational Unemployment Day was a coordinated international campaign of marches and demonstrations, marked by hundreds of thousands of people in major cities around the world taking to the streets to protest mass unemployment associated with the Great Depression...