Workers' Council of the United States
Encyclopedia
The Workers' Council of the United States, commonly known as the "Workers' Council," was a short-lived organized faction of former Socialist Party of America
members who had wanted the party to affiliate with the Comintern
. Failing that, they agitated for the creation of an open communist party. While a small and short-lived group, it nevertheless played an important role in the creation of the Workers' Party of America, and included many individuals who would have prominent careers in radical and labor movements such as Moissaye Olgin, J. Louis Engdahl
, Alexander Trachtenberg
, William F. Kruse, and Melech Epstein
.
voted to leave in December 1920. When the party convention decided against joining the Comintern at its June 1921 convention, the Czech federation left in late August, followed by the Yiddish language-speaking Jewish Socialist Federation
in September. The Jewish federation would provide the bulk of the groups membership.
The Committee officially left the Socialist Party after the Jewish federation had seceded, and changed its name to the Workers Council of the United States. The new group advocated a completely legal Communist movement in the United States, a stand that only aggravated internal disharmony within the recently united Communist party of America.
After a series of negotiations the Workers' Council, the American Labor Alliance (the CPs already existing legal front) and the Communist Party agreed to the creation of the Workers Party of America at a convention at Star Casino, New York on December 23-26, 1921. One of the stipulations for the Workers' Council joining the new organization was the creation of a daily Yiddish newspaper. This was paper, the Morgen Freiheit
, was launched on April 22, 1922, with M.J. Olgin as editor.
From April 1 to December 15, 1921 the Workers' Council published ten issues of a biweekly serial called The Workers' Council. The publication was initially edited by Benjamin Glassberg, who was succeeded by Louis Engdahl. At the time of the establishment of the Workers Party of America, this periodical was merged with The Toiler to form The Worker, which in 1924 expanded to daily frequency as the well-known publication, The Daily Worker
.
Socialist Party of America
The Socialist Party of America was a multi-tendency democratic-socialist political party in the United States, formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party which had split from the main organization...
members who had wanted the party to affiliate with the Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
. Failing that, they agitated for the creation of an open communist party. While a small and short-lived group, it nevertheless played an important role in the creation of the Workers' Party of America, and included many individuals who would have prominent careers in radical and labor movements such as Moissaye Olgin, J. Louis Engdahl
J. Louis Engdahl
John Louis Engdahl was an American socialist journalist and newspaper editor. One of the leading journalists of the Socialist Party of America, Engdahl joined the Communist movement in 1921 and continued to employ his talents in that organization as the first editor of The Daily Worker...
, Alexander Trachtenberg
Alexander Trachtenberg
Alexander "Alex" Trachtenberg was an American publisher of radical political books and pamphlets and activist in the Socialist Party of America and later the Communist Party USA...
, William F. Kruse, and Melech Epstein
Melech Epstein
Melech Epstein was a Jewish American journalist and historian. His two most famous books, Jewish labor in U.S.A. and The Jew and communism are considered standard works.- Early life :...
.
Organizational history
The group began as the Committee for the Third International in 1920 as an internal group within the Socialist Party advocating affiliation with the Communist International. Meanwhile several ethnic federations were growing weary of the rightward shift of the party. The Finnish Socialist FederationFinnish Socialist Federation
The Finnish Socialist Federation was a language federation of the Socialist Party of America which united Finnish language-speaking immigrants in the United States in a national organization designed to conduct propaganda and education for socialism among their community.-Early Finnish socialist...
voted to leave in December 1920. When the party convention decided against joining the Comintern at its June 1921 convention, the Czech federation left in late August, followed by the Yiddish language-speaking Jewish Socialist Federation
Jewish Socialist Federation
The Jewish Socialist Federation was a secular Jewish Yiddish-oriented organization founded in 1912 which acted as a language federation in the Socialist Party of America . Many of the founding members of the JSF had previously been members of the Bund in Eastern Europe and sought to bring Bundist...
in September. The Jewish federation would provide the bulk of the groups membership.
The Committee officially left the Socialist Party after the Jewish federation had seceded, and changed its name to the Workers Council of the United States. The new group advocated a completely legal Communist movement in the United States, a stand that only aggravated internal disharmony within the recently united Communist party of America.
After a series of negotiations the Workers' Council, the American Labor Alliance (the CPs already existing legal front) and the Communist Party agreed to the creation of the Workers Party of America at a convention at Star Casino, New York on December 23-26, 1921. One of the stipulations for the Workers' Council joining the new organization was the creation of a daily Yiddish newspaper. This was paper, the Morgen Freiheit
Morgen Freiheit
The New York city-based Morgen Freiheit was a daily Yiddish language newspaper affiliated with the Communist Party, USA, founded by Moissaye Olgin in 1922. After the end of World War II the paper's editors developed criticisms of the Soviet Union and thereby clashed with the leaders of the...
, was launched on April 22, 1922, with M.J. Olgin as editor.
From April 1 to December 15, 1921 the Workers' Council published ten issues of a biweekly serial called The Workers' Council. The publication was initially edited by Benjamin Glassberg, who was succeeded by Louis Engdahl. At the time of the establishment of the Workers Party of America, this periodical was merged with The Toiler to form The Worker, which in 1924 expanded to daily frequency as the well-known publication, The Daily Worker
Daily Worker
The Daily Worker was a newspaper published in New York City by the Communist Party USA, a formerly Comintern-affiliated organization. Publication began in 1924. While it generally reflected the prevailing views of the party, some attempts were made to make it appear that the paper reflected a...
.