The History of the Communist Party of the United States

This is William Z. Foster’s definitive History of the Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA), a history from below.

Originally published over 70 years ago, in 1952, during the McCarthy era Red Scare, Foster’s history relates the story of a party of the American working class. He provides an analysis of the origin, growth, and development of the Communist Party. It is the record of a Party which through its entire existence has loyally fought for the best interests of the working class and its allies who constitute the great majority of the American people.

Foster’s history stands as one of the first to place the story of the Communist Party in the historical context of the labor and progressive movements, the struggle for racial equality, and the battle for democracy in the United States. Published during a time of rabid anticommunism, his history challenged dominant myths—myths that labeled Communists as nothing more than foreign agents, spies, and/or dupes. Instead, Foster placed the CPUSA and its members at the forefront of struggles that defined New Deal legislation, African American equality, industrial unionism, and socialism.

Daniel Rosenberg’s Foreword places Foster’s text in historical context, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses. He also surveys much of the literature that has appeared since Foster’s history, while acknowledging the debt we owe to Foster for the being the first to delve into this history of the Communist Party from below.