JamesP.CannonandtheEmergenceofTrotskyismintheUnitedStates, 1928–38 Bryan D. Palmer - 978-90-04-47152-8 Downloaded from Brill.com10/27/2021 03:22:59PM via free access Historical Materialism Book Series EditorialBoard LorenBalhorn(Berlin) DavidBroder(Rome) SebastianBudgen(Paris) SteveEdwards(London) JuanGrigera(London) MarcelvanderLinden(Amsterdam) PeterThomas(London) volume 232 Thetitlespublishedinthisseriesarelistedatbrill.com/hm Bryan D. Palmer - 978-90-04-47152-8 Downloaded from Brill.com10/27/2021 03:22:59PM via free access James P. Cannon and the Emergence of Trotskyism in the United States, 1928–38 By BryanD.Palmer leiden | boston Bryan D. Palmer - 978-90-04-47152-8 Downloaded from Brill.com10/27/2021 03:22:59PM via free access LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Names:Palmer,BryanD.,author. Title:JamesP.CannonandtheemergenceofTrotskyismintheUnitedStates, 1928-38/byBryanD.Palmer. Description:Boston:Brill,[2021]|Series:Historicalmaterialismbookseries, 1570-1522;volume232|Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. Identifiers:lccn2021031079(print)|lccn2021031080(ebook)|isbn 9789004471511(hardback)|isbn9789004471528(e-book) Subjects:lcsh:Communism–UnitedStates–History–20thcentury.|Cannon, JamesPatrick,1890-1974.|Trotsky,Leon,1879-1940.|Workingclass–Political activity–UnitedStates–History–20thcentury. Classification:lcc hx83.p2662021(print)|lcc hx83(ebook)| ddc335.430973–dc23 LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2021031079 LCebookrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2021031080 TypefacefortheLatin,Greek,andCyrillicscripts:“Brill”.Seeanddownload:brill.com/brill‑typeface. issn1570-1522 isbn978-90-04-47151-1(hardback) isbn978-90-04-47152-8(e-book) Copyright2022byKoninklijkeBrillnv,Leiden,TheNetherlands. KoninklijkeBrillnvincorporatestheimprintsBrill,BrillNijhoff,BrillHotei,BrillSchöningh,BrillFink, Brillmentis,Vandenhoeck&Ruprecht,BöhlauVerlagandV&RUnipress. Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,translated,storedinaretrievalsystem, ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recordingorotherwise, withoutpriorwrittenpermissionfromthepublisher.Requestsforre-useand/ortranslationsmustbe addressedtoKoninklijkeBrillnvviabrill.comorcopyright.com. Thisbookisprintedonacid-freepaperandproducedinasustainablemanner. Bryan D. Palmer - 978-90-04-47152-8 Downloaded from Brill.com10/27/2021 03:22:59PM via free access ForMikeDavis,story-tellerextraordinaire, amilitant’smilitanthistorian; & ForErnieTate,‘defenderofoldpositions’and afighterfornewones ∵ Bryan D. Palmer - 978-90-04-47152-8 Downloaded from Brill.com10/27/2021 03:22:59PM via free access vi “BryanPalmer’sbiographyofJamesCannonisabrilliant,lucidlyand compellinglywrittentourdeforce.Palmerhastakenthelifeof the leaderofasmall,seeminglyobscureUSrevolutionaryorganization toshedlightnotonlyonUSoppositionalpolitics,butonthedeepest currentsofUS,NorthAmerican,andworldhistory.Thisisanessen- tial primer for all who have an interest in radical labor and social movementsacrosstheglobe.” michael goldfield,author,mostrecently,ofTheSouthernKey:Class, Race,andRadicalisminthe1930sand1940s … “The second volume of Bryan Palmer’s study of James P. Cannon, afounderofTrotskyismintheUnitedStates,isacrucialcontribu- tiontoourunderstandingof revolutionarypoliticsinthe1930s.It grappleswithbothCannon’spoliticalandorganizationalstrengths andweaknesses,providinganessentialadditiontothehistoryofthe globalandUSmobilizationsoftheleftandtheirrelationswiththe ongoingstrugglesofworkingpeople.” charles post,authorofTheAmericanRoadtoCapitalismmemberofthe editorialboardofSpectre:AMarxistJournal … “JamesP.CannonhasfoundtheperfectbiographerinBryanPalmer, the accomplished historian of the international working class. Palmer’sdetailedaccountof theAmericanLeftOpposition’sbreak fromtheStalinizedCommunistInternationalin1928-38exposesthe violent lengths to which the Communist Party, USA, would go to suppresscriticsontheleft,aswellasdeftlydemonstratinghowCan- non,itsleadingfigure,intervenedinthetitaniclaborstrugglesand othereventsofthetumultuous1930s.Impressivelyresearched,this isaprofoundworkof scholarshipthatissimultaneouslyariveting narrative.Youcan’tputitdown.” suzi weissman,authorofVictorSerge:APoliticalBiography,longtime radiobroadcaster,andco-producerofaTrotskydocumentary,“TheMost DangerousManintheWorld” ∵ Bryan D. Palmer - 978-90-04-47152-8 Downloaded from Brill.com10/27/2021 03:22:59PM via free access Contents PrefaceandAcknowledgments xi ListofFigures xx Introduction:JamesP.Cannonandthe‘Prince’sFavors’ 1 1 HopeandtheDogDays 2 2 Historiography’sHouseofMirrors 10 3 MirrorImageRefusals 16 4 AnalyticAlternative 34 5 CannonandtheHistoryofAmericanTrotskyism 46 1 AnAmericanLeftOpposition 51 1 ExileoffMainStreet 51 2 StalinismConsolidating 56 3 StalinistSlowDancing:Guile 60 4 PickingupthePace:Gangsterism 72 5 RecruitingtheAmericanLeftOpposition:ThreePhases 97 6 Cannon:CaretakeroftheOriginalLeftOppositionCadre 98 7 Recruitment’sSecondPhase:Stalinism’sHeavyHand 113 8 ‘AnArmyofaMillionPeople’:Hungarians,Italians,Finns,and ImmigrantBirthControllers 118 9 APublicationProgram 125 10 TheFoundingoftheCommunistLeagueofAmerica (Opposition) 133 2 DogDays 157 1 Downturn:EconomicDepression 157 2 ‘LeftTurn’:RevolutionaryPoliticsandtheThirdPeriod 169 3 DimensionsofCannon’sCrisis:MaterialBeing 178 4 DimensionsofCannon’sCrisis:ReconstitutedFamiliesandDomestic Complications 181 5 DimensionsofCannon’sCrisis:RoseKarsner’sBreak-Down 186 6 Cannon’sCollapsingWorld:ThePersonalBecomesPolitical 191 7 TheWeisbordWhirlwind 212 8 BranchBickerings:NewYorkCliquismandYouthRecruits 225 9 FactionalWaystation:June1932,NationalCommitteePlenum 240 10 FactionalismInternationalized:TheTurntoEurope 256 11 InternationalIntervention 287 Bryan D. Palmer - 978-90-04-47152-8 Downloaded from Brill.com10/27/2021 03:22:59PM via free access viii contents 12 DogDaysDenouement:NewTurns 300 13 InternalIronies 304 3 Daylight:AnalysisandAction 312 1 1933–34:Past,Present,andFuture 312 2 Context:Revival/Reorientation 314 3 TheLongandTryingMarchBacktoaLaborPartyPerspective 324 4 BlackOppressioninAmerica:NationalSelf-Determinationvs.The RevolutionaryStruggleforEquality 337 5 TheMomentumofMobilizations:UnemployedandLaborDefense Work 379 6 MinerMilitants:Cannon’s‘BonaFideProletarians’ 407 7 B.J.Field:ANapoleonamongNewYork’sFrenchChefs 461 8 DawnofaNewLeftOppositionDay 487 4 MinneapolisMilitants 507 1 GeneralStrike 507 2 ClassRelationsinMinneapolis 521 3 TrotskyistsamongtheTeamsters:PropagandisticOldMoles 528 4 JanuaryThaw;FebruaryColdSnap:TheCoalYardsonStrike 539 5 LessonsoftheCoalYardsStrike 545 6 StrikePreparations:UnemployedAgitationsandIndustrial Unionism 547 7 Overcoming‘BureaucraticObstacles’ 557 8 TheLadies’/Women’sAuxiliary 559 9 RebelOutpost:1900ChicagoAvenue 565 10 TheTribuneAlleyPlotandtheBattleofDeputiesRun 568 11 May1934:SettlementSecured;VictoryPostponed 584 12 StalinistSlurs 596 13 Farmer-LaborTwoClassHybridvs.ClassStrugglePerspective 602 14 Interlude 606 15 TowardtheJulyDays 612 16 AStrikeDeclared;APlotExposed 623 17 BloodyFriday 629 18 Labor’sMartyr:HenryB.Ness 639 19 MartialLaw/RedScare 645 20 Olson:TheDefective‘Merits’ofaProgressivePragmatism 655 21 StandingFast:SatireandSolidarity 660 22 Mediation’sMeanderings 667 23 SuddenandUnexpectedVictory 671 Bryan D. Palmer - 978-90-04-47152-8 Downloaded from Brill.com10/27/2021 03:22:59PM via free access contents ix 5 Entryism 691 1 1934:MilitancyandMarginalization’sMovement 691 2 TheFrenchTurn 697 3 Cannon,Trotsky,andthePreparatoryGroundofEntryism: Transcendingthe‘OrganicUnity’Imbroglio 705 4 FusionwiththeMusteites 721 5 BuildingthePartyamidFusion’sFallouts 752 6 AnticipatingtheFrenchTurn 763 7 AmericanizingtheFrenchTurn:FactionsandCombinations 770 8 TheIntensificationofOehleriteSectarianism 777 9 OustingtheOehlerites 787 10 SocialistPartySchismsandWorkersPartyEntry 815 11 PreludetoEntry:CannoninHarnessandMuste’sConversions 833 12 Entryism&Subordination 851 13 AFarmer-LaborDetourandtheReturnoftheOehlerite Repressed 860 14 EntryProclaimed 867 15 CannoninCalifornia:The‘FootLooseRebel’andtheAgitational Road 871 16 EntryistEstrangement 886 17 TheReturnoftheProdigalAgitator 903 18 ReactionfromAbove 920 19 TheEndofEntry 927 20 AssessingtheFrenchTurninAmerica 933 6 Trials,Tragedies,andTradeUnions 947 1 1937’sImperative:AssimilatingRevolution’sRecruits 947 2 TheOriginsoftheAmericanCommitteefortheDefenseofLeon Trotsky 952 3 TheNon-partisanOriginsofTrotsky’sDefense 958 4 DancingwithDewey 965 5 Trotsky’sTestimony 984 6 CarletonBealsandStalinismatWorkinthePreliminary Sub-commission 988 7 DelimitationbyDefault 992 8 Social-DemocraticDelimitation 1008 9 BrandBarcelonaonCentristForeheads:TrotskyismandtheSpanish CivilWar 1014 10 TrotskyismFindsits‘SeaLegs’:CannonandtheMaritimeFederation ofthePacific 1034 Bryan D. Palmer - 978-90-04-47152-8 Downloaded from Brill.com10/27/2021 03:22:59PM via free access x contents 11 Frame-UpinMinneapolis:WhoKilledPatrickJ.Corcoran? 1052 12 TrotskyismontheLine:FootholdsinMassProductionandthe cio 1077 Conclusion:Party/International 1117 SelectedReferences 1155 Index 1191 Bryan D. Palmer - 978-90-04-47152-8 Downloaded from Brill.com10/27/2021 03:22:59PM via free access