Communist Labor Party - Definition and Overview

See also the League of Revolutionaries for a New America, formerly known as the Communist Labor Party.

The Communist Labor Party together with the Communist Party of America was one of the predecessors of the Communist Party USA. It was formed August 31, 1919 by John Reed, Benjamin Gitlow and others who had been expelled from the Socialist Party of America. The Communist Party of America was formed the next day.

The Communist International to which the Communist Labor Party had pledged its allegiance was not happy with two communist parties and insisted on a merger which was eventually effected in May, 1921 under the name Communist Party of America which was later changed to Communist Party USA.

Reference

• Chapter One Soviet World of American Communism (http://www.yale.edu/yup/chapters/071507chap.htm)
• Adapted from the Wikinfo article, "Communist Labor Party" http://www.wikinfo.org/wiki.php?title=Communist_Labor_Party April 19, 2004