radical america - vol 4 no 8&9 - 1970 - november december

8/8/2019 Radical America - Vol 4 No 8&9 - 1970 - November December

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RADICALOAMERICA

Special Issue onRadical Historiography


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Volume 4, Nber 89 Nover 1970

RADICAL AMERCA

P Buhle: Americn Maxst Hisriography, 19014 5

P Richas: W. E. B Dus nd Amercn cia sory:Evoluon of a Mit 37

Js O'Bren: The gacy of Beaian History 67

_ RadIcal Hstoris es A ey 81

n (ir): Ss o Teaching of Hsry 107

iss was e collecve poduct of followng ndivduls: Jo Paul Buhle, n n, Roger Ke ery Marwz,Js O. Brie, Brin Pe, and Paul Rics.

Arica is puls 9 10 mes per ar at 127 t Mis Wiscsn 57. Subscripon rats: $5 per r 10 r yar w pahets. ecia ras on ubscri s Sng subs: $15 and p Back issues curreny avaiable: 1, Number ; olume 2 mrs 1, 2, 6; olume 3, ur 4 5, each 5 oume 4, umbers 1 , 4, 5 6, 7, each $1 t oale ck numbers: $11.75.

Bu rats for i isue: 1 or ore C each; 1 or more 5C each

ral Edor: Paul Bule. Maon drial Sa: dih H. AlhJs O'Brien, Paul Richards, e oich. Maagg Edior: FiN Regioa diors: M Glaeran oh ecman, Mchaelsch Dck Howard, Karl Mark aion, Eric ern, aone rakl and Penelo Roemont, nnenber E Repreentative: D Be om leaver, Regg uwcheV se, om Go Aru tein, rry Lynn, Ken Megi. M. Mewshaw, Ru Meyerowitz, Kelly Mickey, ra er

' last yr has en o ormous cnge for RA O oeh s gain aequat p faclies for e firt time, come closer s o e issues r year publihed eeral number of qieinary legth and eectively chag its format for soewhar readablity and a larger crculaon n e other ha, RA ha

dilemma of e juaisic suvor of e polcw : t is publish in a so of lical vacuum, wi an


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INTRODUCTION

Th cal Radcal Amerca iue is e pruct of a pot-Sties

e L generaon of gaduate history tudents at the University ofWiconn. Sce Sde ved from Madison to New York in 1963,

here ha be n no vehcle for a rdcal intetation of hisy such asSude provded fo e Arcan histori who constituted the mostmpon egmen of edral ard during its yas in Madson

hie Radica Amerca ha en pubihed here ince 1967 t intereha en ess hisrica at of Sdes had ben morv RAha never had a tabe gp of eident edi to ta rsponsbilityfor deveng and endng a coheren vepoint on th intellecalue facg the eft

Dr e year nce 1963 on e oher hd a numbr of htorygradua dent have pa promnen roes in eft at isconsinThe peope who are worng on ths ue of RA have alo been activen organaon uch a e Teachng Asstt Aocation SDS thery udent caon Connection and e Committe t Ee ar The gro dent movement at isconsin andaonay ha en a cruca part of our ves and conciousness

e mor neecua nfluence on e Sde on th eft edtorsa am A am who taugh Amerc hstry at isconsinun 1968 am ha a been ioant n our own dvopmntaoh for mos of u nence ha co va h witings atheh va tan perona contact Otherwe ogh as individals

e have h corda d nctaly ewag relaonships wivarou hry fcuty memes at iconin or main lationshipw e faculy ha en goni c one e hav takn a neffort argey fe thu fa forc the faclty o h wieachng aant wh oer sdnts its power ov cicladecon wh e istry pament Th hstory faclty has noteen nolhc on ee pont ut it predomint role has n onof rence t democraizaon Or exerience i the Depamentha n i ene been different from that of th Stud dis who

ere a the Unvery for tudent vement had developed toe ot of chaengng e Unvritys stce d fncion may1


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be siifict that n tw f us ve the same fculty adviser: it is primry rugh pical ivveme rther a trug ur wrkas graduate sdents at we ve cme t w ec er. is issuerepresents et n ur pr t snesize ur pitic views ndeeriences wih ur isrical reserc

Our aude tward the isric prfessin is e f mbivalenceThe mstimpt psitive feaure we see is t, rug isitinf fairl-rigus stdrds f evidec e rfessi s elped t pruce gret mss f isri wrig ic, u tey myfe s ivi quesins eveess rvie d is geeryreibe While i is vius ev iie umr f utemgric sdies wi t by eseve u meu picre f e ps, suc sies re si vue i deveig suc a picure Siry, ug we ed regr mst cis f scrybjeciiy" wit deep skepcism, i is certiy e te sdsf prf wii t hisric prfessi er tse wicnrmly previ in pic ctrersy

On he egative side te prfessin sees t us bd cinnf genteme's cubhuse nd bureucracy A emes cubhusent simy cause there are scrcely y wmen (t sige femaeistry prfessr t Wiscsin, fr exe g sixy memrs f the fcuy), u s cuse f is perclss ne t is crriver frm the dys wen hisry was write pricipy by weame f eisure Eve y facuty members t e mst-prestigiusuniersies wh rgely set te e fr e prfessi s wle,ejy n icme eve nd sci saus t ses em wel apr frm

te wer csses i sciey d wrk se-up ses tem weaprt fm eir w sudents is, t e sme me bureucrcyi wic yunger me rgress y prducing gie evidece f teirmeri (ubicis). is cstnt strugge dvce, e isry

rfessin itsef cmes e surce f vues fr tse w depend is arbti fr teir eyment. It is n hey amsphere

Te prfessi is s ilty f certn sci irrespsibiiy peres fr e ms r w eves: dry mgrphs usuyccessibe y ter isris (thug ceriy isrins ave er recrd i tis regrd d sci scieists) ne handnd trc texs, ien i mer t is very creful t disur yes cmfre nis u e staus qu, n the erTe pitica civism f radic istris i frw n but t these e e snig f istry in exto s is accep as standa

rcice, ecessry ge e texs ccep.We regrd mety s te ey t rdica histry, fac at has

t fte ee urred i discussins f te subjec. Radica isrisve een excein t e eer rue at e evel f hisrical tery in eU s bee exremey w. is vil imprt aere e serius discussi f metdgica questins e primar

use f is issue is t criute such discssin t mchf w we sy is f verypreiry ure

We fd Marxism e stusefu srtg i, while reciz ta American Mrxist isry as t genery bee f a igh calibre

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and aso a as or own ats at rsarch and wriing hav shown) hr ar no magic mhoogica ormas that srv to mak th jo o writng hisry asy on Marxism sms most s cas it

sms capa o asoring th gratst varity o insights wio ging hoplssy mir coxity. Thr ar a nmr o aspcts o Marxism that w d spcialy hp attpting o it spciic hisorica phnomna ino a cohrnt ovrviw. mong ths ar thMarxian insisnc that work and th socia ratons y which i is organiz ar th mostiorant a o any socity th sit that poitica and socia powr ticay ow rom contro ovr th prodctiv apparats o a socity; th ar thory o va whichsvs as a constant rndr o th imporanc o th owr casss

and o cass ntraction in hisry; and th concpt o dicicas-dvopmnt in hisory y which socity is nvr sn as ingsatic is sn as containing th sds o its own ransorationTh ky o Marxian mhoogy is th Marxian concp o socicasss nd this is a concpt w admit is paicary trosomToo otn socia casss hav n tratd y Maxian hisorians as

pr-dtrmind catgoris rathr than as prcs o hisorica dvopmnt. Whn tratd cary howvr th cass concp stisms to s th mosts tochson or drstanding a sociys

dvopmntThr is mch tiity n what has n cad th ttom-p appoach

to hisory an approach whos main proponnt Jss misch schsa Maxian mthoogy Historca wriing has tndd ocs asxcsivy on th most arca nd por grops in socity whi

th rst o th popation is dat wih ony n trms o organiaonssch as ad nions or in trms o adrs and spoksmn vra os had th xprinc o takng part in a rading sminar in Amric

ar hisory dring th spring and smmr o 190, d discovring that amos nothing is on a how most Amricans hav ivd andorkd t h sam im otomp history has disinc imionsi it is not inkd wih an ovviw o ay h owr casss haratd to th rst o sociy What is vaa at W E. B iss

work or xamp is not so mch tha h rrtd o aa dataot ivs o mrican acks t that h nggd in a iongstrgg to assimiat this data ino n ora concption o Amricanand word history

s a a not w adm o grat ncriny at or on poiica nctionng as radica historians In many ways it is hahy a hris ga consion within th mrican t sinc thr is no cnraathoity as h Commnist arty as or ny pop in is hay

to ay down a corrct in" or Lwing intcs In a sns ar r to driv or qsons rom th xprinc o th radicamomnt ithot ing prssrd to rach paticar ansrs Forxamp h rinc o radicas who hav tn acory os or othrwis rid to rach coar workrs has d o opn-ndd

qstions a th hisrica roots o racism nd o anicommnism.i i is nsatisying o ack n organizaiona hic y which thschoary and poitica rsts can inkd. Th Radica Cacs in

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te Ameria Hisria Assiati seems us t e a iratdevepme ut ike mst f its uerpas i er aademi fiedsit as deeasized quesis f radia resear d sarsip

A te Ameri uiversiy evirmet emes mre ese ad (igeera) mre reressive, te re f Lefwig taers emesireasgy uerai e y ig ta a safey e said is aew defiitis f at re are eeded

It may be remarked tat here are a number of important pics hatare given only cursory treatment n this issu. Mar Jo Buhle, An

Gordo, and Nancy Schrom are workg on a lenghy paper o Wom's

Hstory which we plan to clude ogether with revsed ersions of te preset aticles, n a full-legh book on radical historography ucha book would also include essays on black hstoical literature by obStarobi, on workigclass history by Paul Faler and on mericanarxist historiography from 94 96 by Paul Rchards Readers

criticisms and suggestions concernig the begnings we have made inhis ssue of RA will be gratefully welcomed.

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Mx

gp

1900-1940

Paul Bul

American Marxism has not proidd its historical practitioners wia uniquelyilluminang or een a stable crique of merican lfe nstiutions Rather Marst hisorial thought in this country has

with signicant exceptions suffer from the same faults as the rest of Aeric hisoriography ill-deelop and overlyformulisic inking alstcolete ability to see bend institutional historyto e social history of ordinary Americans d indifference to e philosophical and cultural sights traditionally part of the Europeaninellecual heritage

To sure there are peculiar problems relating t AmericMarxism as a whole and distorting its historical heorizing Althoughace and militant the working class was delayed its formation as

a self-conscious by by its demographic heteogeneit Rather thaneressing its tendencies by joining mass arst paties it hasshned formal Marst" politics Therefore Ameican cialism hasalwas been especially sice he 1930s a of individals speangin the name of the masses of worers wihout however te itllectualand political security that the European Par ifrastrctre rovidedAnd raher than being an ongoing movement wich aracted and heldintellectuals America Marism has een nstable fl--night operation in which intellectals wit talents are attracte for rief

peris move oward metholoical arxism nd wi the decline ofthe Le flee before thei full contrition is ade n 095 adagain in 1930-193 the earation of histrical and other theoreticalviews was cut off rematrel with the loss of several of te st outstandig minds

Finall the weakness of American arst thoght reflect theintellectual bacgrond the Unit ates Sch trnf-the-centyEuropean Marst thinkers as Plekhanov Hifeing Lenin rel auumberg grew out of and reacted , an intellectal and clturalheritge centries in the kig while eir Aerican contemorarieslack the training a fluences to make equal headwa fact the

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acowledged radical inkers in this country were not Marxiss at ll but Thorstei Veblen John wey and Charles Beard whose brek rom the Nineteenth Century tradiions gretly inluenced Americn

Scialists and resulted in the requent but uerly-mistaken belie in the acadec world and among the generallyucat pubic th these three were the outstanding Scialist intellectuas

imilry it is imporant o note that e mostable Mrxist writersin te Uied tates have been wih e extrordinary exception o E B DuBois \tl recently amost all either oreign bo or oreign - uced Danie Leon C L R. ames Hermnn chleuterKr Korsch nd Pu Bar rought to America an iteationl perspectie and triing derived rm European \iersities nd rom

mssbsed Marxist prties which could not be replict in thisc\ry Ntie Marsts shrply aware o their own imitaionsreorced their \ derdeeopment by cocentraing lmost entirely o rnsation repetition d prtil eaboron o views handed down rom Europe principlly Germny in the ery period and Russi in the lter

Thus Americn Mrst historiography had ie chance o giningits o impetus and inertia and deeloping genertions o gerschors o make cretive contributions o the sudy o American

history The wekess o the organied Le in gener has not providedny independence o thought among he Marxist historians To thecontrry this weakness hs caused the rai developments in Marxist hisriogrphy ust prior o the wo word wars to collpse wh the poiical strucures The possibiliy o Marxist schools" o hisory with he Uiersity structure has been rne out only rarely sinceconiuios o high quaity by Mrxists hae been clumniated orignor wii he proession d he allinces o radiclening poessors ith he Let nd is intellectual orthoxy hve been

r-livedYet he weaknesses o Americn Mrxist hisrians re hemseles

reeaig in he probems o \ derstanding American lie which heirsight successes and geaer iures ree To their credi he

bodest riers attet o take on the unque charcteristics oAmericn society: is ronter huge immigran popution blackmioriy d movement rom eder o he urgeois reolution toc\er - revoluionry astion o the world Equy impont theMrxiss wrote abou he arious labor nd radicl moements which

especiay beore he 1950s were geerally iored by e acdemichisorins heir historical works oer ision o sel o heriage d o prospecs ision which my aid in \derstanding our ow diemmas nd their historic roots.

Debsin Sciism: Proogue

During most o the ler pr o the Nineeeth Century AmericMrxism consisted o Germ culura nd poic enclves. There

was ery ile concern or erudition i docrine generly nd ew oMarxs works were widely red Moreover varieties o nonMxian

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Europe Sciaism which were brough to merica concurreny withMarxia ideas, the incursion o nativesociaisic" radicas competeyindieren to orei" ideas, and he isoation o the German ski workers who made up the mvements rom the buk o he unskiedabor orce a mgat against the deveopment o a comprehensive theoretica view o merican sociey.

I the 1 890s he Sciaist vemen sweed d changed. Naivereormers moving e, unskid workers oowing Debs rom heraiway movement, teectuas rom the Naionaist (Beamyie)Cubs semsociaistic Puiss, newer imgrant radicas (Jews in the garment rades paticuary) and others oined e Sciais ranksin considerabe numbers and inevitaby ransormed the parties. The

oustanding ineectua igure o the movement was Danie Ln othe Sciaist Labor Pary, one o he irs ioan eaders to sress the mericanizaion o the movemen. His historica views were casua deveoped ony in he coumns o he LP organ The Peope; yet theymade a asting impression on Sciaiss because, as a supposedMarxian" intereation o he merican Revoion, hey were unique.DeLeon ked to the Founding Fahers (d paricuary to JamesMadison) and their poitica successors (especiay braham Lcon)

as having prpared e way or Sciais ruh. (1) For DeLeon, such arsighted igures were men o vision whose eadership, character,and sense o historica necessiy shoud be oowed in wha DeLeoncaed The New boionism" (hat is, o wage savery) Thereby,athough the inuence o s own historica inereaon as beshortiv, DeLeon had raised a criica position to be ough autrepeay during the coi merican Marxis hisriographyWere he urgeois democraic eaders, especiay Jeerson, Jackson,and Licon, progressive orces in he hasening o capiaism's

deveopmen ad hus e coming o Sciaism? Or were hey and the documents and institions ey prucd, especiay he RevouionaryGovement, the Constiion, ad he Encipaon Procamation,merey extreme exaes o ruigcass eorts o dupe he workersand armers? The historians woud change over the years, bu aceta sense the rame o he debaes woud no, or a stake was heegiimacy o the merican democratic heriage nd the credence thata Marst movement woud give o merican society's se concepion

OCILIT HITOR

By 1 900 merian Sciaism dispayed the begings o a sociamovemen, wih housands o members ad ens o housands

periica readers and oowers I he irs instance, he nessrenghs o his movemen created he history-wriers rom heineectua maeria at hand. Ediors, puariers, and scaterstudens o European Maran exs ound a pace and encouragement

ducate workingcass sociaiss, or reach mddecass a ruraaudiences, hrough sociais newspapers, magazines, ok comaniescondaiy, however, he iiative among Sciais ineecuas o

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write isryas-agitation was bught fruio n byte currents of

tougt American societ as a woe, aparcularly with e

academies. The Progressive sensibility, which placed reliance on

educat public righing e wrongs of e special-privilege ospermeat middle-class America and the Scialist vement ug

the "Parlor cialists. Te isrical dimensi n ofis sensibilit

gain its greates ietus wih Beard's Economic Interetaon ofh Consiuion of h ni s (1912), bu ws dlop lso lesser irtant works b J. Alen Sm t, Worow Wilson, and a

score of oers which emhasizd the eliist aspecs of Fderalist

poliics in te Revolutionar Peri. Concurrent e scientific,

self -confident aspec ofe newer socia sciences, an d eve n te

psychological" view of mss sociey asdeveloped bVeblen, fuerencourag Scialist isrical analysis wich drew is nspiration

from inllcl m of im mosprofoud of h Dbsi hisorins ws, ironicll, n

who prd o b lil ouch by h Twni Cnur urgisinllcul currns which so influncd ohr cilis hisorisHrmnn Schlur ws liing rmn of Nnnh Curyuropn cilism, n gg ior who had corrspondd w nd hd, snc 1880s, id h bs Mrxis ppr in Amric

h Nw Yorkr Volkzi publishd in Schurs ni GrmnDuring h 1890s Schlur hd wrin ousing hisor of Amric working clss in Grmn b only fr h u of cnury did h bgin o wr works in nglis His Brwi ndusrY Brwry Workrs' Momn in Amric (1910) m b cll

h firs mp in nglish lngug o coil socil hisr of sgmn of whi Amrican working clss Crcisicll, h o ws udrakn o show workrs fcor ownrs union mn hd sruck roos nd ws h dusry s;

ogicl, for h im, i ws publishd by h rwr Workrs nionislfAs hr no in h prfc, his rwng Iusry ws r

hn hisory of h brwr workrs I ws an mp por shpig of h work forc b nds of h iusr nd b ownginii from workrs in rspons o hir plig Sclur gnwih colonil Amric, whr h irucion of rum (du o w cld highr us l us sy Chris puos Ngsls for which h chif mns of pmn ws Chrisin "

dsroy h brwing iusry il fr h Roluion hlurindic h cg h rlionship wn ownr nd work orcin h Nnh Cnury, whn crfsmn/prnic or smllps/srf rlionship ws disrupd b nucion o mchrnd subil group of workrs Th sl for h nhour dnd h ndd ycos of nionl brwris rsu, ls, n on

of firs qusiindusril ions" h rl 1890s hlur drw chr of wg chngs which h proly call documnin sry of ciilizion, giing inforon which dmonsrs

of orgniion ng workingmn sows or clrln spchs and wrings ciiliing lu of h lr momn8


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Sheuter bee ndeed at hs hat oud be used by fuurehsrans as a proof of e sfane of te lar moement n e progress of manknd". (2)

Shleuter's admrable ok fel shot presely at the pont at whhhs personal eerene dta e nature of hs hsral researhIn the ghtes Shleuers Vokzetu had se as the offa orgn of the brewery unon and n dsussng the per heuter fel bak on a alogung of eadershp aons From hat pont n the work onShleuter alat beween organzatona hsry descated by sforalsm nd materal omparable n qualty to the earler part ofe work whh had onentrat on e deeopment of e workers ne ndustry (nsde and outsde the non) as a whole

Sheuers seond d last nglshanguage ok was eqy

poant ncon Labor and Slavery (1913) was qte robablywre n response to the nterest and debate among soalsts auton and e larger mpl ssues of demoratc hertage Schleuter

offer a largelydoumentary treatment whh howeer prod aorebalaned aount an later alst ommunst workswhh ast narably fa to treat whte workngmen's rasmerhaps he most-unque haraterst of he k s the doumentaryexhnges of eers w heuter's omments between arousreform leaders suh as Horae Greeey nd George Henry ans dreprutons of ther wrtgs from the tme

leer onfess at e onset that hs work was Marxst nsllwh he onepton tat eonom pruton and he dson ofoety n lasses aus ereby onstutes the foundon of the

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plitical a ntellectual hstr f an eh. He hp t shw erle f the nternatnal wrng class, especall the Brsh wrersn bg aut Neg emancpatin in Amerca and t revea e

ambiguit f Lincln twa e Negr a tward Lar. Hs treatmentf general cndtns leading t the Civl War was crudel ecnmcHe anal the eressin f the struggle n tariff legslatn and farm prices, barel mennng e effs f the Suth gan terrrand nt even tuchng n the idelgical dferences whch had beencreat Hwever he t up he uestin f Alitinists and ercntradictr relatinship with Nrthe wrers in a firm dsmpathetc, but unaplgec maner. He held at the cnflct betweenAbinist classhstiit a the awaening class cnsciusness f

especiall rganzed wrers p a damper n the ptenal alliancechleuter's treatment f e atitude f Se wringmen was frright, but lmit and frmulistic: He held that their cmletesubjugatn t the upper clases had, in spite f the desires f smeShe wringmen ppse secessin in their in actvties,

dm them t elitatin b their rulers divisin fm ther ptential bhers, the bac.

chleuter view f Lincln was frthrightly hle t his herzan b sme Sciaists, et he did nt fall int mcrang. He view

Lincn as a man f his cass and hi time wh did nt pssess nwled f ecnmic evlin wh had n idea even f the specialsiiicance f the lar mvement, ad wh did nt favr wrersas a separate class Rather chleuter view Lncln's ideals aslwer-middlecass, Jacnian in he sene that Lincln saw eve wrer as a ptential smal prprietr lke the small farmer middleclas member whse interets he repreented

cheuter treated finay the state f the labr mvement dung the Civi War and its emergence frm the bates e rts n New

r against blac were due t frustratin exaggerated b placements which especial excited the city rish ppatn. While wrer' mvements in the Nrh suffered repressin, the wrers themelves were generally lyal and, amng the Germans especial prAlitin. Mst irtnt f al the cnsidatin and extensn f Capita i the finncig f the Civil War heralded he crean f aarger mre-cherent wrking class in America As chleter clsedThe time wi have ripe and the way wi have clear becnc develpment fr Scialim a ripening and clearing that

was essentialy frthered b he Civi War 3n Lcn Labr, d avery chleter had prced a wr whchelde ceain casificatin: t wa at pints a urce , at ther pints a hirica narrative and a til her pints a Scialisc prpagdistic wr which pined awa frm the inizatin f Linclnand tward e inevitbility f ecnmically baed change As in theBrewing Industry his effrts were fr heir time standng in eirseris d ndemaggic effr place the Americn wrng classin a hisric and plitical cnte, t refect hnetl upn sme f its

tensin, nd t recncie hisr wrten fr laring men with histr which dealt rigrusly with the cas tructres f sciety0


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The nearest counteart to hleuter Nneteenth Cenury Scialist

oo y was Mrrs Hllquit who author e first polcal Histryf Scalsm in Amerca (908 Despte Hllquts assciatn ithsome of e Party's leadng ntellectals n New Yok, where he wasthe acledg Scalst leader the Hstry reflected n nnvansin its sd. Rather, Hllqt ha plled gether avalable owlge on

the sttuons of Nneteenth Century scentfc" Scalsm - pares ,

unions, and socal auxlaes - and sz formaton on Up

colones fora journalst poplar ntcton the subject. Perhaps

only in e area of GeAmecan l forms lke Gymnasms

and s societes dd Illqt's nae escape the chronolog of

leaders, convenons nd statements o the press; and only n hs

crcal sahy for Utopans was the ok ohese unque. Whlechleer's chef lmtan la n hs nablt t see he unqenes s fskill rmanAmercan wrkers, h wee psfact rganzableHillqut betray n sense f class at all A parliamentary Scalist fthe mostexreme knd he had wten a urelltcal work. (4)

Mst Scialst rk hwever, d partcularly that rin aer90 re he stamp f the evlvg scal scence e m f themreavance academic ntellectuals tward Amercn histry I erkf several hstrans paticularl J Allen mth Charles Bea,

and James McMasters the Scalsts fund authentcated grst fr eridelgcal mill prf that the Eighteen Centur rulng class itsp redecessrs had repeatedl d and el the nar plef the natn d had estblhed the Cnsutn (nd perhs evenfrc the Revlutn) f ther wn pecunary pses

James Oneal a pla Scalst jualst, resped t the pleasf the Scialst ranks fr a slfcatn f the academc rks hchuld pnnt the hertage f the Amercan wkng clas s Onel'sWrkers Amercan Hsr (1910 grew t f agtatnal seresn the ppular . Lus paper the ainal R-w, based as Onealnted n ledge whch cld be btan at n lbrar Yet hedd nt use hs surces crtc all fr he beleved that despte thehstrs' n ecnmic cntrbutns they had helped prevent thespec ifc hsr f Amercan wkers frm emergng fr pularcnstin I differentatng hs effrts fm thers he dsdned thebeaful antes Flng Englsh that charm and sthe jadidlers r suspen the thnkng facultes f rkngen" dsscanghmself frm the hr prfessnal h as varably a hseasscatins and envrnment have frmed an arstcratc te f hch shrks frm revelng hng that reflects d scrt n thegreat men' f the past d h had be vndcat n the nteestsf e class that ta pssesses resrces rgnall secred bfrce, fraud and e sete f wrkngmen

e reslt was, n subsnce a eadgback f cntempa classinterests and differences n the past Oneal ced p fame sand all ther dspssessed clnal nd pst-clnal st

prlerians Thus he culd summare all f Amecan hstr ntten pnts, frm the dscvery f Aeca fllwed b a he favenurers" thrugh the lurg f beggared wrke s and develpent

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of an ever-richer American aristocracy to the secret conspiratoryby d Counter revouon" of the Constitution to the rise of theworkers against the new industria eoiters, e ast (future) point:the triumph of the workers". Onea especiay aempted to detai

white indenture and outright savery, feeing at these were essentiabut ieundersto aspects of workingcass history He muckrakNew Engand's supposed deocr acy mention backs ony as apotena periphera ay, and pictured Revouionists in 776 as moreike drunken rioters an men wih high-minded ideas. ()

Oneas historica diemma, ike that of other Sciaists reading themuckraking Progressive historiography was that he coud not managea consistent aitude oward the Revoution. As a Marist he beievhe strugge to be a great step forward; as a reader and propagandist,

he coud not bring himsef fuy grant credit to the bourgeoisie forsuch progress. And the oer possibiity that certain owercasseements had egay encouraged the rebeion against Britain overhe opposion of portions of the coonia ruing cass simpy did notoccur Onea who personay beieved in stricty-ega tradeunionistand itica strugges toward Sciaism Thus whie Onea hads ummaized a great dea of avaiabe informaton aut eventeenthand Eighteenth Century eoitation of the pr he had fus enarrow-ndedness of his traditiona Sciaism wth the mechanica

interetations of P rogressive hisrians. The re sut was a porrait,at best of hat happened to the ordinary peope n coonia society,rather than what they did to meet their probems . And at tat Oneasac count was soaked n the racism of indifference toward the backs'pight hi righteous indignation at the widespread ignorance of whiteservite ony ndicated his ignorance of the difference betweenseite and savery

Sciaist muckrakers wi no apparent owedge of Marismproduced accounts simiar Oneas . Gustavus Myers's The Great

American Fortunes 1910) by far the most-popar sociaist historicawork fe nto the hands of Chares H. Kerr Coany ony because ithad been refused commercia pubication. Like conteorary bourgeoishisrians Myers focus his account on e rich and commerciaypowerfu; unike them he reveaed the most vicious and eoitativeways n hic fortunes ere made. His phiosophy of history wasperhaps sumed up in a pas sage about the pr, in which he notedfaty at History in the main thus far has been an instition forthe propagation of is . ince the private-property system came

in estence an incessant uncompromising warfare has been ingon between oppressors and oppressed" 6)

I a simiar vein e popuarist Aan Benson whose ony distinctionay n his nomination for he presidency by the Sciaists n 916wrote Our Dishonest Constution pubished in 94 Whoy derivedfrom Progressive historica sources (incing, Benson was quick note Wrow Wison), the k was a hatchet job on e FoundingFathers wi chapters such as By the Rich for the Rich". icay,Our Dshonest Constition cosed wi an appea to restore severa of

the govementa forms which had prevaied under the Confederation,12


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suh as he unicameral legislature bu add tha afer all onlySocalism would be a full soluon he problms of democracgoement. (7)

Perhaps only one cialist hisri really understhe meingof e Progressie hisorians and actively soug o reconcil hismeanng with m uropan Marxis hough A M Simons whogradua from h Uniersiy of Wisconsin in he 890s had sdiwih Feck ackson e and reain a lifelong relaionshipwih Rihard ly a laing social -science innovaor hus morehn any other of he ialist scholars he brough to his cialisintellecual lars a sophisiaion of technique d meth pecuiar tohe academic aites of e ms From 1900 to 1908 he had edit

he mostrudit cialist joal publish the Inteational ialistReviw for which he ranslat a great deal of German Marswrig provid he basis for an inellcual forum ween e sadced cialist hnkes and wi his wife May W Simons sougho kp he joual abreast of he delopmens a th Uniersiy ofhiago and elsewher in academia In par he had sough clarifyhe pecuiaies of Americ hisry particularly Amric agrarianhi sory. h produc was an ousanding work h American Farmerpulished in 902

his work Simons bght ogether Kskys Agarrage duers fronier eory on he terrains of United Saes agriculureHe apparenly also rrowed f conteorary hroplogy andpevailing American mhology descibe a character te for acharea. He dbunked the Y farmer democracy" of colonial mespicu e u as genrally lehargic (acepng racist sereoesabu black larrs as fi win eir own freom) and singled ouhe pioneer farmr who remained mosty in h Midwest as h purest

Ameican e

e s-uniu of all th divrsified social formsappearing on his conine" Simns wrote hisrcally about the cityin Bryanesue erms as a fore reaching ou in the fronr areaswi a grip of iron" grsp the farmer in his newly-won home andrereae a once all he oions which he grea pionr army ofAmeria bn fleeing sce he founding of the firs stralingolony along e Atlc oas. In more-recnt dcades ciy hada like a gra vaire sucking away s bl of the ruralommiies" all oer Ameica. Only a farmer -worker momen for

Socialism Simons wad could resore a proper balance villagea meopolian aras. B h did not se any mechanical pross foronomc ificaion of larrs small farmers; nd n prapshe mos - iressiv pas of he ok Sins amass eircaledene to show hat he sll farmr was not bing swallowd u bylager farms or being suivided no smallr ons Rar Simonslk a political deelmen which would unit e insgts ofuer d Marx in pracce as h bliv he had roncil m nheory. (8)

Lik he rest of Simons's istorical work T Amrcan Farmrhad his o words ben " snatched froma lif filldt ovrlowng

wih re-irec formsof cialis agitation. gcally, ror is

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mst-inuenal ok appear s a rult f enusasm generat by

a historical seres he h wrien for the populr newspaperApeal Reson. Sins lter claim that n 1907 some four thousand calsthstorical clus hd been formed with hs paphle Class r gles inAmeric History as prrytxt. imul like Onel, by ScialistrankaM-fle desres for class study, Sns lengend is work

nto Scial Forces in America Hstory (19). (9)In Scil Frces s n his earlier ok Smns srve fuse

Tuer with Marx Here he saw the frnter as the ne (emprry)ecepn Mrx's hisrcal lws n te cler develpment f cerainscal clsses In Amerc, sall frmers hd nt een rectnary pesants but yemen reilly at ds wth Este rulngclss pltics The East fr Smns ws alwys plce f nrigue frm the Cnstutin he Civ War te Gilded Age: Always the elemg t maipule the r farmers d wrken fig warsr em. Te plners were n ter precpng te War f 1812 ecause f cn prces d dig te he whtes t sng their frm f elian

Smns's ambivalence wrd the Cvil Wr smliz n ne senseis rcis H ad sligt regrd fr lacks striclly nd revea cerin sathy fr the white ut's plig durng Recnsuctin

Bu n nther sense is ie reflec deep-set esinessu ndusrl devele generally n nesness Smns relycncel w s suppsedly-rtx Mrs I Te AmericanFarmer, e d penly eress dut weer the desructin f

psr pre-"civili life n nis Cal hd een a psvedevelpen; uu te res f s writngs e rencnvncd w e cll e csc chrcer frnerle wc d een crupt y e cies er ndusries. llns rened e sl- Midwese by w d ece

rxst d last ces e cilst wen e vementseed m e Aericn durng Wrld WrI Dspte sinsg e strc prcesses fr wc Be recendcl Frces Sns never een le enlly sr u eclcg pes f rcc grranis Prressve ssunsand cls ugt wich went int hs wri (10)

nly ne er isrcal wrter spercepvely sred nd sught use te cnemprry scil-science develens Ausn Lewisa rare tellecul veer f Americ's Nneenh Cenury cilst

veen was sclrlyied lwyer Erly in te new cenurye se e perean terils dcne in te clleges va R. A lgs Ecnic Ineretn Hstry, d whlescri lin's sility Marxsm sw gratifcan at teinrducn wc stens culd receive

Lter n Lews se he develpen f ll wers'veens perps re clsely ny ther Amercan ntellectuale ws an e firs t draw e cnclusin tht an intra-classsrle d gn ad wuld wgd qute irespecve f the sll

wrks frequen acmen plitical clsm Over severayers f wrg fr miltan cilst gnes d newsJpers

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Lei elaa a thy of e evoltion of e okin cla undethe iact of mechizaon. While the Scialit Paty in Ameicalike Scialit Paie aboad, clun to it petyboueoi kllokincla oiin, a ne cla and it epeentative in epolitical vement ee en about econtcn Scialim. ene ' eate olidaity i he on cla a a hole indiffeence the poe " of e killed union, it deteminaonto take ove poduction in a ocial cii all thee, Lei believ,flo fom a paticula o of machine pycholoy" induced by enee okin condition of ma puction

Lei clealy oed a did a fe of hi Scialit conempoaie,

fom Veblen.

a thn volume, e Militant Poletaiat(1913)

he etout hi alyi hich bout Veblen' ueon oehe h epaticla Ameican condion d the polical poce UnfoaelyLei neie the ll no appaent ineet develop hi ideain pe hiioaphic fahion (11)

Depie hi intellience inteet Lei a cicumcib, aee oe Scialit hioical ite by e le the intellectual afo himelf, d at hich e Scialit vement a fo him.Intellecal in the Debi pei ee baically men of leiue

(eneally laye) i time ite, o i cha ith theenibility of povidin e-ubntial eatie hen policaloccaion demded. ee ite puced document hich eflecthe conlomeate inteet d ocial bae n hich the Debianmovement v : Natual Rt philoophy fom e Sthe Suthee fam movement; achaic Euopean Scial Democaticvie fm kill Gen okmen ohe kill okn-claSciali; and the neally non-intelletual d ouhand-tumbleideoloie of e Wobblie d hei kiled, nonEnlihpeakin

affilia oke.At bet e Scialit cibution Ameic Mat hitooaphya a famented one, ined i ecuent acim. Nealy ll ecialit ok eflect the eme hich had been cental theScialit Pay befoe Wod Wa I: e fai n e ucation of emae, the tule of e kill oke nd fame the hiicelf poai hich link the deny of e Scialit theidntden Ameic ce and ei ucceo ho ould liven a Sciali ociety Even a neal, mon, chlee nd Hillquit

eaa ee theme ial peue on he Scialit movementee caun it nizaon d the efomulaon of it doctne.Au i alon i a catein of ohe Scialit intellectualouht epond ne develment hich buht e eat ikeof kil oke, e fion of a Poeive ut n-Sciali)polical vemen e Wa the epeion of adical d eRu i Revolion. t e vey pace of event, and lack of cholalyneet an the Ne Scialit inllectual, bouht nonubnal of hiioaphical value; e effect of the Wa loni e deciive plit the Scialit vement in 1919, pecle al develment of Maxi intellectual fo an extepei

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In - Beween: e 192s

e rise of American ommsm ar its officia foudi n 1919ad cotradicry effects on e deelopment of arxst isopy.e wenes of Americ intellecal forces e oeoweexale of Rusin Marst triu encourad te stiing of alintelectual adces wic did not correspond ecty o the frequenyabstct universal socia aalyses laid out by the Cominte. emeasure of scolarly anomy and he lack of an llpowerful centlforce e Scialit Pay were replaced by a oveent inisn onmuc re for it members , for a coniderabe eri, own

little interest in te protion of irical nd ocia tie of heUnit te. Tu Communit intellectua of the 1920 wee farmore occupi wi translaon elaraon of doctine fom abadt Scialist intellecal ad en the analogou eri of e1890; d he energies eend on inteece warfare relicat ona far broaer cale e st extreme etariani of the earlier day. peri of Lft weaes, rtu t fratracidal tak recurrentlydomina itellectua conce; but the eel of hae-mongeringpolemic uaed similar Sialit tendencie hroughou, nd wa

an aaent dra on oter intellectua atiitieOn the oter had, Communim foray trengen Marxim,

which hd been e eadig but not all-oinang Scialit ineleclteeny. reover, the Communit, after Lenin model, enouragthe gw of an inteigentia inide and outside the Count Paywi eaer eect (o long a it roved colely within diilne)among raical rnk han Scialit inelectual had enjoy. FinallyLeninit init doctrie regaring naonal self eterinaoni generl and the back Aeic oulaon i articuar ulimaely

brougt e Comuit a olitic ine whih at leat formlly paida unique eect o bak hiry a black intuon

Durig the 1920 nex nohing was written by radicals on Americanhitr. Charateristically he Comuit Daily Worker ublih atvariou ties anale of e Aerican Revolution which contraicteah ohe. he fit Comunist ioy of the American WokingCla wa writen by nony Bimba nd ubish i 1928, an mtdirect emaation from the old Scialit trdition of itoial writigic by quoation f in, Mye, nd Onea, iba' wokwa aken entiely fro eoary accounts. It wa a worhwhileteatment oly in it imaginative use of the econdary hitrie, aBimba rrye the dehuanizing rocees of mechaization in theNineeenth Century and the firt woker truggles o bette theircondition

iba' work wa flawed in a number of way. e owed lite ofthe er Comunit yathy for Iins a black, uncriticallyaiing Natniel Baon' volt and comenting that Negroe were"o backwa, so iort, so oppres hat ey did not een dreamof iving as free pele (altough e admi that they, ike heworker tay, ad a Vnguard!). Worst of l, hi hitorical wok

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became progressively more factional s it approached the presentFrom the sty of the 18 8 s i which he onestly prais the Americanarcists' energies and sincerity he derogat all oppoents of

working from within" ions (the ommist Party strategy at etime of his writing changed year later) ioratly and viciouslyaack Scialist oppoents of ommisted frgmetion andgeerally brutalized history i favor of a proper lie". (1 3)

In te 192 0s, oly one other work of hisoricl value was pruced in

a "Marst vei Nathan Fie' s Farmer a Lbr Pries i te US,1828-1928, was in some wys the factional coteart of Bi a'swork Athough Fine catalo quite properly e istituional historiesof various reform movements of te Nineteenth Cetury, e tued to

anecdotal ivective as he defeded conservative trde-ion Scialistsagaist Left Scilists i the Dbsian peri nd both against theommists i the 192s Athough his work closed with clarion-callfor cofidece i the proletarians' movement Fe ad elrat nodistictively radical or Scialist view of radical hstory Log on factsFie like Bimba was short on perspective (1)

epression Marism I: Third Peri ommists

Te early yers of the Dpr essio brouht a considerable influx ofcollege-educat and mddle-class individuals it the ommistmovemen et it was characteristic of the 193s in several ways thatfew bece Mrist istorins First omism tend far retha Scilism had to direct uth into te facries where they ses disciplined cadres cut o from on-ommist intellectual contactsecond e doctrinaire ite taken by the ommists l themid-193s did very litle t encourge te styof eculiaryAmericanondtions and hisry rater general eosure" of eloitatio andadmoniton to action se Finally the efforts made to elarateMarxist doctrine were made primarily in literture with some shao mmunist anti -c ritiques of urgeois developments i philo sophy ecoomics

The ommunist hisries of the erly 193s vari: while somewriters re the buen of vindicating he ommists' world-view dpst actios at all points a few others sougt to move beyod previousbourgeois histories in partcuar reas A series of oks o dferent

labor movemet sectors such as Grace Hutchins's Labor ad Silkwere in part historical Invariably tough the hisorical treatmet ofthe workers in the ade was limited to abstract comentaries onledership sellouts and rk-and-file sincerity throughou the decadesof activity with scant consideraon of workig-cass hisory properTe evitable lesso drawn werever ommunists and Scilistsfought withi the ion movements in the 19 2s 193s was drawnso one-sidedly and inteerately as cast suspiion on e honestyf te accot

Anony Biba's second ok Te Molly Muires (1932) ws enly historically-wortwhile tet publish by the ommunists'Ianl Publishers durin the early 193s Unlike his earlier

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H e ge w frmpireec Bcemn e remen f e e even by c wrer keOne crimina a Debs's gmen f em e

mne ee e f mj cs e n Amec rsr Bu neier B iy cnemn e i- ernn n uu Cmmun fn, ncere e m n c e tp He t e iners' Nn Acn w

b pyeep cpm wic cu , bu ff cern secn f e wrkers a er eerw e pfs me frm eing nue AAmeric eilism eve e b f s pprunm

sf Fm e er-pri me n e ein f newrke cn emi-cn pee Amerceram crup we ecns f e k wrkern te we r f eerp 15

Que rrey, in cal r Cmm pce uc rrg nyss been de Rrey the Sies w made gin

One Cmmns wer ue e regulr Cmmuns pre

me an rn eff renere Arcn sr HeerMras's sm n Egeenth Cenry Americ 1934) pubis bCumbi, ws e frs f wrks by Cmmss wh me erving n he cemic wr wre schry wrk my hs sense, i ws rin er C eff uing er e Pulr Fn gn e ese repecb f wewren Cmmuns hisric wrk Dem n pemc eno csssrugge cncusin rec wa inping wkeHowever i ws wren w pen prsnp w e ei

her frethiners, bs n serch n pe serniries rveers' ccs brry ce an epecpercals", wi he inten f cng e c p f en ecine, nd the exten s inuence i hge mmen he s eces the ceury when pre m e negen e masse

Mrs nye he pe-cs ec prc, wc geneyminim s niChri spec nnvuen cr French esm In stuying Benjmn Frnn, Jme in Tm

eersn an other Fing Fe, he fun prence wc wm reorming Chrisiniy wu mang fn n esabishing Ren re wu mgng e fbrc f crien sciey u cue f cneve cngnure, eis cu n e e curen f ac em, nrcu rey ppe cee C I een fe frhe igeen Cenury e n e i f fre cueetng eer me cue N e Neeen Curn i chmen Owene cm e e wer'

rues wc p exmne n e vme eim ge cmebck (16

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Alogeer, rass work ifi some of e bes aspecs ofCommunist isoriograpy ile i lack e sweeping iew ofAmeic civiliaon a, for snce, EB uis s work as

possess, eism did no respa e limis of e researc i work it neier caim a special nopoly o coecineretaion, nor iulg clumsy polica aalogies drive oma Commist agiational poi Here, e promise of Communis isrywas at of Scialis isry on a iger level: solid researcimaginave conclusions, a grouding in a sincere if not dialeccallycmreed maerialism

A coear was Grville Hicks s e reat Tradion) by an inelecua wo ad only recently t d pt

aside eological beliefs is firs k ad en enled Eight Ways ofLoking a Crisanity ile Hicks did fce an intereon on

t hisory of Americn litertur insisg on h eistence of a

gret American Nineteenth Cenury radition which hd en dfil ywriters like Brnch Cell d oon Wildr h crri through aclose tetua eaminon of various writers m forightintretion of heir clss iases Th rnsion of rtTradion to a cert nd of oliticl riousnss d theoccsionally nrrow Scilist Relist vrsion o inerron,pointd th limig fctors i Communist litrry hought. thework ws one from wic scaer sighs coud rought nd whicstrove for social rintretation rthr h docinir o.Fundamentlly, its crenss was temr y l nhusism fore subject and an eaess to l throug loration u th

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grand new iterature which a vibrant socia movement coud produce (17)

Depression Marism II: Popuar Front Days

The potntia of Communist historiography was decisivey changedand reshaped by e sha chges in the Communist movement after1934 Durg the net decade, with the eception of severa years, ePay sought o fuse its destiny with that of American ibera poictradion As formed a centra focus within the eft wing of New apoitics, American Communism more than dob its size become asocia movement with a reative strengh ony sity es s than tha ofthe Sciaists a generation earier Moreover, as Communists etend

their infuence into he widey eanded abor movement, the movementwas abe o sthesize partiay and temporariy, in any case itscaim to eadership of the cass-conscious proetariat wi its gasp ofbroad democratic impuses in the professiona casss Communisthisorians and historians friendy to Communists were met during theperiod with generaycontradictory forms of encouragement. On heone hd, to be a Commist or sympathizer did not auomaticay, asbefore or since, coetey designate pariah status: coections ofMarists at severa New York universities openy identified their

historica and potica tasks On the other hand, the Pay eadershipwas eaous in its use of historians taents n eaining the Party'sposition on the democratic heritage, distot or not And finay, ehistorians themseves were shay divided between Communists andantiCommunists, reinforcing the doctrinaire and defensive attitudes ofthose remaining with the Left

The transformation of oficia Paty historica views was evident by1936, when an eection pahet, Who Are the Americans? , re onits cover a ffe-and-drum cos surrounded by a wreath wih the

memorabe sogan Commism Is the Americani sm of the TwentiethCentury" The pa mphet proy recited the ineage of its chieftain andcandidate for President Ear rowder, whose ancestors had fought inthe Revoutionary War (18 Earier that year, on Lincons ithday,rowder had deivered a speech, reprint as a pamphet on inconand e Comunists , n which he eat Lincon s initiative andcontrasted him with Frankin Roosevet, noting that whie the formerdid not hesitate to confiscate the save-owners propety and to armthe freed saves , the ater was oo afraid openy chaenge the

reactionary forces in the nation. The Rebican Party might useincons image n its own name bu, owder comment, ittrembes with fear before Lincons words appied to the currentcr is is , which found the Communist Party the rightfu successor toincon (and aso to Jefferson d Jackson (19)

I the net severa years , rowder ed Communist utiizaon ofhisorica anaogy for current poitica puoses Particuary rowderwas fascinated by the events of the American Revouon and the CricaYears to the end of Jeffersons administration: Here were the major

ingredients for any revoutionary poitica anaysis, incuding incendiaryagitation conspiracy, treason, suppession of civi ities, a

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successful radical stesshp. I1938, Bwder'spamphletTrrs

in Americn History : Lessons of e Moscow Tials fea arlesnake on the cover which, n fact, symbiz b e treasonous

conspias Aod, Bo, Bu, d Hamil and e Toskyiss

J effeson, in Bowde's aog, was ikened alin, fo ecoizng

the teat of teason; d the jges who acqui Burr wee seen as

eieday Nomn Thoses, hopeess middeof-he -roades. (20)

A yea ealie Bower ofeed a posive coea to this analysis

in e Revutinay Backgd f he United ate Cnin",which like e Tai" pahlet wa iect fi at he Cmmitank-andfie isel raer an the genera public. Hee Bowde

rela he ha been i e evnary gld in e e fAmeic histry" by readng Claude Bowes's woks on Jeffeson dButn Hendricks Bulwark he Reublic. The cncuin he derivw that Cmunis hirigrhy had aways been n the wng rackin regard e Funding Fer, the unieachable cin frwhich wa Lenins Leer t he Ameican Wrker", hailing eevents 1776 a hitica pin whih had been veke f ageneran f clas-suggle Cmmist inerpretatin F Bwde,the Revunary War had uneash incalclable rce amng e

masses, which perae t e pesent day" he rces prgress andreactin, crystallied in Jeersn (the ing preentave" emasses pepe philspher and staesman demcacy") dHamiln (wh during Adams' adminisratin de ha ddesperately t realie his dictaial ambitins ), sll cntinu withhe Cmmunists n he ar ng prgressive elements 1

Brwders exact inluence n Marxis histrigaphy is diicul measu Ganville Hicks was quick nte tha despi Brwe's ack f eerise in e subect, his analysis had raised a challenge t

Cmmist histrians reashin he past with even me signific"results han the Beardian liberal histris his chalenge wataken up directly in nly a haful wrks publish n an neanahistrical series duri the late 1930s with n apparen lasing iactOn e her hand, Cmmist histrigraphy never reued uly tthe clear cas -suggle rientin he ird Perid hencer,in its eabratin, the wrk uld rean a micum respect rbugei heres like eersn d incln d r prgresive butnn-evlunary ces genealy he eect n acaemics iendy

t Ppula Fn Cmmunism is even mre prbematic alikeih, such presr we emarassed at the exces ses Bwder an e crue Cmmunist hisrians, aempted remain afiendly alie wih a deceasg interest in Cmmunist dctrine, dfinally were pepaed f a rure rm e f when pressueinde d utie he acaemies were rced upn hem

The Cmmunits' reguar hirical seies was ilaed by ithrt - tem calculatin hisrical analgy Richard Enmae wte intrucn Marx Engels' he merican Civil Wa (1936)sressing the rle Nthe wageeaers n e War the inta which the incln Gvement assumed the viage a PpulaFnt rgme (2 ames S len s Recnructin he Bale f

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emocrac (17) was, as Harold Cruse later not wrien in par toes tablish e Part's alss correcton of the errors " in WEBDuBois's Blac Reconstructon (1). () Unwlling to concedeDuBoss sweepng indictent of e falure of e Aercan ssteand pbleac nature of whe woring-class conscousness, Allenwas bod o depct events as leadng fro Reconstrucon ward aculiaon o the strule for deocrac" in the Parts 190s Lecoalion politcs. Jac Ha's he First Aercan Revolution (197)a not have been, as us Hcker called it, one of he mostetraordinar exercises in hsorcal peerson and distoron thathave ever been wre", but it was a ediocre ad arfical worwrien w all-too-obvous analogies beeen Revolutionar leadersof 1776 and current Comunst luminaries () Hard stress etotall nstruental naure of the Revolution, which in his view hadnothng haphazard or accdental about its course", since it was guidedat all ints b a cadre leadership which sacrificed everhng, fightngwith a deteriation, a consistenc, a singlenes s of puose, nd niro wll". Ineviabl, Hard oved toward a conclusion which quohevl fro Browder and Leni and resolv once nd for all at theSpirit of 76, while dead in Aercan Capitlis, was inherited b ePopular Front forces whch were both e inheriors nd e onldefenders of te hisoric Aerican tradtions. (6)

Outsde e real of iediate political agiton, however, effortswere ng ade b the mid190s to estabish a ore profound Mrxistscholarshp in histor, philoph, literature, nd other areas SeveralCounst acadec ntellecuals had, in 96, iniated the creaonof Scence & ciet, a lea joual formall devoted chiefl henon-doctrinaire extension of Marxist hought In its first several arsthe joual did indeed show independence o spirit and innt Iniialcontrbung ditors incled hisorans Broadus Mitchell and Fulmer

Mood, while regular contributors includd Henr David, Samuel Yellen,C urtis Nels, Mahew Josephson, Paul Birdsl, rving Mar, ndGeorge Dangerfeld Cerainl not since the shortlived socialist NewReview of 191-1916 had an Left joual aacted such a notablegroup of parcipants f Aerican universities.

Of course, ere was no oneto-one relatonship between safor a ft ovement denstrat b publishng in a Let joual andactive iliation of Mar hisoriographical mehods Josephson,Neels, Birdsall , nd ngerfeld, as well as other hisorical writers

atraced to he Left (such as Almont Lidsa James Dombrows),anifesed a maerialism revealng in varing degrees postBeaiansophistication, but revealing no clear Marxist strain Of the boo-lenghcontribuons b Science & ciet historical contributors during the190s, onl Iring Mrs monograph Agar Conflicts in Colonial NewYork, 1711177 (90) stnds out as Marxianorient renteretionof a hstoric perod Mar establi shed the despoliation o he Indianpopulaon, the oligarchcal control of socil instiions b a weagriculral elie, and e generall-unsucces sful aempts b the

povershed arers gan a redistrbuon of wealth he a ofNew Yor Mr closed usg Lenin' s phrase, had had its ararian


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quesn raised early, and thugh never resved ith cletedemcracy incuded everpresent struggles against priviege. (27)As, several rthhile, avedly Marst histrical article s erepublish e first several years f ience & Sciety: stdies byE .. Mims and Granvile Hic ks, respectively n Orestes Bsnand V. L. Parringtn d mst ntably e first appearance f HerbertApthekers research n slave revts (28) hus, alugh e ualhad nt brut Marism fuly t the acadees histry deparments,r viceversa, it had by 938 laid sme grk fr a higher levelf Marst histrigraphy

he curius effects f the Ppular rnt e by Mims s dH ickss acles ere hever, a grim indican f the plical fatef cience & Scietys effrs I their respective cnclusins riters assured the reader at, their subjects ere still alive eyuld surey thr eir energies ta the Ppuar rnt againstascism By late 937, such ilicans scattered thrughut & ere nt enugh fr e Party idelgues he chief plemicist in heCmmis V.J. Jerme, blasted cience & Sciety fr nt ng nthe respnsibility f atcg e enemies f e Ppular rnt, atis, e agents f ascism" e fascistlik rtskyites andBukharinites sme f hm by is time ited the Marist Quarerlyand e Parsan Revie. ice sympathy ithin e United tates frrtsky the victims f e Msc rials as cncentrat in eintelligentsia the need fr a disciplin suggle by cience & Scietyamng e universies independent schlarly grups had becmeablutely nece s ary. us erme examin e fir year's cnentsf arcle by article atcking an ecnmics cmment hichfai mentin Leni d the aparance f an article by PhilipR ahv and William Phillips h had nt yet been esed asrtskyite at the time f publican but hse rk as isidiusly

nihilisc tard literary thery and culd nly damage reader. hejurnal Jerme penly insisted culd cme useful nlyif it clarithe ilicatins f the Sviet Unins great alinist Cnstutin fscialist demcracy" its vanard rle" fr prgesivehumanity" the absute crrecess f its ade ard the anihCivil War d e Msc rial and the centrality AmicanCmmuist apparatus a the guardian guide d ralling frce f ae elited and ppresed rugh ncreangly-heightened levels fstruggle and cl as s cnsciusne s tard e victrius climax f

cialism. (29)Against such demds ne hand and the rising repres sin firings n campuses after 939 n the er the academic Left incience & Sciety ither aay. By 940 al f the nn-Cmmunsthistris had been drpp frm the jurnal s sead d clumns .Hpes f a Marxist histrigraphy frm Cmmunist circle receiveda fe cncurrent signs f encuragement such as he at ears andthe Le (9) by Bruce ntn a Jhn art but ee ere halybright. Mintn and uar s effrts t reinteret the e a n a

Marxist vei as inncent f sphistican, a s rt f dat RbberBarns ithut the latters literary style and wi e burden f

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defending at all points he acons of the Communist movemen. (30Unabe gain either popuarity in redership or clarity inintereon, Communist hisriography had proven nearly s short

ived as Scialst hisoriography a generaton fore ronicay, therehad en the coneorary deveopment of the first genuineynotablegroup of Communist schoars in Manhatan iversity gradute schlsncudng Phiip Foner and Herbert Apeker. Bt ese latter scholarsprucng works on ar blacks, and oer subjects in the 1940s nd1950s, were definitey aone in American history, isolated by eCommunist poliical nd storical fiures of the erier yers

Depression Marxism l The Idependents

The Leward movement o telectuals during the Depression wsnot a uniary motion toward d Communis Prty and its peripheriesParcularly before the Popuar ront, when e Communists eandedenormousy nd thereby seaed the fte of opsion movements, erewas considerable effort by groups of writers and acdemicians towardan independent Marxism of some kind As wi the Communists, theintellectus invoved were only rarely historians, and erefore heircontribions to he leding ependent Marxis mgaine The Me

Qutery, were generly iterry, psychologica sociological orphilosophical rer than historicalThe several independent Mrxist historical effots were however,

tied ogeer first of l by the uthors' ppearnce i the pges of theMe Querly (e Me Monthly from 1933 to 1936) econdly,l, with e pos sible exception of wrigs by the mgaine s itorhimself V Clverton shred n acceptce of e Berdin heritageof interestconsciousness nd Civil War interettion with liecrical hesittion nd fly, nerly ll became invoved in a

reineretaton of meric history which consciously sought acircumvention of the Communists' propgndiaon of historicaevents

e eldest of the independent Marxist hisoricl writers was uisB ud once bsin Scialisms most highlyregrded auority oneconoc subjects ter the frgmentation of the Lef, Boudin haddrifd way from Prty politics ad come to study e historicaspects of his own profession law e fna result, two-volume workentil Goement By Judiciary (1932) ws a hiled, poemicl

ccot of e upreme Cou' s incesing gin of rbitrry powersince e Constituon spite is recrrent lapse nto invecvesagainst rule by dead men in the courts, udin's work coninan extraordinariy-deail examination of the effect of egl decisionsparticulrly of the Marshal Cot, in materiaist mnner

he keystone of Boudin' s analysis was his depicon of ree perisin the Courts firs fifty years of deveopment irst, Boudin perceivthe Federais ate graft the English Common Law upon theAmeric system of urisprudence, an te ending i a collision

wi he peope (Jefferson's dminisraion and its mass srt) a tremendous oss of presge by e udiciry econd in Boin' s24


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analysis came the aet by Marshall, with e aid and supt of apopula Naoalism, to delive opinions which changed e nae ofhe Govement from one of pple's ghtstone of propey rights.Finally, ee was a enew as saultupon e cous bye democraticforces of e coutry", at is, Jacksoniism, causing theCourt osetle ino obscuity and iotnce". The Cou re-emeged wi edecisions deliered jus befoe e Ciil War by Taney, particularlyhe Ded Sco case, the first real case in which a real law actuallywas declared constitutonal", whose jgment was Boudin's indthe very foundaon of ou constitional system as i exiss ay.Once the princile of Cour perogaie had been delivered ndacceped, e Court was free ine Gilded Age d after to elarate apropey-righs, antisocial doctine which was set aboe populardemocrac decision. (31

Boudin's poliical history, in its crude Beardiism, weakened thehisorical context of his alysis temendously. He held J acksonianism be the las political vement affecd by laery, and praisedi iiscriminatly. Elsewhere he praised Tey, despite he laersproslavery, ani-popular jgments, as the greast of Chief Jusces,a ictim of circumstances. (32 And most iornt, Boudin had noingo place agas the misuse of Judicial preogate but a Populisichoslity towa elitis decsionmaking win Capitalism, which Boas a Europeized Marst did not perceie as n imporant force inAmerica. Thus Boudin had, n wring an overly lenghy nd difculrease on e sns of e jiciary, finished a maum opus which wasadequate neier for popula nor for scholarly Maxis puoses. Hehad poued energies in a tex which, as far as e Left was conceed,disappeaed from sight algee despite e furor oer e Coulat in e decade.

us Hacker was, by contrast, enormously pulr among readersof Left books. He hd ascended into the illecal periphery of eraical movement fom Chales Beard's classes at Columbia, and rewiout exception e Beadi smp in his pe-Twentie Centuryinretaon. His st celebaed work was a lengy aclepublish e Me Mnthly in 133, and re-published as a JohnDay pahlet The Farme Is Doomed. Hee, he wrote of er'sthesis as e sngle oblique gleam of lit which pruced a curiousinvesion a wholesale d almost-exclusive preoccupaon with

e natur and effecs of the froner's conquest, which l thedistort emphasis by formes on socially or psychologicallyrecting e froner. athe, Hacke found, e frontier was afdanlly business eence, dominat by e needs of foldingEurope d ambitous Aeic capials. e agriclural communitywas dendent on the distt akes encourag by a national deboreconomy , d had no elents of permanence except though aidngAmeic capital to devel idigenous capitalist sociey. By e12s, Hacker believed, he Agicltal Mission and all its social

implicaons were gone.Pehaps e most-atacve feature of Hacke' s wok in e view ofthe contoary Masts was its inteaonal flaor. Essentially

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agreeg w the ha-lne Mast nteretaton of farmers as ngnon-revoluonary petyurgeos busnessmen Hacker held that eopust revolt" had no ncendary character. e openng up of new

terrres for agrculre n e Twente Century such as areas ofChna d Russa fuer ruced the exceponal" chracter of eAmerc farmer : Hencefo he was to be reduced to a poson whchwas characterstc of all peasants for hom n our present systemof socety ere s no hope". 33)

A few ars earler Hacker had joned w Benjamn Kendck towrte a textk suey of Amercn hstory enrey pedctabe n sBeardan nteretaon ts denfcaton of nterests" raer an ofclasses d ts vage pont on e cond Amerc Revolon" of

the Cv War 138, Hacker stred w other Beardan skthe consderaon of Amerc cvaton as a whoe Amercanrobems of Tay Haker perceptvely treated e open quesonfmecnzaton and e ualty of e ordnary Amercan' s lfe. He sawclearly e destructon of egonalsm and locasm e nevableadvent of a new way of lfe for all d new necesses for exendingdemocracy. But for a self-avow arst the answers he hnted atwere most curous. He ndcated at e te h only amelorat econdons o e elo reover wout pang company w

captalst relatons". But he held the tate evan created was notour master but our set whch coud be gded n e properdrecton. gncantly Hacker sngled ou phets John Dewey Charles Beard a hsto a polcal scentst d ave al a humst" as the only great fgures of tental gudce n emddle generaton". 3)

aradoxcaly Hacker was engaged at e same me n a controversy w the Communst hsrcal wriers over e prermode of Marst nteretaon. W e rghtwa movement of e

Commsts nto e opular Front Ear Browder and severl morehstorcal-mnded wrrs began to repant e canvas of e Amercpast re-examne d dscover new reasons to prase the FodgFathers nd oer tradonal Arcan heroes. For Hacker s honorfor e hers of yesteay's peybourgeose" was athema. theNaon Hacker accused rowder of havng le behnd hs Masm".Hsry wrote Hacker was not acheved by png one decractruh on other but dalectcally we have gone forward because we have succe n tnsforming decayng socal organsms

nto new ones healy and fresh wh yong e". e RevoonaryWar d e Cvl War a suppressed class" h seed power" andmolded the poltcal d legal nsttuons o ft ts own puoses".ater Hacker bterly accused Maew Josephson of bowing eopular Frontst hstory n hs The olcos holdng togeer ththe Counsts at e Cvil War was won by a eope's FntGovement". 3)

The key to Hacker's pant ambvaence lay n hs Beardansmthrou whch he nssted on a posve evaluaon of the bourgses

eadershp n the Revolutonary d Cvl Wars. But t also ly n hsdfferences wi Bea whch manfested themselves subty n hs2 6


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htocal wok n whch cke had ewe dou Bea au evtue of ndustal socet Mot o all acke' peonal hsca vew hg by e late he on h hopes fo e New

Deal d DR a e ncaaon d dc of a ate Captasmwhch would ca out st phae o ocal rconstrucon oAmec democrac. a Hty o he New al (197) Hackeffr ambous tereton ad dfns rlyn nrally ondsrin to car though hs message ut n e ruh oAmri Caitalism (940) Hakr add a stscrv chatr a hstorical work whih aly end 900 askin whthrAmric Caitalism had n a succss in idi fr Amicasnds answring i a decsve afirtion As rviwr amsBuam n Hackrs work was on n ha a rar s of 940hisry which allow (i ai fashion) Washnn o b a rihmrch Lln a backtracng conclao, d whr n h ntir60 pas n a sngle che t blms or rail is slit by(hand fr pariwildd) s It scarly wn bd a snrain f mranl ctalst intrsts thruh nnaanaeris an was subsnally a rhash f what Hakr and Baha wrin in ast; y it showed in all bu las hapr hw

h frs f dcracy had faled k hadway aans thvwrin nomi inersts how (in rar mchanical fashin)all h siifian liical diffrns bfor 900 ul b ruc nm class inrs dirns. As uam n : Hisryvintly ch sps fr Hakr whn Rsvl k i vr.Th nan afr 150 yars f litatin fra nrichmn f fw d imvrishmnt f many ms n happy failyundr Rsls fahrly y (6)

nly fw yars fr r had cmbin wih his fri Lwis

ry a gru f r nnCmmunist inlluals inliams Buham Bram Wlf Gr vak and Fix rrw f n inpn ast jal arxis Qurry. Ahad fund thmslvs n a silar dilmma u ff fm th bulk fLft polics itllcals by th irasin ppulariy f thmmiss in 196 940; narly al rslv h imma by inrasin acpn f sm s f gral scia rnsuinwihi framwrk f Rsl dmra n h wy narlyall mad ff a arian iratin of Amrian hisry ()

h ctrbuins f Bam lf rr r striyminr mosy limi krviw ssays r mmnaris wislih arn n Amrian hisry prpr vack as hisricalritr fr Trotskyist joals cntribut sral ssys n slvrypulism t arly Nana ri. (8) ry hw puch soular aoent ae90s hisry Th Crisis ofth iddl Class

Crys ackrud vids on of srius sris f

mrican f As uis C Fana h had bn ms usaif th wrkiglass illctuals in h bsan rvlutionaryL But as a Communis h had disaar dung a mssin forth Cn and raear only n the lae 920s as a nonactt

2


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wrir n cnmi sjcs His firs majr hisria wrk was:h s f Mrgan 93) a sy f h ascnsin y J rgn h Gidd g vrrdshp f rgning npy capiismCry schwd h ckrakng qais f arr wrks nnancir pacng rgan as h ip cncnra xrssn fdana chngs in indsria and nanca inns" a whs acins iniinaizd h cnr nanc vr a pwrf rrsn indsria scr r Cry rgn was n aninnvar rahr h gr wh dvp xsng chns r nraan and rainazain hr nh ang sch ay npy dnan ha whn rgan di ck arkad n v dwnward

In 94 Cry's am ps .Th cn rcan Capism was pish and diay gand rcn as h sndngcnc ramn f rica y a arxis r h rd a wchaprs n h cnmic hsry f h a nn Cnry ying shw h raiv nar f h svr cnmic rss cpar o h a crisis ha capias acd in h prsin In Crisis fh 1ddl Cass (935 Cry appa prarianzd wh-car wrkr jin wih h ndsria arr r a nw Rnaissanc"rahr an cnring h cng f ascis H prayd hmdd cass as ing a dcisv frc n mrcan hsry m hRvn whn i had s h anCna i n war hrgh h Jacksni pri whn i had fh h as fr rjna dmcracy pism whn i had mad a asch r sav h Od cracy B nw h frc h a prpry-wnngm dd cass was gn Cry said a vi cnc prri rind r h crk d hr whcar rkr n aificain f a prv frcs agan h nps and hracnaris (39

ik h Cmmns a nnCmns arx hsranf 930 Cry was in ssanc a hsrc nn-aan whssps nvains wr ray arains as s hs hisians had ra r nar aria s ad nvaa rncan wn r wn das and s nrs-rnrhr han c as-rin rgrsv h srians Thr s da wih h ra f hgh (d spcay hgh sca grps sch as Crys Criss f h dd Cas was hrfrrd ing ward h vgar fr diskd r and h idais

r hr Th s-cncs ar hrca wrr h pri wh a css sing h gaps and craig a hrn hisrca apprach was prhaps gicay hn a man fr whm hMarxs hsry wr ny para irss a man wh raagains h assiv dfas h y siing a rdi pidaism \' Cavrn

ni his prar dah in 90 Cavn had fr w dcads n h sding mr f h mricn irary in ignsia wh nsisny prcaim rvinary syais whi rsing

acp disipin f Commis ay r ny f is fains nding h M Qarl in 922 h i i i 28


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hs l, da lad adal tllual fus f hsd pvd all n al 930s f als

s sh as a Ea, Sde k, us

ak h a th hh is vlua husa (40 ald us Moty d Qualals pvidd a us blak hugh by itrs ik E FaklFa, ruld ou h s Pat pss b diff hsli t th dv f dpn back inllsia (4 F. alr hlf hle, csitt stv idnf ao las dvls n soal c d liau uou hul orks th 920 psholo, sualt, liraur, a a u of ovl

I 932 appear alve's Th Libao of Arican Litrauh fst lrlMast att aco fo Arican itrau ass trms alverton aalyzd ts akss as d basically o pturgoi holity to At, ood h cooi erin Puans, ad sprading with th ao weswa a cviaionI its se, h peroie gav some crn to kd ofindividuis hich hd spawnd such rir Thoreau d Witn but i w ao it wss, for h neitab desctio of

sm proeryowr dr t pressure of istraizon buhtpsiism Twnteh Cetry iertu, Caveo d, a llsechig for proeri rts a deocaic sne of coctivso rpace the decr didua of th ps. (2

Througt e e seera yer, Crn cotiued rittaigh hitoic ic on rvoutiona ogirs uh s PhlipFau Tom Paine for Me Moth ad othr puicaons.ik he Commnit Cavern frequenty de muh of hishroercing; unie m, is aie w ever fuy uncrtcal,

speciy wit repct to pros nd etry for eame, fOdFrau' ptr gi mch credi b ugeoi wriers) By 939h hd ometed he fir of what h hoed oud ecome gnraMrxi - oented hitory of the Unitd t. e ii ouThe Awenig of America 199) ws o foow eerl ots,brnging te ty togeter s ad no Amercn Mrt sinc imo.

Cn forewore ny cim o Mrn ooxy ut ed afor him Mar did mor o iumite e iic rocese thn othr ner of e me ge". He exec tht y tizing th

nwr reerch brogt to r c wrirs Crti Net douis Hcer he coud reeat the coon er rm of terued nted of te ruer" wi te att i

Hi ret were o re n mixed. He ewed tie Bonfor nce, nocet of iIdi feeg te ira fhof ho Jefferson. He mde mero fct error nd ooerzeoy irdced ntnt d eet ery iry ntoi concion. e dded certi inotos wic de ee ocirt e xtnsiey te e mretmet of e of wome dof Jews n e cooie intgra rt of cooi iry rn a excetion or s de merey ec exoittion.And id coe enton eary Amric i c om

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Priber, who tried set u a comul olony wn he ChekNaion. He honestly disuss such outbreks the " Ro fin New York a n 1741 pised Inds' n lk estn

t whits whee d exst (4)The me ye s hs death lven mlet mnu anthe hsol vlume h ne mngph n mn suje,the Amen uo all Whee :\ngel Fe Te ee,C lve ton l e ndn o hs dep he collapse heMaxst L n h own eo t etu he lse-knwn lesse-ue ls o he Amen t s ement wsjou l n ol t he olon e s ntun s be st ney ne e thn s enel al phenmnn h he exepn

o h xelen tetmen he l o women n h lones hsa ount w ely n dvne ove ele nn-fxst slhore o he uto e was t lt els s he lsh lys o he ln s Thouh hey he ded , he eaml ve s n t ne e ny moe thn e h t m h equlymy de h he s may use le rmen exlot t ut in he endhumanty wll exl t

oncluson

The two enral luenes on meran st wn hsoyhave een e poltal movements (oen vyn oms o heoynd lne) nd mnsem Amen hshy Toehehe wekneses hve prevent axs hstorns om evelopn oheent wold vew wthn whch empl sue uld be enedand tonal z ed ons equenty fx sts at pneeed n estrdtonally nelec by the ademlly-epble hson dosonlly as wh Bos ttmt ovell neeon

the Amern peene om whh mst hss neslyshrk wy eneal however fxs hy ws lle moe hna slht, dl eln o hstorophcl tens o deololue o e l -ju cton

The umentl intel wekness o lst n ommussh s l eots has been h e metholol hllowne s Thee hsbeen vually no dton o workn owle nen hephlosophc udnnn o far stol conep d henereltness ll leels o objecve d subjee elements

in he on ee expernces o so al l ss es Cons equenly on onehad there h een the h storcal work o Ideoloe suh s J amesOneal or Jame llen, who employ class onceps n suh manertha the ee hstorlly is blut; o vular matelsts nteresconsous wrers such s Ss ad ous Haker,whose cloa or on use o Poressve hstoroaph hs help revent the de mysticaton ad crt al tl zation o hat schl Siictly, only a ire sch V ave rn , nderent theiner nts o doy d cadem reste cold daw on mera

itrtre, e newer ties seay, other elds to ench hsie arit iteretin o erica o other h strcal30


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wrier eerienali true ethoogal rigor were equllyioible.

By 1940 Aeric Marxi hiory had uerne very litle rue

develoent Rather it had arien in different eri and in differentway aed it clai ng radil ativit nd oe itoriand been wah out with e hgng olitial de of ericociey. Lie conurrent urgi hioriogrhy it had fil contru a clear overall eretive While the intre irincreingly retret fro e lii advce of the rogreivechool Marxi iorin excet for the Couni t diaearaltogeher nd the eretive within Left hioriograhy fltten the liitation of the Counit litial world view

Footnots1 The leare ereion of thi view wa wrten before Deon

join he L but rerin ny tie by te ary thereafter :The Voice of Madion e Nationalist (u 1889) e aloeveral hirical article by DeLeon ollc in 1776-196 (Newor 1926) A coenary on the later Sialit hlleng on hitorical oition c be ound Jutu Ebe : eAerianizaion of Siali New Leader (January , 16)

2 Herann chleuter : The Brewin ndutry and te BreweryWorer Moveent in erica Cininnati 1910 age -8, 39 1 ,89, 140

3. Herann chleuter : Lincoln Lar d Slaver Chapterfro the Scial Hisor of Aeric (New or 113; e 5-6421, 35, , 59 59ff, 90 102, 123-12 169-170, 179-180, 06209, 21 236

4 Morri Hillquit : The Hisor of Sciali in te ni aNw Yor 1910), age 12617 193-15

ae Oneal : e Worer in eri Hiory (t. ui 92, age 7, 10 2 7273 75 139 15, 162 Onel lter wrotewo which are not onider ere e oleial reeeic Couni New Yor 198) the hiry of a loal

ha nion Hisr of Amalrmt die Grent Worernion Nuber 0 New Yor 1927

uvu Myer : The Great Aeri oune (e Librarydiion New Yor 194), age 1 23-2 Originlly ublih inree Kerr volue th wor w yer otular oialitolue alo however hi Histor of the Supreme Cou (Chi192) wa ular in Scialit irle Myer Hisr of erideai New Yor 1925) lo off hi oilii eriod

len Benon : Our Dihonet Contitution (ew or 191) lieany of he other Sialit hitoril wor t he ie drift off a oliial lea a he e of he o.

A M ion : he Aeric arer (Chia 190), ge 11 ,

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92, 29, 27, 30, 63, 71, 10.9. My nlyss o cl Forces n Amern Hstory s largely

der rom n excellent unpublsed dssetaton, Robert S. Hu sn :


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1938) Pas 429431.23. Richar Ema : ir s Itructio t Ma rx a gs

h Cii War i th it ats (Nw York 1937), Pags xix x

24 James S. Allen : Recon struction, Te Bate for Democracy,1 8 65-186 (New York, 1937) especially the "Ed r' s Forewo . , by

R ichard Emale Pages 7 -14 and ChapterV, The Labor Movemet" ,

who e mechanical ad propagaistic iterpretio may b usefully

compared with parallel sectios of DBois : Black Recostructio (New

York, 1935) and Davd Motgomery : Beyod Recostructio( ew York,1 9 6) Allen had ben a philoophy professor at the niversity of

Pensylvaia i the 1920s , had doe ecoomic stuy i the Philippies

for the Comntern a had fctioned n the 1930s as a Suthern d

N gro xprt i Commist Party. His work s attack in HaroCrue : C rsis of the Negro Intellectual (New York, 1967), Page 163.

25. Lrs th Nao Voum 1 4 (Juy 2, 19 38), Pag 27. Hote furthr : As a schoar i Amrica hisry an hostriwr I fi it cssary pos ry ffort by Communists orthir sympathizrs o rwrit Amrica hisry s a itcapurpos.

2 6. Jack Hary h irst Amrican Routo (Nw York 193 6)

Pags 46 48, 1 1 5 128 Not aso th Eitor s orwor by Ema2 . Iing Mark : Agrarian Coficts i Cooia Nw York, 171 1175, Coumbia irsity uis in Histry, umbr 469 (w York19 0 ), Pags 38 61 19 5 Lik Morais , Mark was a pfs so r tachigat Brooky Cog

28 Gri Hicks : Th Critica Pricips of V o uisParrin cic & Scity (a 1939) Pags 443460, is xtraordinariy uci s say, p robaby st sig tratmt ofParrgs ambiguitis

29 V. J Jrom : Marsm ii sm for cty an cic, ThCommuist, XVI (Dcmr 19 37 ), Pags 1 14 6 1 16 3 (particuary Pag1 1 4 8m, i which Jrom bra th Marxist Quartry (s 37 bow) by caimig that A ciqu of tskyt stergds ha ban togr to pubish th soca MarstQuartry, whos oy effct ca o atur arxis m i hitrst of imig progrssi actio, an XVI (Jauary 193),Pags 75, 85 87, 89.

30. Bc Mint an Joh uart : Th at Yars a th an(Nw York 1940) was pubish by M Ag ks, a commrciafi rm with som Communist irs which aim at hghcircuatioworks coaps aer sra yar s, o oubt faiig to s manyof h at Yars. th o ua w ftwig jouai ts a had priousy coarat o a popuarisc itructio ar momt, M Who a Lar (Nw York 193)

3 1 in : Gomt by Jiciary (w York, 1932) I, Pagsii, 400403 n Pags 1 26.

32 Tany Rogr B , i Enccopia of cia ic XIV wYork 1934), Pags 509510. ough sra rt wrtrs icingLwis Cory, Grani Hcks, us Hackr Broaus Mitch,cotribut historia orit a rtics ir scus sios wr o

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imit meri cosideraio ere33 is Hacker Te armer om Me Moy

(Marc 933) Pages 71

34 is Hacker meric Prolems o Tay (e ork 93)Pages ii 47 57 166. t te g tide o is radicalism 934Hacker ad ligtly is at tere as i e adiece o e ao some piltropist o eye ard is tre protectiood like edo a merica sie o R Proessors o isry . Mkers o Me merica ato Volume 13 (Marc 7 1934)Page 20

35 is Hacker Mr Broder ies Hisry" ao Volme42 (pril 22 1936) Pages 526 52 ; Leers" rom Broder ad

Hacker Volme 1 42 (Je 17 1936) Pages 777 ic Broderit at te Nato mg uder Troskyite" ilueces i prgsc mterial Hacker ks d e Ars" ao Volume 1 46 (May4 193) Page 562 ; ad Leters" rom I F. oe (Jue 1 18)P age 62 ad Hacker Volume 47 (Juy 1 3) Page 27 alycotrast o Broder's srll coueratacks o Hacker s HerbertApeker's laes Commus aalyss o Hacker's ork percepvelyreatg Hacker' s oarxa reatme o te merica Revoluio :Herer Apeker e meica Revoluo Ne York 196) Page 13

36. James Buram : less Amerca" Parts Reve (ovember-cember 4) Pages 479-48137 e Marxist Quarerly as prmarly e vecle or Hacker d

Co rey. Dug e osco rals ere as a brie iteal srleiolvg te rotsksts succeeded by ter resigaio as ell as asimulus draal o spo by e Quarerly's ce iacalgel" o devoe s ey to cece cety istead caseo e arxs Quarerl s ae o o suprtig e UR oruter deals ad aalys s see my aster' s essay : Louis C. Fraia

894 1953 versy o Coecicu 1 8). ter tree mers teQuarerly ole tose ad publsed several istrcal essays yLous Hacker ad o by Hery Frumer o Te Railrod Srikeso 1885-886 a e Ralroad rikes o 17 t o te laerbeg etal ork ltle si o over Maris aalysis.

8. me o ovacks isorcal essays ae colec itRober Himmel r) arx ssas Amerca Hisory (eYork 16) ovack's sigs reveal a capability ic as everbrou ruio srca aalysis. He s a stet o JoDeey's a rece decades as rie stly o plosopic

ecomc subecs. erram Woles maor corio o mericaisory as a essay Mar a merica " carried serialy i eode ohl 1933 al laer Daid Herreso America Dscples o r (tro 19 67) Pages 7 -1 92 specilineres was Wolfe's noon a he had en made in a histri byl 's carges o excepoalism" agist im Wole : HistoriLks at Covergece eory" i . Kurz (ior) Sidey Hk ate Coemorary World (Ne York 960). Felix Morro's cotriocosst als etrely o sor essays o Roger Wlliams sc asn "Lierary Carav- , Me Monthl, vn (Aust 1933) Pages

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44544 in which he sought to show thate Ameia dissente did notepresent the Left wing of Puritism but ather represented a lowemiddle class far to the right of he Levelles igges

39 Buhle : ouis raina Pages 459 or a me iterestinglythe Commists gae away copies of Crisis wih new subscriptions tothe New sses

40. Published accouts of Calveton inlude niel Aaon Writerson the ft (New York 1961) Chapte 13 ema Singer : CalvenPages 13-19 and S L lon : Calverton Between wo WorldsPages 25-28 h in de Quarterl XI (1940) Memorial Issue;and Sidey ook : ntruction Greenwo Reprt ries reeditionof e de Quarerly / Monly41 Cuse : Crisis of the Negro Intellectual Pages 152-162.

42. See the evaluation by icks Ameican Literature : a MaaInteetaon New Republi Volume 2 (ptember 1932) Pes104105 Calverns o iliaion ad assessment of Marsmsimpact in America is spelled out most clealy in e Inroduonto his k he Makig of Sciet an Oline of Sciology (ew York135).

43. Calverton : Philip reneau Me nl V (Ocber1933) Pages 533-546 e Awakenig of Aica (New York 1939)Pages i 22 238-239 251-254 20 283 30630 335 435 438.

44. Calverton : Where Angels ear read (New York 1941)Pages 344 348-350.

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WE. B DuBois

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W . B DuBi ad mricacia iry: he Evolutioof a Marxit

Pau icar

Du is saw the ioance of history economics sociologye ceera and saw ha wihout an undersaig of the role of

he Negro people it was iossible o get a clear consisentd comprehensive view of American civilizaion as a wholeAnd a I believe was the cause of his srengh and of thererkable range of his accolishmens I insis that to cllhim only a Negro leader is do him an injustice; it is o on injusice o the Neo people o srike a gret blow agintclear view of Wese Civilization as a whole (C L R Jmes)

ace d class ; an American a Negro; e centrality of rce hese

deas have haunted and fdl both American hisory n Americanarsm W E Du is spen his enre adul life wring ut thissubjec he wroe a a scholar as an acivis and s a revolutionryOver his long life he chang great deal : he chang in respone tovas develmens world ierialism a o the necessity of blackfoks reac and ersa he world And the worl i not mkehat ask easy Whie civilizaion has devel he st complete ahorough raionalizaion of is empires at the worl has ever seenDu ois commen in Darkwater 1920 : Here is civiliztion ththas s much Neither Roman nor Arab Greek nor gtinersi nor Mongol ever k himself his own pefeces itsuch disconceg seriousness as he me white man We whoeshame humiliaion an deep insult his anizement o ofteivolv were never deceiv We loked a him clearly th orldoleyes a saw simply h thg wek and pible and cuel evenas we are a were (1)

o sy Du oiss writgs then is o aempt brek

hese rationalizaions his essay will intruce some of his wigson American social hisory d attempt to sho how he evolv hismeh of proach. He bega s a social scienist rain in the besnsions of leang hat urgeois society h o offer; but by the

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1930 he embac Masm n all it ssenls. Th key in hstansfomaon was hi tivn upli blck folks and chve acla viw of Wste Ciilizaon s a whol

Du ois' backod a ucaon povd him wi the sse of

ddiaon his pel a the training in e socil sciencs whichhe would ue fo the eide of his lif Ris in smll blackNew Engl communit h ract his gowng wanss of cialoppssion by witrwg psonally d by sriving b h stin all h did. H main ll hi lif n achicl w Englad :

highly listic and pesonlly srict wi hislf an oths.When he nt Fisk Univsity 1885 h bc colely

involv in the Tnnss blck comuniy, d cid o vothis life s work th poess of mricn black Thr as lah e Haad s a jio, d in 189 h grau cum laudin philosophy Whil gadu he h stui undr Willim as and young tayana, chos graut wor n hisoywhich h had sti wi Alfr Bushll r. I ws during hisgraduat sy tha h conceiv th i of pplying philosoh

hisrical inton of rac rltions" H o is firt sptowd sociology s he scic of hun tio" 2) ts arly ys, is was no rical His gruon ddss

Fis n 1888 s on Bisrk This choic n islf show abysbtwn y ucation the tru n h worl ws blihlyuop iprilist in ouook ocrc s ocrc wsconciv n Aic 3) th s im his owlg of rac dcism sv hi fro col confoy His concnton onblck popl n hi pobls was h ciical g wih wich h

approach his suis A ard h vot islf acilhes, gining wh bibliogrphy on Nt Tur nd continughrough his issrion on h Suprssion of African lav Trad.

1892 Du Bois bg wo yrs of sy Univsiy of Brlin.H stid conomics hisy, and sociology I s unr h oic ofth fi-ing anGr vo Tischk r ring an Wb wrot on Amrican agiculr for hmollr iscuss sociconditions in urop wi tachrs n snts. bgan s thc pbl in Amric, h probl of th ppls of Afic

Asi h political dvelopmn of ur s on" () was isworl viw n h of r t cobin hlvs in hisission Focusig th siificnc of slvry o h WseWorl usig ss a lws of he ss d nion foocumnon, h wrot prssion of th Africn lv Tdein 1896. ublish s th rs volu of Histoical isthis k is his mos pofssionl" and tdional work has hldits plc as iort on subjct.

Bois s rince Euop h allowd him, for first m

be ou of what he clld his aci provincilism H ce 38


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hae or suspect people sil because of race or color e began see e hisrical and social basis of white racism, a eme which heconsntl develop in his writings I addition, Du Bois began

unders the real meing of scientific research and the dim olineof meths of emploing its techniques and its results in the new socialsciences for the setlement of he Negro problems in America (5He view his ucation as a means to help n the strggle of blackpeople I this convicon is broke from the academic" world andits abilit o ms

radical america - vol 4 no 8&9 - 1970 - november december

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