Political Affairs Magazine
Encyclopedia
Political Affairs Magazine is a monthly, online Marxist publication. It aims to provide an analysis of events from a working class
point of view. Political Affairs Magazine is a publication of the Communist Party USA
. It was founded in 1944 upon the closure of its predecessor, The Communist, which was founded in 1924. Well known editors of Political Affairs Magazine include Gus Hall
, Hyman Lumer, Herbert Aptheker
, and Joe Sims. The editor now is Joel Wendland. Sims continues as publisher.
At its founding, Political Affairs was the theoretical organ of the Communist Party, USA, generally publishing articles intended almost exclusively for members of the Communist Party. In the late 1990s, that role changed, and Political Affairs shed its role as an internal organ of the Communist Party and adopted a broader stance.
It provides Marxist perspectives on many contemporary issues and engages in theoretical discussions relevant to Marxists and the labor movement. In addition to articles devoted to national and international politics, it offers poetry, book reviews, occasional reviews of music and film, interviews, and occasional short stories.
The CPUSAs theoretical monthly has a long lineage. It can be traced back to The Masses the famous Greenwich Village
paper of the 1910s. After this was suppressed by the government, it continued as The Liberator. Independently of this, the Friends of Soviet Russia
had established another monthly, Soviet Russia in 1919. In 1924 the title was changed to Soviet Russia Pictorial. Finally, William Z. Foster had begun Labor Herald as the official publication of his Trade Union Educational League
in March 1922. When the Workers Party of America
had finally been consolidated as the unified above ground communist party in the United States, it was determined that the party should have a theoretical monthly as well as a daily, in line with Lenins guideline in What is to be done?
The above three publications were combined into Workers Monthly, which debuted in November 1924. It changed its name to The Communist in 1927 and Political Affairs in 1944.
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
point of view. Political Affairs Magazine is a publication of the Communist Party USA
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
. It was founded in 1944 upon the closure of its predecessor, The Communist, which was founded in 1924. Well known editors of Political Affairs Magazine include Gus Hall
Gus Hall
Gus Hall, born Arvo Kustaa Hallberg , was a leader and Chairman of the Communist Party USA and its four-time U.S. presidential candidate. As a labor leader, Hall was closely associated with the so-called "Little Steel" Strike of 1937, an effort to unionize the nation's smaller, regional steel...
, Hyman Lumer, Herbert Aptheker
Herbert Aptheker
Herbert Aptheker was an American Marxist historian and political activist. He authored over 50 volumes, mostly in the fields of African American history and general U.S. history, most notably, American Negro Slave Revolts , a classic in the field, and the 7-volume Documentary History of the Negro...
, and Joe Sims. The editor now is Joel Wendland. Sims continues as publisher.
At its founding, Political Affairs was the theoretical organ of the Communist Party, USA, generally publishing articles intended almost exclusively for members of the Communist Party. In the late 1990s, that role changed, and Political Affairs shed its role as an internal organ of the Communist Party and adopted a broader stance.
It provides Marxist perspectives on many contemporary issues and engages in theoretical discussions relevant to Marxists and the labor movement. In addition to articles devoted to national and international politics, it offers poetry, book reviews, occasional reviews of music and film, interviews, and occasional short stories.
The CPUSAs theoretical monthly has a long lineage. It can be traced back to The Masses the famous Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
paper of the 1910s. After this was suppressed by the government, it continued as The Liberator. Independently of this, the Friends of Soviet Russia
Friends of Soviet Russia
The Friends of Soviet Russia was formally established in the United States on August 9, 1921 as an offshoot of the American Labor Alliance for Trade Relations with Soviet Russia...
had established another monthly, Soviet Russia in 1919. In 1924 the title was changed to Soviet Russia Pictorial. Finally, William Z. Foster had begun Labor Herald as the official publication of his Trade Union Educational League
Trade Union Educational League
The Trade Union Educational League was established by William Z. Foster in 1920 as a means of uniting radicals within various trade unions for a common plan of action. The group was subsidized by the Communist International via the Communist Party of America from 1922...
in March 1922. When the Workers Party of America
Workers Party of America
The Workers Party of America was the name of the legal party organization used by the Communist Party USA from the last days of 1921 until the middle of 1929. As a legal political party the Workers Party accepted affiliation from independent socialist groups such as the African Blood Brotherhood,...
had finally been consolidated as the unified above ground communist party in the United States, it was determined that the party should have a theoretical monthly as well as a daily, in line with Lenins guideline in What is to be done?
What is to be Done?
What to do? Burning Questions of Our Movement is a political pamphlet written by the Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin in 1901 and published in 1902...
The above three publications were combined into Workers Monthly, which debuted in November 1924. It changed its name to The Communist in 1927 and Political Affairs in 1944.
| Title | Place of publication | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| The Masses The Masses The Masses was a graphically innovative magazine of socialist politics published monthly in the U.S. from 1911 until 1917, when Federal prosecutors brought charges against its editors for conspiring to obstruct conscription. It was succeeded by The Liberator and then later The New Masses... |
New York | Vol. I #1 Jan 1911 - Vol. X #2 Dec 1917 |
| Liberator The Liberator (magazine) The Liberator was a monthly socialist magazine established by Max Eastman and his sister Crystal Eastman in 1918 to continue the work of The Masses, which was shut down by the wartime mailing regulations of the U.S. government. Intensely political, the magazine included copious quantities of art,... |
New York | Vol. I #1 March 1918 - Vol. VII #10 Oct 1924 |
| Soviet Russia | New York | Vol. I #1 June 1919 - Vol. VII #11 Dec 1922 |
| Soviet Russia Pictorial | Chicago | Vol. VIII #1 Jan 1923 - Vol. IX #10 Oct 1924 |
| Labor Herald | Chicago | Vol. I #1 March 1922 - Vol. III #8 Oct 1924 |
| Workers Monthly | New York | Vol. IV #1 Nov 1924 - Vol. V #16 Feb 1927 |
| The Communist | New York | Vol. VI #1 March 1927 - Vol. XXIII #12 Dec 1944 |
| Political Affairs | New York | Vol. XXIV #12 Jan 1945 - present |