Revolutionary Age
Encyclopedia
The Revolutionary Age was an American radical newspaper edited by Louis C. Fraina
and published from November 1918 until August 1919. Originally the publication of Local Boston, Socialist Party
, the paper evolved into the de facto national organ of the Left Wing Section of the Socialist Party
which battled for control of the Socialist Party throughout the spring and summer of 1919. With the establishment of the Left Wing National Council in June 1919, the paper was moved from Boston
to New York City
gained status as the official voice of the nascent American communist
movement. The publication was terminated in August 1919, replaced by the official organ of the new Communist Party of America, a weekly newspaper known as The Communist.
of the Socialist Party of America
— organized groups of immigrants
conducting their activities in languages other than English. Many of these foreign language groups, particularly those hailing from the Russian empire
, were deeply inspired by the Marxist
revolutionary movement which overthrew the Tsarist regime in 1917. This emerging revolutionary left in the Socialist party sought to advance its ideas through the establishment of radical newspapers.
The immediate forerunner of The Revolutionary Age was a newspaper called The New International, issued n New York under the auspices of the Socialist Propaganda League
. This paper was launched early in 1917, but ran out of funds by summer, forcing its outright suspension from the middle of July until the start of October 1917. Only a few irregularly appearing issues of The New International were issued after that date due to these ongoing financial concerns, leaving a void for the emergence of a new revolutionary socialist
publication.
At the beginning of 1918 revolutionary socialists managed to win majority control of Local Boston, Socialist Party, with the powerful Boston-based Lettish Socialist Federation functioning as the leading center of the movement. The Boston City Committee made the decision to bring New International editor Louis Fraina from New York City to Boston to take charge of party educational work from that center. By the end of the year a new publication had emerged, issued with Local Boston providing financial support and with educational director Fraina at the helm. This publication was known as The Revolutionary Age.
Joining Fraina as associate editor was Irish-American radical Eadmonn MacAlpine. Contributing editors included Scott Nearing
, John Reed, Ludwig Lore
, and Sen Katayama
, as well as Nicholas Hourwich and Gregory Weinstein of the Russian Socialist Federation
.
The first issue of The Revolutionary Age appeared dated Saturday, November 16, 1918 — less than one week after the formal termination of World War I
. The front page of the tabloid newsprint
publication was dominated by a banner headline warning against the war's continuation as a military intervention against Soviet Russia
. Additional material was dedicated to the ongoing revolution in Germany, thereby assuring that the issue's whole content lived up to the slogan printed on the publication's masthead — "A Chronicle and Interpretation of Events in Eurpoe." Cover price of the paper was 2 cents per issue.
. The publication was merged with the organ of the Left Wing Section of Greater New York, The New York Communist
and operations were henceforth conducted from an office located at 43 West 29th Street in Manhattan. A new volume of the publication, "Volume 2," was launched in conjunction with the move.
The paper continued to be edited by Louis Fraina, assisted by a managing council of 11. The circulation of the combined publication averaged 16,000 copies a week, according to the report of the Lusk Committee established in 1919 by the New York State Senate to study the activities of the radical movement in that state.
The name The Revolutionary Age was used again in 1929 as the title of an American communist newspaper by the so-called Communist Party (Majority Group) headed by Jay Lovestone
. The Lovestone group, which including such veterans of the Left Wing Section Benjamin Gitlow
and Bertram D. Wolfe, chose to pay homage to the seminal earlier publication by choosing the same name for their own official organ.
Louis C. Fraina
Louis C. Fraina was a founding member of the American Communist Party in 1919. After running afoul of the Communist International in 1921 over the alleged misappropriation of funds, Fraina left the organized radical movement, emerging in 1930 as a left wing public intellectual by the name of Lewis...
and published from November 1918 until August 1919. Originally the publication of Local Boston, Socialist Party
Socialist Party of America
The Socialist Party of America was a multi-tendency democratic-socialist political party in the United States, formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party which had split from the main organization...
, the paper evolved into the de facto national organ of the Left Wing Section of the Socialist Party
Left Wing Section of the Socialist Party
The Left Wing Section of the Socialist Party was an organized faction within the Socialist Party of America in 1919 which served as the core of the dual communist parties which emerged in the fall of that year — the Communist Party of America and the Communist Labor Party of America.-Precusors:A...
which battled for control of the Socialist Party throughout the spring and summer of 1919. With the establishment of the Left Wing National Council in June 1919, the paper was moved from Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
gained status as the official voice of the nascent American communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
movement. The publication was terminated in August 1919, replaced by the official organ of the new Communist Party of America, a weekly newspaper known as The Communist.
Background
During the decade of the 1910s, Boston was at the time one of the centers of the foreign language federationsLanguage federation
Language Federations were formed in the late 19th and early 20th century by immigrants to the United States, primarily from Eastern and Southern Europe, who shared a commitment to some form of socialist politics...
of the Socialist Party of America
Socialist Party of America
The Socialist Party of America was a multi-tendency democratic-socialist political party in the United States, formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party which had split from the main organization...
— organized groups of immigrants
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
conducting their activities in languages other than English. Many of these foreign language groups, particularly those hailing from the Russian empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, were deeply inspired by the Marxist
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
revolutionary movement which overthrew the Tsarist regime in 1917. This emerging revolutionary left in the Socialist party sought to advance its ideas through the establishment of radical newspapers.
The immediate forerunner of The Revolutionary Age was a newspaper called The New International, issued n New York under the auspices of the Socialist Propaganda League
Socialist Propaganda League
The Socialist Propaganda League was a tiny socialist group active in London from circa 1911 to 1951.The League was formed as a result of an early dispute in the Socialist Party of Great Britain and of the optimistic belief of the Party’s founder members that the socialist revolution was near...
. This paper was launched early in 1917, but ran out of funds by summer, forcing its outright suspension from the middle of July until the start of October 1917. Only a few irregularly appearing issues of The New International were issued after that date due to these ongoing financial concerns, leaving a void for the emergence of a new revolutionary socialist
Revolutionary socialism
The term revolutionary socialism refers to Socialist tendencies that advocate the need for fundamental social change through revolution by mass movements of the working class, as a strategy to achieve a socialist society...
publication.
At the beginning of 1918 revolutionary socialists managed to win majority control of Local Boston, Socialist Party, with the powerful Boston-based Lettish Socialist Federation functioning as the leading center of the movement. The Boston City Committee made the decision to bring New International editor Louis Fraina from New York City to Boston to take charge of party educational work from that center. By the end of the year a new publication had emerged, issued with Local Boston providing financial support and with educational director Fraina at the helm. This publication was known as The Revolutionary Age.
Establishment
At the time of its November 1918 launch, The Revolutionary Age was scheduled to appear three times a week, although due to financial constraints the papers was never able to come out more than twice each week and it was soon downgraded to more typical weekly status.Joining Fraina as associate editor was Irish-American radical Eadmonn MacAlpine. Contributing editors included Scott Nearing
Scott Nearing
Scott Nearing was an American radical economist, educator, writer, political activist, and advocate of simple living.-The early years:...
, John Reed, Ludwig Lore
Ludwig Lore
Ludwig Lore was an American socialist newspaper editor and politician, best remembered for his tenure as editor of the New Yorker Volkszeitung and role as a factional leader in the early American communist movement...
, and Sen Katayama
Sen Katayama
Sen Katayama , born Yabuki Sugataro , was an early member of the American Communist Party and co-founder, in 1922, of the Japan Communist Party....
, as well as Nicholas Hourwich and Gregory Weinstein of the Russian Socialist Federation
Russian Socialist Federation
The Russian Socialist Federation was a semi-autonomous American political organization which was part of the Socialist Party of America from 1915 until the split of the national organization into rival socialist and communist organizations in the summer of 1919...
.
The first issue of The Revolutionary Age appeared dated Saturday, November 16, 1918 — less than one week after the formal termination of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The front page of the tabloid newsprint
Newsprint
Newsprint is a low-cost, non-archival paper most commonly used to print newspapers, and other publications and advertising material. It usually has an off-white cast and distinctive feel. It is designed for use in printing presses that employ a long web of paper rather than individual sheets of...
publication was dominated by a banner headline warning against the war's continuation as a military intervention against Soviet Russia
Soviet Russia
Soviet Russia usually refers to the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, one of the fifteen republics of the Soviet Union. It may also denote:* Soviet Russia , magazine of the Friends of Soviet Russia in the United States...
. Additional material was dedicated to the ongoing revolution in Germany, thereby assuring that the issue's whole content lived up to the slogan printed on the publication's masthead — "A Chronicle and Interpretation of Events in Eurpoe." Cover price of the paper was 2 cents per issue.
Relationship with the Left Wing Section
In the aftermath of the meeting of the National Left Wing Conference in New York City late in June 1919, The Revolutionary Age was named the official organ of the Left Wing Section of the Socialist PartyLeft Wing Section of the Socialist Party
The Left Wing Section of the Socialist Party was an organized faction within the Socialist Party of America in 1919 which served as the core of the dual communist parties which emerged in the fall of that year — the Communist Party of America and the Communist Labor Party of America.-Precusors:A...
. The publication was merged with the organ of the Left Wing Section of Greater New York, The New York Communist
New York Communist
The New York Communist was a short-lived weekly newspaper issued by the Left Wing Section of the Socialist Party of Local Greater New York, encompassing the New York City metro area. The paper was edited by the renowned radical journalist and war correspondent John Reed...
and operations were henceforth conducted from an office located at 43 West 29th Street in Manhattan. A new volume of the publication, "Volume 2," was launched in conjunction with the move.
The paper continued to be edited by Louis Fraina, assisted by a managing council of 11. The circulation of the combined publication averaged 16,000 copies a week, according to the report of the Lusk Committee established in 1919 by the New York State Senate to study the activities of the radical movement in that state.
Termination and legacy
The last issue of The Revolutionary Age appeared on August 23, 1919. The paper was succeeded by the organs of the two new Communist Parties established at Chicago conventions during the first week of September — the Communist Party of America and the Communist Labor Party of America.The name The Revolutionary Age was used again in 1929 as the title of an American communist newspaper by the so-called Communist Party (Majority Group) headed by Jay Lovestone
Jay Lovestone
Jay Lovestone was at various times a member of the Socialist Party of America, a leader of the Communist Party USA, leader of a small oppositionist party, an anti-Communist and Central Intelligence Agency helper, and foreign policy advisor to the leadership of the AFL-CIO and various unions...
. The Lovestone group, which including such veterans of the Left Wing Section Benjamin Gitlow
Benjamin Gitlow
Benjamin "Ben" Gitlow was a prominent American socialist politician of the early twentieth century and a founding member of the Communist Party USA. From the end of the 1930s, Gitlow turned to conservatism and wrote two sensational exposés of American Communism, books which were very influential...
and Bertram D. Wolfe, chose to pay homage to the seminal earlier publication by choosing the same name for their own official organ.
See also
- English-language press of the Communist Party USAEnglish-language press of the Communist Party USADuring the nine decades since its establishment in 1919, the Communist Party USA produced or inspired a vast array of newspapers and magazines in the English language....
- The Class Struggle (magazine)The Class Struggle (magazine)The Class Struggle was a bi-monthly Marxist theoretical magazine published in New York City by the Socialist Publication Society. The SPS also published a series of pamphlets, mostly reprints from the magazine during the short period of its existence. Among the initial editors of the publication...
External links
- Index to complete run of Revolutionary Age, Marxists Internet Archive, www.marxists.org/