James P. Cannon
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James P. Cannon | |
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National Secretary of the Socialist Workers Party | |
In office January 1938 – 1953 | |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Farrell Dobbs |
Personal details | |
Born | James Patrick Cannon February 11, 1890 Rosedale, Kansas, United States |
Died | August 21, 1974 Los Angeles, California, United States | (aged 84)
Political party | Socialist Workers Party |
This article is part of a series on |
Socialism in the United States |
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James Patrick Cannon (February 11, 1890 – August 21, 1974) was an American Trotskyist and a leader of the Socialist Workers Party.
Born on February 11, 1890, in Rosedale, Kansas, the son of Irish immigrants with strong socialist convictions, he joined the Socialist Party of America (SPA) in 1908 and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) in 1911. He was personally trained by "Big Bill" Haywood, a top IWW leader, and was an IWW organizer throughout the Midwest from 1912 to 1914.[1]
Following his expulsion from the Communist Party USA in 1928, of which he had been a founding member and the national chairman of its legal entity,[2] the Workers Party of America, Cannon was national secretary of the Communist League of America, Workers Party of the United States and Socialist Workers Party. During World War II, he served time in prison for opposing America's involvement in the conflict. Cannon retired and moved to California in 1953. He was national chairman emeritus of the SWP when he died in Los Angeles on August 21, 1974.
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Political biography
Cannon in the early Communist movement
Cannon opposed
In May 1920, the CLP merged with a section of the CPA headed by
Cannon was on the executive board of the American Labor Alliance, one of the underground CPA's most important legal organizations, intended to bring mainstream trade unionists into common cause with the persecuted underground communist movement. In December 1921, Cannon delivered the keynote speech to the founding convention of the "legal political party" formed in parallel to the underground CPA, the Workers Party of America (WPA) and was elected national chairman by that convention.
Cannon was elected by the CEC of the unified CPA as delegate of that organization to the Enlarged Plenum of the executive committee of the Communist International (ECCI) and as formal party representative to the Red International of Labor Unions (RILU), leaving the USA in mid-May 1922 and arriving finally in Moscow on June 1. He stayed on there as a delegate of the American party to the 4th World Congress of the Comintern, where he was elected to the ECCI Presidium, serving from August through November 1922. Back in America, Cannon was a member of the executive committee of the Friends of Soviet Russia from 1922. He was also a candidate of the WPA for the United States Congress from the New York 10th District in 1922. Cannon remained on the CEC of the WPA throughout this period.
On January 19, 1924, Cannon was named assistant executive secretary of the Workers Party of America, working under his faction rival, Ruthenberg. He was the WPA's candidate for Governor of New York in 1924, and again returned to Moscow as a delegate of the party to the 5th Enlarged Plenum of ECCI, held in March and April 1925.
Cannon was an important factional leader in the American communist movement of the 1920s, sitting on the governing Central Executive Committee of the party in alliance with William Z. Foster, a Chicago-based group which looked to native-born American workers in the unions. Later in the decade, Cannon broke to an extent with Foster, heading up instead the party's legal defense arm, International Labor Defense (ILD). This organization served as a power base for Cannon and his associates. Cannon was the Workers (Communist) Party's candidate for Congress in the New York 20th District in 1928.
Cannon's turn to Trotskyism
While in Russia in 1928, Cannon read a critique of the direction of the
Outside of the Communist Party, Cannon, Shachtman, and Abern founded a new political party, the
Concretely this meant that they no longer considered the Communist League to be a faction of the Communist Party but rather considered it the nucleus of a future revolutionary party. It also meant that they were far more inclined to look at working with other sections of the reviving socialist and workers movements from this point forth. Although the Communist League had been a small organization — opponents dubbing Cannon, Abern and Shachtman "Three generals without an army" — it had won a majority of the Communist Party branch in
Throughout 1935 and into 1936, the Workers Party was deeply divided over the so-called "
The Trotskyists' stay inside the Socialist Party lasted only about a year from mid-1936 until mid-1937. Admissions were made on an individual basis, rather than en masse. Chicago attorney and devoted Trotskyist
As the factional situation in the Socialist Party intensified early in 1937, the decision was made by the hostile New York party organization to expel the Trotskyists, which took place late in the spring of 1937. A large percentage of the SPA's youth organization, the Young People's Socialist League, left with the expelled Left Wing. (Those expelled had organized a "Federation of NY Left Wing Branches" of the SP and published a Trotskyist edited journal, Socialist Appeal. This became the Socialist Workers Party paper for a number of years after its founding.) James Cannon was noted to have said that when the Trotskyist were expelled from the Socialist Party that, "they had expelled the heart of their party; Trotsky had won over all the serious young activists, leaving only a dead husk"[7]
In the summer of 1937, Cannon returned to New York from California, where he conducted organizational activities which led to the formation of the Socialist Workers Party at a convention held from December 31, 1937, to January 3, 1938. Cannon was elected as the group's first National Secretary.[8] James Cannon later wrote that "Our 'round trip' through the Socialist Party had resulted in gains all along the line. We formed the Socialist Workers Party...and began once again an independent struggle with good prospects and good hopes".[9]
Cannon in the SWP
In addition to his activity in the Socialist Workers Party, Cannon was a leading figure in the Fourth International, the international Trotskyist movement, and visited Britain in 1938 with the intention of aiding the unification of the competing British groups. The result was a patched together unification, the Revolutionary Socialist League, which rapidly disintegrated.
In 1940, Shachtman left with a large part of the membership to form the
Following the war, Cannon resumed leadership of the SWP, but this role declined after he handed the post of national secretary in 1953 to
Personal life
Marriage
He was married first to Lista Makimson. They had two children, Karl and Ruth. Lista died of a heart attack in 1929. His second wife was Rose Greenberg Karsner Cannon (1890–1969). She was originally from Romania, and came to the United States while still a child. She joined the Socialist Party in 1908, and married the journalist David Karsner in 1911.[12] They had a child, Walta Karsner, but were divorced in 1921.[13] She moved left politically and joined the Communist Party in 1920. She met James Cannon in 1921, and their relationship began that year. She was involved in James Cannon's formation of the Communist League of America and later, the Socialist Workers Party. She served as business manager of The Militant. She moved with James Cannon to California in 1953, and died in 1969.[14]
Death and legacy
James P. Cannon died on August 21, 1974, aged 84. His papers are housed at the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison and are available on microfilm through interlibrary loan.
Works
A great deal of Cannon's writing has been collected, although volumes were issued non-sequentially by various publishers and are by no means exhaustive. In approximate chronological order of content, providing the publisher and date of first edition, these selected works volumes are:
- The fifth year of the Russian revolution: a report of a lecture[permanent dead link] New York: Workers Party of America 1923.
- Trade unions in America (with James P. Cannon and Earl Browder) Chicago, Ill. : Published for the Trade Union Educational League by the Daily worker 1925 (Little red library #1)
- History of American Trotskyism, 1928–38, Report of a Participant
- Leon Trotsky: memorial address "To the memory of the old man" New York: Pioneer Publishers for the Socialist Workers Party 1940
- Socialism on trial: the official court record of James P. Cannon's testimony in the famous Minneapolis "sedition" trial. New York : Pioneer Publishers 1942
- The workers and the Second World War: speech to the tenth National Convention of the Socialist Workers Party, Oct. 2-4, 1942: with the political resolution adopted by the Convention New York, Pioneer Publishers 1942
- Defense policy in the Minneapolis trial. (contributor) New York, Pioneer Publishers 1942
- The struggle for a proletarian party New York, Pioneer Publishers 1943 (2001 edition with new introduction)
- The end of the Comintern New York, Pioneer Publishers 1943 alternate link
- The Russian revolution New York, Pioneer Publishers 1944
- Why we are in prison: farewell speeches of the 18 SWP and 544-CIO Minneapolis prisoners. New York, Pioneer Publishers 1944
- The History of American Trotskyism: report of a participant New York, Pioneer Publishers 1944
- American Stalinism and anti-Stalinism New York, Pioneer Publishers 1947 alternate link
- The coming American revolution New York, Pioneer Publishers 1947 alternate link
- The Voice of socialism: radio speeches by the Socialist Workers Party candidates in the 1948 election New York, Pioneer Publishers 1948 alternate link
- The road to peace according to Stalin and according to Lenin New York, Pioneer Publishers 1951 alternate link
- America's road to socialism New York, Pioneer Publishers 1953 alternate link
- The I.W.W.: on the fiftieth anniversary of the founding convention New York, Pioneer Publishers 1955 (Pioneer pocket library #4)
- The Debs centennial: written on the 100. anniversary of the birth of Eugene V. Debs New York, Pioneer Publishers 1956 (Pioneer pocket library #5) alternate link
- Notebook of an Agitator. New York: Pioneer Publishers, 1958
- Socialist election policy in 1958 New York, Pioneer Publishers 1958
- Socialism and democracy New York, Pioneer Publishers 1959
- The First Ten Years of American Communism: Report of a Participant. New York: Lyle Stuart, 1962
- Letters from prison, New York, Merit Publishers 1968
- Peace politics vs revolutionary politics: Henry Wallace and the 1948 presidential campaign : report and summary of Socialist Workers Party election policy of 1948 New York, Young Socialist Alliance 1968
- Leon Trotsky on labor party: stenographic report of discussion held in 1938 with leaders of the Socialist Workers Party (with others) New York: Bulletin Publications 1968
- Defending the revolutionary party and its perspectives; [documents and speeches of the 1952-53 factional struggle and split in the Socialist Workers Party.]. New York, National Education Dept., Socialist Workers Party, 1968
- Speeches for Socialism. New York: Pathfinder Press, 1971.
- Speeches to the Party: The Revolutionary Perspective and the Revolutionary Party. New York: Pathfinder Press, 1973.
- The fight against fascism in the USA: forty years of struggle described by participants New York, National Education Dept., Socialist Workers Party, 1976
- What is American fascism?: writings on Father Coughlin, Mayor Frank Hague, and Senator Joseph McCarthy New York, National Education Dept., Socialist Workers Party, 1976
- Background to "The struggle for a proletarian party" New York, National Education Dept., Socialist Workers Party, 1979
- Don't strangle the party: three letters and a talk New York, NY : Fourth Internationalist Tendency ; Detroit, MI : Socialist Unity, 1986
- James P. Cannon and the Early Years of American Communism: Selected Writings and Speeches, 1920-1928. New York: Prometheus Research Library, 1992.
- Dog Days: James P. Cannon vs. Max Shachtman in the Communist League of America, 1931-1933. New York: Prometheus Research Library, 2002.
Collected writings and speeches
- The Left Opposition in the US, 1928-31. New York: Monad Press, 1981.
- The Communist League of America, 1932-34. New York: Monad Press, 1985.
- The Socialist Workers Party in World War II. New York: Pathfinder Press, 1975. — Writings from 1940-1943.
- The Struggle for Socialism in the "American Century". New York: Pathfinder Press, 1977. — Writings from 1945-1947.
References
- ^ Bio at reds.linefeed.org Archived 2006-05-15 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Foreword to "The Russian Revolution", by James P. Cannon, Pioneer Publishers, N.Y., March, 1944.
- ^ "The Struggle Against Trotskyism and the Right Danger: Declaration by Central Committee of the Workers (Communist) Party of America," Daily Worker, vol. 5, no. 272 (November 16, 1928), pg. 3.
- ISBN 9780814321041.
- ^ Jon Bloom, "Abraham Johannes ("A.J.") Muste," in Gary M. Fink (ed.), Biographical Dictionary of American Labor. Revised edition. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1984; pp. 428-429.
- ^ James P. Cannon, The Struggle for a Proletarian Party. New York: Pioneer Publishers, 1943; pg. 54.
- ^ Constance, Ashton Myers (1977). The Prophets Army: Trotskyists in America, 1928-1941. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. p. 142.
- ISBN 9780873485296.
- ^ Cannon, James (1944). The History of American Trotskyism 1928-1938 (Third ed.). New York: Pathfinder Press. p. 300.
- ^ James G Ryan Archived 2010-05-27 at the Wayback Machine, "James P. Cannon", in Biographical Dictionary of the American Left, edited by Bernard K. Johnpoll and Harvey Klehr. New York: Greenwood Press, 1986, pp. 62-65
- ISBN 1-56663-090-8.
- ^ John F. Barlow, "Biography for David Karsner" [1] IMDb, Retrieved October 3, 2011
- ^ Kelli Piotrowski, "Guide to the David Karsner Papers: Historical/Biographical Note," [2] Archived 2011-07-02 at the Wayback Machine Tamiment Library and Robert F. Warner Labor Archives, New York University
- ^ "Register of the James P. Cannon Papers, 1919-1975: Biography/History" Archival Resources in Wisconsin, Descriptive Finding Aids [3] Retrieved Dec 31, 2018
Further reading
- George Breitman, Paul Le Blanc, and Alan Wald"Trotskyism in the United States: Historical Essays and Reconsiderations." New Jersey: Humanities Press, 1996.
- Theodore Draper, The Roots of American Communism. New York: Viking, 1957.
- Theodore Draper, American Communism and Soviet Russia. New York: Viking, 1960.
- David Gillespie, "Challengers to Duopoly: Why Third Parties Matter in America Two-Party Politics." Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 2012.
- Constance Ashton Myers, The Prophet's Army: Trotskyism in America, 1928-1941. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1977.
- George Novack, "James P. Cannon, 1890-1974: A Tribute," International Socialist Review, vol. 35, no. 9 (Oct. 1974), pp. 6–9.
- Bryan D. Palmer, James P. Cannon and the Origins of the American Revolutionary Left, 1890-1928. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2007.
External links
- Works by or about James P. Cannon at Internet Archive
- James P. Cannon Internet Archive, Marxists Internet Archive.
- Finding Aid for James P. Cannon Papers, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, WI.
- The Lubitz TrotskyanaNet provides a biographical sketch and a selective bibliography of James P. Cannon
- Fred Mazelis, "Interview with Bryan Palmer, Biographer of James P. Cannon, Founder of American Trotskyism," World Socialist Web Site, September 28, 2007.
- The Politics of James P. Cannon by Chris Bambery, International Socialism 36 (1987)