Joel A Lewis Youth Against Fascism.pdf

THE LENINIST GENERATION
The communist youth movement in the United States followed a similar evolution,
largely failing to adapt to the distinct national context of American political culture.
WWI facilitated a significant amount of political radicalism, unrest and repression in the
United States. With US entry into WWI in April, 1917 many American youth initially
became "swept into what appeared to be an idealistic crusade to end war and make the
world safe for democracy and peace." 158 During this period a wave of government and
vigilante persecution was unleashed against American socialists for their anti-war activities.
Legislation like the Sedition Act of 1918 expanded legal definitions of treasonous
activities. Radicals could be prosecuted not only for actual acts, but also for any
speeches or writings considered "disloyal, scurrilous or abusive" towards the American
government or the war effort. 159
Instead of relaxing repression after the Armistice, President Wilson's government used
the pretext of the Bolshevik Revolution to expand its "campaign against antiwar
groups… into an antiradical campaign," resulting in America's first officially endorsed
"Red Scare." 160 The American left became increasingly marginalized as "government,
industry, education, and civic organizations participated in an Americanization campaign"
specifically targeting "foreign elements." 161 Industrial strikes swept across the
nation culminating in such intense episodes as the Seattle General Strike and Boston
Police Strike of 1919, intensifying trends of official persecution and social fears. Accompanying
these industrial disputes, a series of politically motivated bombings occurred
throughout 1919-1920 that were ascribed to anarchist inspired acts of "red terror." These
scenarios of intense class conflict inspired revolutionaries to establish an American
communist movement, but they were also used by "opponents of socialism" to rally
patriotic sentiment for "destroying a [perceived] domestic enemy." 162 The incipient
communist movement was victimized by swift government repression and anti-foreigner
campaigns, leaving American communists with few opportunities for successful organizing.
American communists suffered marginalization in the twenties due to a powerful
movement of "traditionalism" that centred upon rejecting immigrant and internationalist
influences. 163 The "Red Scare" of 1919-20 reinvigorated traditionalist outlooks and
prejudices that rejected immigrant influences, especially East European and Slavic
elements. The YWL faced special political challenges as a movement composed primarily
of Finnish, Hungarian and Jewish immigrants. 164 Haynes and Klehr argue that this
foreign composition caused the US movement to be made up predominately of individuals
who shared a "profound alienation from American culture." 165 The Comintern commented
on this factor, stating that the American movement had "been for many years an
organization of foreign workers not much connected with the political life of the country."
166 The alienation experienced by foreign-born communists was often a product of
the larger trends of anti-immigrant discrimination that in turn fuelled their political
radicalism.
33