Bryan D. Palmer. James P. Cannon and the Origins of the American Revolutionary Left, 1890-1928. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2007. 576 pp $50.00, cloth, ISBN 978-0-252-03109-0.

Reviewed by Deborah Marinski

Published on H-SHGAPE (December, 2008)

Commissioned by James Ivy

Bryan D. Palmer writes an interesting and in‐ cal movement and the infuences of foreign com‐ formational piece on the history of American munists on that movement. Palmer highlights working-class radicalism in the late nineteenth three points that separate his book from previous and early twentieth centuries in his work, James works. First, he places a homegrown radical, Can‐ P. Cannon and the Origins of the American Revo‐ non, at the center of the development of an Amer‐ lutionary Left. Palmer uses rich details about Can‐ ican Left, while at the same time recognizing the non's life to identify the beginning and evolution importance of international theory and practice of an American leftist movement through the on Cannon and the . In doing so, problems the faction faced from within its own Palmer transitions the diferent approaches to the ranks, the American social and political pressures historiography of radicalism that either empha‐ from outside the movement, the struggle to legally size foreign infuence or the complete American‐ politicize the party, and the impact of internation‐ ization of communism. Palmer transcends al afairs on the American Left from the Bolshevik 's interpretation that American Revolution in 1917 through the process of Stalin‐ communism was bred by the Soviets as well as ization in the 1920s. Through his balanced and ex‐ those social historians of the 1980s and 1990s who plicit descriptions of the working-class revolution‐ neglect the infuence of foreign involvement in ary Cannon and the rise of American commu‐ the American Left. nism, Palmer composes a fair and thorough exam‐ Second, Palmer's emphasis on the early twen‐ ination of a topic that is often pushed aside and tieth century, specifcally the 1920s, brings the misunderstood. study of radicalism back to its formation. Much of In his introduction, Palmer clearly places his radical historiography glosses over or neglects the book within the historiographical context by es‐ importance of the 1920s by concentrating more tablishing it as a study of a native American radi‐ on the social and political pressures demonstrated H-Net Reviews by the Palmer Raids and the Red Scare of the my life was decided'" (p. 52). According to Palmer, 1920s and later 1950s, and less on the actual inter‐ it was during his participation in the IWW and nal structure and survival of the communist traveling as a labor activist that Cannon matured movement through Cannon's adaptations. into a working-class revolutionary. This history of Finally, Palmer's reliance on Cannon stresses pure activism and fghting with and for the work‐ the importance of the working class in the forma‐ ing class stayed with Cannon throughout his ca‐ tion of the American Left. According to Palmer, reer in radicalism. Cannon is diferent than other revolutionaries, The Russian Revolution in 1917 was a major even those considered working-class revolution‐ turning point for Cannon. Palmer writes, "The aries, like William Z. Foster, because of his child‐ Russian Revolution remained forever embedded hood experiences in the laboring class, which in his consciousness as an event that awakened molded his radical ideals and led to action; his awareness of the need to situate and develop the struggle to "Americanize communism" by bring‐ American Revolution within its global context, a ing together various foreign and native-born in‐ direct political action that lived in its concrete ac‐ terests into one common working-class party in‐ complishments as well as in its wide-reaching im‐ stead of isolating foreign factions; and his accep‐ plications for the theory of the revolutionary tance of in the face of increasing Stal‐ movement" (p. 91). Cannon consistently looked to inization (p. 18). Cannon recognized the force and the Russian Revolution as an example and as jus‐ power of the working class, but he also recog‐ tifcation for a working-class revolutionary move‐ nized the social, labor, and ethnic tensions that ment in the United States, one of "mass action and threatened the unifcation and action of that class. revolutionary recruitment" (p. 134). For Cannon, Palmer argues that Cannon recognized difer‐ the idea of "mass action and revolutionary re‐ ences and tried to bridge those labor divisions to cruitment" came from several sources: working- create a powerful party of change in the Worker's class involvement, political participation, trade Party. union militancy, education of workers, a unifed Palmer unquestionably shows the develop‐ "party of class-conscious workers, bound by the ment of an American working-class revolutionary discipline of a democratic-centralist body," and a Left through Cannon's life. Palmer begins his medium of publication (p. 136). As a founder and study with Cannon's childhood in Rosedale, Kan‐ leading fgure of the Worker's Party, Cannon held sas, and the infuence of his English-born of Irish frm to these principles to "legalize and American‐ descent, working-class, Socialist parents. During ize communism" and found international support his early life, Cannon faced the trials of a work‐ against the underground movement during one of ing-class existence, watching his parents struggle, his several trips to Moscow to participate in the losing his mother at a young age, working in pack‐ Comintern () (p. 152). inghouses, and yearning for an education. Al‐ The 1920s witnessed a continuous struggle be‐ though he lacked a formal education, Cannon was tween Cannon and other communist factions and able to teach himself through reading the works individuals, including the Goose convention, John of various individuals, the most prominent being Pepper, Charles E. Ruthenberg, and Jay Lovestone, Eugene Debs. Cannon became a member of the as well as changes within the Comintern that Socialist Party in 1908; however, he did not con‐ transformed Cannon. sider himself a revolutionary until his member‐ It was the conficting theoretical and practical ship in the Industrial Workers of the World responses of key revolutionary fgures and the in‐ (IWW). Cannon wrote, "'When I joined the IWW, volvement of the Comintern in American commu‐

2 H-Net Reviews nism that led to Cannon's slow evolution from organization and writing style facilitate easy fow "loyal Comintern soldier" into a devout Trotskyist from one subject to the next and one chapter to (p. 206). Cannon disagreed with the bureaucrati‐ the next. However, in a book with such intense zation and Stalinization ("socialism in one coun‐ and valuable information, endnotes in the middle try") of the Comintern and came to embrace Trot‐ of sentences detract from the course of the read‐ skyism, which emphasized a return to interna‐ ing. The reader has to reread several sentences tional revolution. Cannon continued to emphasize and paragraphs when an endnote or multiple political participation, trade union militancy, endnotes pop up within a sentence. The style working-class participation and class conscious‐ would be better served if all endnotes were ness, mass movements, and "Americanizing" com‐ placed at the end of sentences. munism. One important way that Cannon When writing on working-class radicalism achieved these aims was through the Internation‐ and communism in the United States, the number al Labor Defense (ILD). The ILD was "dedicated to of names and organizations is daunting. Palmer leading protests aimed at freeing all class-war falls into the trap of mentioning foreign and do‐ prisoners," and the organization "challenged anti- mestic individuals, parties, associations, move‐ labor legislation and the arbitrary use of court in‐ ments, ideologies and theories, and dates, making junctions against workers; provided legal aid to it difcult for the reader to get through the sur‐ those facing trial and sentencing; educated the la‐ plus of information and keep everyone, every bor movement and the wider public about the ex‐ principle, and every action in its correct place. It tent of class persecution in the United States; was is hard for any author, especially on this topic, to committed to united-front cooperation and build‐ get out of this trap, but one way that Palmer ing solidarity of all defense forces, national and makes up for this weakness is by constantly reit‐ international; struck repeated blows against racist erating important points about people, groups, brutality and lynching; and continued the Com‐ practices, and ideas. He does not simply repeat his intern-inspired project of exposing the nature of points over and over, which is a stylistic and con‐ white terror in other capitalist countries" (pp. textual negative, but chooses the best spots to re‐ 269-270). According to Palmer, "the ILD was Can‐ fresh the reader's memory as the story moves for‐ non's, and potentially the party's, bridge back to a ward. Illustrations are also included, which helps politics of mass activity" in the wake of the disor‐ to put faces to names. Palmer does an excellent ganized and confict-ridden 1920s (p. 271). Unfor‐ job of keeping such a mass amount of information tunately for Cannon, because he embraced Trot‐ as straightforward as possible and more impor‐ skyism and maintained his principles of mass ac‐ tant, interesting. tion, he was forced out of the Communist Party in The number and variety of primary sources is 1928. This may be the ending of the book, but it impressive. Palmer includes sources throughout was not the end of Cannon. Cannon continued to his main text about and composed by Cannon and fght for Trotskyism within the United States for other leading fgures, such as personal and pub‐ the next thirty years. lished writings, letters, and interviews. There are In this book, Palmer's stylistic and contextual also a large number of references to newspapers, strengths are many with only a few weaknesses. the published organs of organization, and fles Palmer's straightforward statements in the intro‐ from Russia. The arguments and details of the duction that establish his purpose, main argu‐ work are based on Palmer's extensive primary re‐ ments, and place within the radical historiogra‐ search, but he also includes a wide range of sec‐ phy are repeatedly proven throughout the rest of ondary books and articles as well as illustrations. the book's well-written twelve chapters. Palmer's

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Unfortunately, Palmer does not provide a bibliog‐ in the reader's mind raphy. While the endnotes are extensive and in‐ of formational, a standard bibliography is more ac‐ e cessible and comprehensive. in Finally, when reading over the chapter titles and subtopics, the reader is immediately drawn spends a large amount of in by catchy phrases, for example, "Geese in time discussing Flight" (chapter 6) and "Pepper Spray" (chapter 7). both romantically and professionally Also, several subtopic headings spark the reader's y had interest, including "Blind Spot: 'Women's Work'" and "Race and Revolution" both in chapter 8, and alluring "Antoinette Konikow: Boston's Red Birth-Control appealing Advocate and Pioneer Left Oppositionist" in chap‐ ter 11. Palmer acknowledges that his book lacks a great deal of discussion of women and African Americans within the 1920s leftist movement; however, the fact that he does at least mention the involvement of two groups often neglected with respect tothis topic is signifcant to working- class, radical, and social history. Palmer's inclu‐ sion of women (he devotes much discussion to the various women in Cannon's life and how they in‐ fuenced him, both romantically and professional‐ ly) and of African American men and women throughout his text opens the door for more scholarly work on these important segments of society. Palmer has composed an elegant book that draws readers in with engaging chapter headings and does not disappoint, providing them with an immense amount of intriguing information about Cannon and the American revolutionary Left. Palmer's writing is engaging and hard to put down; you can feel his passion for his subject.

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Citation: Deborah Marinski. Review of Palmer, Bryan D. James P. Cannon and the Origins of the American Revolutionary Left, 1890-1928. H-SHGAPE, H-Net Reviews. December, 2008.

URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=23386

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

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