A disciplined organization that demanded strenuous commitments and frequently expelled members, the CP was not an open mass organization in the manner of the Socialist Party or the NAACP. Membership levels remained below 20,000 until 1933 and then surged upward in the late 1930s, reaching 66,000 in 1939, falling off during the Nazi-Soviet detente, then rebuilding after 1941 as the US and the Soviet Union joined in a World War II alliance. Party membership surpassed 75,000 at the start of 1947 before starting its Cold War decline.
The CP developed a unique geography, centered in big cities of the North and Pacific West. New York (District 2) at some points accounted for 40-50% of party members.
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New England (District 1) and Chicago (8) were next in strength in the 1920s but in the following decade the party faded in New England while becoming important in California (13) and Washington (12). The South was dangerous territory for Communists as was much of rural and small town America. The party initially grouped all into an undefined "Agricultural District" with only a handful of members. In the 1930s, great effort was made to establish party organizations in the South, particularly involving African Americans. In the peak year 1947, the party counted about 2,500 members in Southern states, 3% of the 75,388 total that year. New York City contributed more than 33,000 members in 1947.
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Note: These data are from internal Communist Party records. The numbers from 1922 to 1934 reflect average dues collections per year or part of year. From 1937 to 1950 the data are for registered party members. Dues payments fluctuated from month to month and underestimate actual membership, particularly in the early 1930s when many members had trouble keeping up with dues. Party officials estimated that registered membership exceeded dues collections by 10-20%.
Sources: The following documents can be found in Files of the Communist Party of the USA in the Comintern Archives (IDC publishers): The Membership of Our Party (1922); Membership Figures According to Dues Payments (1923)(1924)(1925 January-June) all in Dello 739; Communist Party USA Social and Industrial Composition of Jan. 1, 1928 (Dello 1358); 1934 (Dello 3457); Table B (Dello 2723); Dues Sales by District (Dello 2723); Organizing Department (Dello 2723); 1932 Average Dues Paying Membership (Dello 2723); Material for American Discussion (Dello 4083). From the Earl Browder Papers,1891-1975 (ProQuest microfilm), reel 3: Registration 1944-1945.
Data from years 1946-1950 are from FBI files generously shared by Trevor Griffey and Ernie Lazar who obtained them under the Freedom of Information Act. The files indicate that the data were obtained from confidential informants thought to be reliable. File numbers: 100-NY-80638 Serials 140, 182, 239, 331, 349, 384, 440, 441, 448.
Research and data compilation: James Gregory, Rebecca Flores
This combination of maps and charts suggests the dimensions of support for the Communist Party. The party mounted symbolic but energetic campaigns during each presidential election from 1924 through 1940 and many gubernatorial and congressional races from 1922 to 1944. Move from year to year and filter each map by several variables.
Membership levels remained below 20,000 until 1933 and then surged upward in the late 1930s, reaching 66,000 in 1939, falling off during the Nazi-Soviet detente, then rebuilding after 1941 as the US and the Soviet Union joined in a World War II alliance. Party membership surpassed 75,000 at the start of 1947 before starting its Cold War decline.
Based on her book Red Chicago, Randi Storch reveals the intense geography of CP activism in a short article accompanied by interactive maps and a timeline/database of more than 300 marches, demonstrations, mass meetings, organizational meetings, picnics, dances, and other actions.
More than sixty years ago, the Civil Rights Congress, affiliated with the Communist Party, engaged in a campaign to hold the United States accountable for genocide against African Americans. We map 152 incidents that the Civil Rights Congress offered as evidence in support of this claim. These killings of unarmed Black men and women by police and by lynch mobs took place between 1945 and 1951. They are displayed on the interactive map and detailed one by one in a descriptive list.
