The Communist Party USA in the Post-World War II Era: A Study in Self-Destruction

Abstract

This paper is an examination of the American Communist Party's response to events in the post-World War II era which, for all intents and purposes, ends up being the Party's response to the beginning of the Cold War. The central thesis of this paper is that American Communist Party (CP) destroyed itself by marrying its political fortunes to the policies of the Soviet Union. The Party's uncritical embrace of the Soviet interpretation of world events cost it the hard-earned legitimacy it gained during World War Two. This thesis emerged in the early stage of research and was increasing confirmed by further research and analysis.