page_title: Communist Labor Party of America
section_title: Establishment
hierarchical_section_title: Communist Labor Party of America / Organizational history / Establishment
caption_attribution_description: English: Alfred Wagenknecht, Socialist Party of America; Communist Party of America, c. 1918
context_page_description: The Communist Labor Party of America was one of the organizational predecessors of the Communist Party USA.
  The group was established at the end of August 1919 following a three-way split of the Socialist Party of America. Although a legal political party at the time of its formation, with a form of organization closely resembling that of the Socialist Party whence it sprung, the group was quickly forced underground by the Palmer Raids of January 1920 and thereafter conducted its activities in secret.
  The group merged with a dissident faction of the Communist Party of America in May 1920 to form the United Communist Party of America.
context_section_description: Most of the English-speaking Left Wingers, headed by National Executive Committee members Alfred Wagenknecht and L. E. Katterfeld and including prominent New York journalist John Reed determined to fight on in an attempt to win control of the Socialist Party for the Left Wing. However, with many Left Wingers already abandoning this approach and the Regular faction firmly in control of a majority of the states electing delegates to the Emergency National Convention in Chicago scheduled for August 30, 1919, the fight was essentially over before it began.
  The Credentials Committee of this convention was easily won by adherents of the Oneal-Germer Regulars, who froze out Left Wing-oriented delegations from California, Oregon and Minnesota. Roughly two dozen delegates pledging allegiance to the Left Wing Section bolted the convention to meet downstairs in a previously rented room, along with about 50 other Left Wingers from around the country. These latter delegates constituted themselves as the Communist Labor Party of America on August 31, 1919.
  Executive Secretary of the Communist Labor Party of America was Alfred Wagenknecht of Ohio. The five member National Executive Committee consisted of Max Bedacht, Alexander Bilan, L. E. Katterfeld, Jack Carney and Edward Lindgren. Initial headquarters were maintained in Cleveland before being moved to New York City in December 1919.
caption: Executive Secretary Alfred Wagenknecht in 1918
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