Foreign Language Federations (1890s - 1930) - Russian

RUSSIAN FEDERATIONS

 Early Russian-Language Radical Press

The Socialist newspaper Novyi Mir (New World), published in New York, predated the organized Russian Socialist movement.
In 1918, Novyi Mir was run by an editorial staff of three -- Gregory Weinstein, Nicholas Hourwich, and a certain Blankstein. Weinstein and Blankstein were at odds with Hourwich and attempted to have him removed, a matter which occupied the proceedings of the 4th Convention. Hourwich was reduced to half-time collaboration, his place filed by a Comrade Niemanov. The situation was resolved when Ludwig Martens opened a Soviet Bureau and Weinstein and Blankstein departed to work at that there. Comrades Griliches and Zapolsky were pressed into editorial service, the latter of whom was soon to resign for reasons of health.

The "Federation of Russian Branches" / "Russian Federation of the Socialist Party of America"

The Russian Federation of the Socialist Party was admitted in May 1915. According to the SPA's official tally of dues for the year, it had 113 members during its first year of existence.

[fn. "Membership Report by States," The American Socialist, Jan. 22, 1916, pg. 3.]

 



1. First United Russian Convention of America --- New York, NY --- Feb. 1-4, 1918

A special convention of the Russian Socialist Federation met from Feb. 1-4, 1918 in New York City. A preliminary meeting was held Jan. 31 at the Russian Social Club, located at 33 Second Ave., New York City. Delegates from all over the country, representing the 40 branches of the federation were anticipated. The convention formally kicked off with an evening session on Feb. 1 at Beethoven Hall, 210 East 5th Street. More than 200 delegates were in attendance. The first official act of the convention was to adopt a resolution to be telegraphed to President Wilson on behalf of Alexander Berkman, Emma Goldman, and other Russian-American radicals held in jail on charges of obstructing the draft. It was demanded that these individuals be allowed to immediately released and allowed to return to Russia.
A program prepared by the editors of Novyi Mir was expected to be adopted with little opposition.
Presaging a controversy over the Russian Soviet Government Bureau, according to a March 15, 1918 NYC police report, the gathering voted to approve a resolution "that all representatives of the Russian Government to the US should be chosen from the Russian workers in the US and they shall fulfill the demands of the workers only and be independent of any influence of the US or any other government and the capitalist class and no other representatives shall be recognized."
After the evening session, a farewell public meeting was held for Berkman and Goldman at Forward Hall, 175 East Broadway. Emma Goldman told the gathering, "I hope you are as enthusiastic when we get back as you are now. Well, I am actually going to jail, but I assure you that to go to prison for an idea is a joy to a revolutionist. And I suppose I'll be there for the next 2 years, unless Russia decides otherwise."

[fn. "Convention of Russian Socialists of US Begins," NY Call, Jan. 31, 1918, pg. 2; "Russians Hold Conference, NY Call, Feb. 2, 1918, pg. 3. Unsigned report on letterhead of Police Dept., City of New York, March 16, 1918, NARA collection M-1085, reel 919.]

The 5 member Executive Committee of the United Russian Convention included revolutionary socialist luminaries Alexander Stoklitsky, Gregory Weinstein, and Nicholas Hourwich, in addition to N. Kizel and A. Schnabel. The first plenary meeting of this Executive Committee passed a resolution on the Russian situation and sent it to President Wilson, expressing its "deep indignation against the prospective attack on revolutionary Russia with the consent of the allies" and denouncing Japanese actions in Siberia.

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First Congress of Russian Organizations in America --- city? --- March xx-xx, 1918

 

 

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2. Extraordinary 4th Convention --- New York, NY --- Sept. 28-Oct. 1, 1918.
The 4th Convention of the Russian Federation of the Socialist Party was convened on Sept. 28, 1918. A total of 34 delegates from 38 divisions in 11 states were in attendance. Probably due to the fact that the organization was under Department of Justice surveillance, conditions of secrecy were maintained for the gathering. The convention seems to have met in various apartments and rooms around the city, changing it location daily to help avoid detection. At the time of this gathering, Secretary V. Rich of Detroit claimed a membership of approximately 2,500 in 51 branches.

According to an internal report of the Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau was unable to either locate penetrate the meeting but it was able to obtain a set of minutes of the gathering shortly after in concluded, quite possibly from an informer on the staff of Novyi Mir. The BoI also obtained a complete copy of the minutes of the 4th Convention.
The 4th Convention nominated candidates for Secretary in addition to a Central Executive Committee of 14 to serve as a governing body for the organization. These names were voted upon by referendum vote, with the election closing on Jan. 15, 1919. This new body met for the first time on Feb. 9, 1919, and consisted of the following:

Secretary: Oscar Tyverovsky; Members: Ashkenuzi, Babich, Bogopolsky, Dudarik, Dudinsky, Efimchik, Grilikhes, Gurin, Iakobchuk, Lipo, Litvinovich, Mislig, Radzivanovich, and Vaitsekhovsky.

Alexander Stoklitsky was elected by the 4th Convention to serve as the RSF's first (and last) paid Translator-Secretary in Socialist Party headquarters in Chicago.

The 4th Convention set the table for the Left Wing split of the Socialist Party, adopting a resolution which read, in part:

"Considering it inevitable that sooner or later a schism, signs of which are appearing, will arise in the American Socialist Party as it has already happened in other countries between the revolutionary and non-revolutionary factions, the Russian Socialist Federation deems it its duty to revolutionize, as much as possible, its ranks in the spirit of Bolshevik principles and union of its Left Wing in anticipation of the inevitable schism."

The 4th Convention also adopted a resolution calling for a conference of the various "Russian Federations" of the Socialist Party (i.e. Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Lithuanian, Latvian, South Slavic, Yiddish) which would "effect unity of action of all Russian Federations and organizations by one united center."

[fn. Bertha Hale White, "The Enemy Within," The Socialist World, March 1923, pg. 6.; R.W. Finch, "Report on the 4th Convention of the Russian Socialist Federation"; Convention minutes; "Summary Results of Voting for Candidates to Membership in the Executive Committee and for Secretary of the Russian Socialist Federation, BoI Investigative Files, NARA M-1085, reel 931.]

The Central Executive Committee of the Russian Federation met very frequently during the first half of 1919, holding 27 regular business meetings and 15 special meetings from its establishment until the time of the 5th Convention in mid-August 1919, an average of about 2 sessions per week.


Novyi Mir served as the Russian language daily newspaper of the Russian Federation of the Socialist Party of America. President of the Russian Socialist Publishing Co., which formally owned the publication, was Alexander Stoklitsky, Treasurer was M. Mislig, and Secretary was Nicholas Hourwich [Gurvich]. Novyi Mir (which had its editorial office at 113 E 10th St., New York) also published books and pamphlet literature, including the following (Jan. 1919 list):

Arthur Arnu: Mertvetsi Kommuny.
Golbkov: Utopicheskii i nauchnyi sotsializm. [Utopian and Scientific Socialism.]
M. Gorkii: Iarmarka v Goltve.
M. Gorkii: V stepi.
Lev Kamenev: Imperializm i balkanskaia respublika. [Imperialism and the Balkan Republic.]
A. Kollontai: Rabotnitsa-mat'. [Woman worker and Mother.]
N. Lenin: Gosudarstvo i revoliutsiia. [State and Revolution.]
N. Lenin: Imperializm, kak etap noveishago kaptializma. [Imperialism, the Latest Stage of Capitalism.]
N. Lenin: Ocherednyi zadachi Sovetskoi vlasti.
N. Lenin: Pis'ma o taktike. [Letters on Tactics.]
N. Lenin: Uroki revoliutsiia. [Lessons of the Revolution.]
N. Lenin: Zadachi proletariata v nashei revoliutsii. [The Tasks of the Proletariat in Our Revolution.]
Wilhelm Liebknecht: Pauki i mukhi.
Jack London: Zabastoval. [Sebastapol.]
Marx-Engels: Kommunisticheskii manifest. [The Communist Manifesto.]
Kh. Rakovsky: International i voina. [The International and the War.]
Serafimovich: On prishël.
A. Tolstroi. Arkhin.
Narodnyi tolkovyi slovar'. [a dictionary of socio-political terms from Russia.]

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Second Congress of the Russian Colony in the USA and Canada --- city? --- Jan. 6-9, 1919

 

 

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3. 5th Regular Convention of the Federation of Russian Branches of the Communist Party --- Detroit --- Aug. 20 - 28, 1919.

The Federation of Russian Branches had its 5th Regular Convention in Detroit from August 20-28, 1919. The convention was attended by 142 delegates, representing 106 branches in 16 states. The gathering was opened at 2 pm on Aug. 20 by the group's Secretary, Oscar Tyverovsky, who noted the Russian Federation was "surrounded on all sides by enemies" as "the reaction wider and wider opens its black jaws." Neverthless, powerful growth had been experience by the federation in the previous year, Tyverovsky noted, and the task ahead was to give more concrete form and to strengthen the Russian Federation .
As of August 20, 1919, Sec. Tyverovsky told the 5th Convention of the Russian Federation that the group consisted of about 10,000, of whom 9,000 were said to be regular members of the organization, with the rest "family" or "unemployed" members. This all-too-round total claimed was belied by the figures for dues stamp sales also provided by Tyverovsky -- numbers which worked out to an average dues stamp total of 7082 for the five preceding months of 1919, of which an average of 5919 were regular paid members, with the balance "family" members or "unemployed."
In 1919 the Federation of Russian Branches consisted of five geographic districts, Including among them Chicago, Boston, and Detroit. Each of these districts had its own District Executive Committee.
A set of bylaws of the Russian Federation were approved by the 5th Convention in Detroit.

The new Central Executive Committee elected by the 5th Convention (to serve 1919-20) included the following:

Secretary: Oscar Tyverovsky; Members: Aneekovich (Chicago); Ashkenuzi (New York); Berezovsky (New York); Biegun (New York); Dudarik (New York); Galey (New York); Golos (California); Gurin (New York); Mislig (New York); Pochodnia (New York); Radziavanovitch (Detroit); Zhuk (Erie, PA); Teshchanovich (Detroit); Zavadsky (Nunteecock).

Alexander Stoklitsky was unanimously re-elected as Translator-Secretary of the Federation of Russian Branches, with George Ashkenuzi elected the designated replacement should Stoklitsky resign or otherwise be incapable of serving.
Nicholas Hourwich was elected responsible editor of Novyi Mir; the other two members of the editorial board were to be chosen by the Central Executive Committee from the ranks of its members.

In addition to its New York daily organ, Novyi Mir (New World), the Russian Federation began to publish a weekly summary for mailing to other cities. The Federation also published an extensive number of books and pamphlets during 1917-19, including the following:

Lessons of the Revolution.

Popular Glossary

6 titles by N.I. Bukharin

Kamenev: Imperialism and the Balkan Republic.

The Communist Manifesto.

The Constitution of Soviet Russia.

The Problems of the Proletariat.

What Do the Bolsheviki Want?

Biography of Lenin.

The First of May.

The Law of Socialization of Land.

The Consecutive Problems of the Soviet Authority.

Christianity and Socialism.

Concerning the History of the October Revolution.

Steklov: Who Are the Communists?

Zinoviev: Plekhanov: In Lieu of a Speech at the Grave.

Arsky: The Paths of Our Revolution.

Forthcoming titles in late 1919 included:

A poem by Demian Bednyi

Engels: The Principles of Communism.

Lenin: Articles on the Agrarian Question.

 
Government repression hit the Federation hard: 266 members were said to have been arrested on political cases prior to the Aug. 1919 5th Convention, with a total bail of $97,000.

[fn: Records of the Fifth Regular Convention of the Federation Russian Branches Communist Party of America, held in the City of Detroit, August 20 to 28th, 1919. (NY: CEC, Federation of Russian Branches CPA, 1919), passim. This apparently a contemporary Department of Justice translation of a Russian language original. Document in Herbert Romerstein collection; duplicate in Tim Davenport collection.]

 

4. 6th Convention (?) --- New York --- June 26, 1920

The convention was attended by 26 delegates, including members of the Central Executive Committee of the CPA. Topics of discussion are said to have included mass action, industrialism, and future activity of the federation. It was believed by the Bureau of Investigation -- who tended to get such things wrong -- that the Executive Secretary of the Russian Federation of the CPA was George Ashkenuzi.

[fn. Jacob Spolansky, report of Aug. 11, 1920 based on informatin from "Confidential Informant 115," NARA M-1085, reel 931, file 313846.]

 

 

Federation of Russian Branches of the Communist Labor Party
The Communist Labor Party had a Russian Language Federation from its origin in 1919. Abraham Jakira of NY served as the first Secretary of that organization. As of November 1919, headquarters were maintained at 1634 Madison Avenue, New York City.
Jakira called a conference of the Federation of Russian Branches for Jan. 17-19, 1920. It is not known whether this event was held, however, due to the severe repression which swept down on the Communist movement on January 2, 1920 and thereafter.

[fn: C.J. Scully, "Re: A. Jakira," DoJ/BoI Investigative Files, NARA M-1085, reel 939, case file 202600-1775-1; Jakira to Vargomotzky, NARA M-1085, reel 931, file 313846.]

In late 1921, during the 5 months between formation of the unified CPA and the split of the Central Caucus faction, the Communist Party's Russian Federation had an average monthly paid membership of 1,174, making it the largest Language group in the party.

[fn: Comintern Archive: f. 515, op. 1, d. 75, l. 12.]

 

The Federation of Russian Branches of the CLP produced a newspaper called Pravda. Editor is believed to have been Gregory Weinstein.

Russian organization of the United Communist Party

 

1. "Russian Conference" --- (city?) --- Aug. XX-XX, 1920
A Russian Conference was held by the Russian groups of the United Communist Party shortly after the amalgamation of the CLP with the Ruthenberg-Belsky faction of the CPA, both of which had significant Russian contingents. The convention recommended to the CEC of the UCP that the Official Organ be issued twice a month and that a monthly theoretical magazine be established. Abram Jakira ["Dubner"] was named Organizer for the UCP Russian Federation. A National Propaganda Committee was also elected, but no editor was named. The CEC voted to order that this group be disbanded immediately, however, as it was in contradiction to a decision made at the founding convention of the UCP -- probably to assure the subordination of language groups to the center. Expulsion was threatened for groups refusing to recognize this decision. The CEC approved the election of Jakira as national organizer for the Russian section of the party and hie was given the authority "to organize an editorial committee to assist him in issuing the Russian Official Organ."

[fn. "UCP Bulletin #1," Aug. 14, 1920, copy in RGASPI, f. 515, op. 1, d. 28, l. 5]

The Russian Language was used by 136 of the UCP's 673 primary party units ("groups") in December of 1920, according to the party's own records. This represented 20% of the total, exceeded only by the number of South Slavic (Croatian & Slovenian) language groups. The UCP published an underground Official Organ in Russian, moving the site of publication to New York City in the fall of 1920.





Russian organization of the unified Communist Party of America
The unified CPA iniitiated a new legal Russian language newspaper called Iskra, published in New York, in July of 1921.


XX - Russian Federation language conference -- [city?] -- [August?] 1921
The language conference of the Russian Federation, held late in the summer of 1921, was a pivotal affair. There seem to have been 31 potential regular delegates in attendance, in addition to a representative of the Central Executive Committee (presumably J. Wilenkin), a representative of the Communist International (presumably Karlis Janson ["Scott"]), and 3 fraternal delegates. One delegate from Bridgeport, CT was disallowed by Wilenkin on the grounds that Bridgeport had exceeded the 2 delegates to which its membership entitled it and elected 3; 6 delegates from the New York District were under challenge. This pushed the convention into effective control of a faction of former UCP members loyal to the CEC majority. The affected faction of former members of the old CPA immediately and noisily protested, refusing to submit their credentials and endeavoring to disrupt the meeting -- the first session of which was abruptly terminated. Negotiations continued the first night, with the former members of the old CPA refusing to accept the authority of Wilenkin. The next day George Ashkenuzi refused to present the report of the Russian Federation to the gathering and the former members of the old CPA continued their refusal to submit credentials. Instead, a bill for $600 was presented to Wilenkin to cover expenses incurred by the members of the old CPA faction in attending the session. As these delegates had not formally participated in the gathering, payment of the bill was refused, resulting in personal threats and a mass walk-out.
The Central Executive Committee met and characterized this action as a gross breach of discipline by a vote of 7-2, with 1 member voting "present," and the 19 leading members of the Russian Federation involved were immediately suspended. The CEC issued a statement detailing the background of its actions. Shortly thereafter a protest resolution was adopted by Russian Federationists loyal to those affected, calling for immediate restoration of the 19 suspended members to full membership status, pending a full investigation of the incident.
The stage was set for the split of the Central Caucus faction.

XY - First Congress [s"ezd] of the Russian Federation of the Communist Party of America -- [city?] -- December 1922 [?]

The 1st Congress was attended by 23 delegates, representing 1254 members of the 1314 total members of the Russian Federation. D1 [Boston] was represented by 5 delegates, representing 217 members; D2 [New York] was represented by 9 delegates, representing 517 members; D4 [Cleveland] by 1 delegate, representing 50 members; D5 [Chicago] by 5 delegates, representing 254 members; D6 [Detroit] by 2 delegates, representing 126 delegates. D8 [San Francisco] and D11 [Pittsburgh], with 60 members, were not represented. The Congress was also attended by representatives of the CEC of the Party, the Bureau of the Russian Federation, two representatives of the Trade Union Educational League, and one from the Bureau of the Ukrainian Federation of the CPA.
The gathering was addressed by the Secretary of the Russian Section of the Workers Party of America, who noted that this section had only about 900 members -- fewer even than the duespayers in the underground party!
The 1st Congress reunified the branches which had defected to the Central Caucus faction's Communist Party of America with the regular organization. The decision was made to initiate a legal Communist daily newspaper in the Russian language by February 1923, and money began to be collected for that purpose. An assessment was levied upon each district of $5 for every member to be put towards the fund for this publication as well as a 6 month supplementary assessment of 25 cents per member per month for the press.
The two representatives of TUEL addressed that gathering.
Secretary of the Federation "P. Ovod" submitted a report to the CEC summarizing the achievements of the congress.

[fn. "Edinyi S"ezd Russkoi Federatsii Kommunisticheskoi Partii Ameriki," Kommunist, v. 2, no. 22, pp. 2-4. Copy this complete 28 page issue in Comintern Archive, f. 515, op. 1, d. 140.,ll. 31-43. A complete stenographic protocol of this Congress appears in the same issue.]

 

Russian Language Section of the Workers Party of America
A new 9 member Bureau of the Russian Federation of the WPA was approved by the Administrative Council of the WPA on Dec. 5, 1922. This group consisted of the following: George Ashkenuzi, K. Radzivanovich, Chramoff, Berstein, Golos, Ossin, Perepelkin, Rouchlis, Visotsky.

[fn: Comintern Archive: f. 515, op. 1, d. 148, l. 47.]

 

Another new Bureau seems to have been elected at a convention held in December 1922. Approved by the Jan. 3, 1923, session of the CEC was the following 5 member Bureau: George Ashkenuzi, Ossin, Perepelin, Radzianovich, and Visotsky.

[fn: Comintern Archive: f. 515, op. 1, d. 148, l. 176.]

 

2. 2nd (?) Convention --- Chicago --- Jan. 12-13, 1924.

The Russian Federation of the Workers Party of America met over two days and was attended by representatives of 69 branches of the party, representing a federation with a claimed membership of 1,131. The meeting was controversial and was addressed by a Jan. 12 letter from WPA Executive Secretary C.E. Ruthenberg criticizing anti-Semitic agitation that was said to be developing among some members of the federation and noting the CEC's decision to intervene as to the editorial line of Novyi Mir in 1923, to make the paper more responsive to American political matters and less obsessed with the Russian situation and the affairs of the Russian colony in the United States as opposed to broader party matters. "For the Russian section to adopt the narrow nationalistic viewpoint expressed by a group of comrades who proposed that the Novyi Mir should become a purely Russian paper, is to repudiate the fundamental principles of the Communist International," Ruthenberg warned.
The Convention went on record in favor of organizing special women's branches of the party and adopted an educational program.
A new 5 member Bureau was elected for the Russian Federation consisting of :

George Ashkenuzi, Chicago.

Cosuschik, Boston.

Deviatkin, Chicago.

Striz, Detroit.

M.B. Svetlov [Svietlow], Chicago.

[fn: Abram Jakira, "Russians Hold Annual Convention," Daily Worker [Chicago], Jan. 17, 1924, pg. 4]

 

 

3. Special Convention --- New York --- Feb. XX-XX, 1925

A special convention of the Russian section of the Workers (Communist) Party of America was authorized by the CEC and held in order to "settle important problems directly connected with the life of Novyi Mir, daily organ of the Russian section." A report was made to the gathering on behalf of the CEC by Alexander Bittleman (printed in full in the Daily Worker of Feb. 20, 1925, pg. 4), a report which was accepted by a vote of 11 to 2. The Russian Bureau had been opposed to the calling of the convention, instead seeking to close the New York daily paper and to establish instead a new weekly in Chicago. This decision had been made by the bureau late in 1924 and was reaffilmed at the meeting of the bureau of Dec. 13, 1924. Deviatkin was sent from Chicago to New York to expedite the closing of the paper and Deviatkin and Striz were authorized by the bureau to prepare a declaration announcing the closure of the venerable publication.
The Central Executive Committee of the WPA immediately took a "strong and uncompromising" position against this action, according to Bittelman. A Dec. 24, 1924 meeting of the Political Committee was held, to which were invited Borisoff and Striz as representatives of the bureau of the Russian section. The pair argued strongly in favor of a Chicago-based weekly in lieu of the New York daily, but the Political Committee instead passed motions by Bittelman to maintain Novyi Mir as a daily, albeit with a reorganized editorial board, and that a series of conferences in support of the publication and a fundraising drive be launched. At its Dec. 30, 1924 meeting, the Political Committee appointed Bourgin, Moissaye Olgin, and Brailovsky as responsible editors of the publication.