SOUTH SLAVIC [YUGOSLAV] FEDERATIONS
Earliest Radical Yugoslav Press in America.
The first step towards a socialist movement among the various Yugoslav nationalities in the United States came in 1901, with the establishment of a Slovenian language newspaper called Proletarec [Proletarian]. The publication later began to include a Croatian language pege in each issue.
In 1907, the first Croatian language socialist newspaper was established in America, a weekly called Radnicka straza. The paper began as a bi-weekly but moved to a weekly publication schedule in June of 1908.
[fn: John Kraljic, “South Slavic Federation,”posted to the Historians of American Communism Newsgroup, Oct. 15, 2004.]
Prior to the establishment of a South Slavic Federation in the Socialist Party, there were socialist language branches of the various Yugoslav nationalities. One Chicago Croatian group consisted in 1908 of 80 members and had managed to establish its own library, reading room, printing establishment, and singing society. The SP’s Official Bulletin noted that “steps have been takent to affiliate themselves with the Socialist Party."
[fn: Socialist Party Official Bulletin, v. 4, no. 10 (June 1908), pg. 1.]
South Slavic Socialist Federation [Federation of the Socialist Party of America]
1. Joint Convention —- Chicago, July 3-4, 1910.
In July 1910, a Joint Convention of the South Slavic nationalities was held in Chicago, a gathering which decided form a South Slavic Socialist Federation and to affiliate the new organization with the Socialist Party. This affiliation was carried out in January 1911, at which time the Federation counted a membership of 635 in 36 locals. At the time of affiliation, the South Slavic Federation was 54% Croatian, 39% Slovenian, and 7% Serb, with a smattering of Bulgarians.
During the first year of affiliation with the Socialist Party (1911), the South Slavic Federation gained 22 locals and nearly doubled its membership size, to 1,266 at year end. The average monthly total of dues stamps sold by the South Slavic Federation for 1911 was 1,055. The increase in the Federation was particularly strong among the Slovenian community: by the end of 1911 the South Slavic Federation was 48% Slovenian, 44% Croatian, and 8% Serb. At this time about 1 member in 6 was an American citizen.
[fn: Frank Petrich, “The South Slavic Socialist Activities in the United States" in The American Labor Year-Book, 1916. (NY: Rand School Press, 1916), pp. 142-143; 1911 stamp sale data from Petrich, “Report of South Slavic Section”in Proceedings: National Convention of the Socialist Party, pg. 240.]
The South Slavic Socialist Federation does not seem to have at any point been a homogenous organization — rather it appears to have been built around an alliance of three National Committees (Slovenian, Croatian, Serbian), each directed by its own Central Committee and funded by an assessment of 3 cents per member per month. The national South Slavic Socialist Federation was directed by an Executive Committee, in which the component National Committees participated.
[fn: Based on the dues apportionment listed in Frank Petrich, “Report of South Slavic Section”in Proceedings: National Convention of the Socialist Party, pg. 240.]
In 1912, the South Slavic Socialist Federation moved from 58 to 85 active locals, with a membership of about 1,800. The trend towards increase among the Slovenes continued — by nationality the 1912 membership of the Federation was approximately 51% Slovene, 39% Croat, and 9% Serb.
[fn: Alex Susnar, “Report of the South Slavic Socialist Federation”to the National Committee of the SPA, May 1913, pg. 1.]
A January 1914 membership count showed the South Slavic Federation breaking the 2,600 mark. Thereafter, difficult economic conditions lead to a downturn in the organizaton’s membership rolls, with an average of approximately 2,000 paid members maintained through 1915. These were spread across 103 locals, including 30 in Pennsylvania, 16 in Ohio, and 16 in Illinois. South Slavic Federation locals even existed in such unlikely states as Wyoming (4), Arkansas (3), and Arizona (1),
[fn: Frank Petrich, “The South Slavic Socialist Activities in the United States" in The American Labor Year-Book, 1916. (NY: Rand School Press, 1916), pp. 142-143.]
The Yugoslav Socialist Alliance (1920-1922)
In 1920, the bulk of the Slovenian Federationists established the Yugoslav Socialist Alliance. This group applied for readmission to the SPA early in the year, a decision which was deferred to the July 10th meeting of the NEC.
Proletarec remained the newspaper of the Federation, which continued into the 1930s and beyond. The Federation also published an annual yearbook containing original articles and translations in the Slovenian language. This group was one of the largest Language Federations affiliated with the SPA in the 1920s.
The Socialist Party continued to have an affiliated Yugoslav Socialist Federation [Jugoslovanska Socialistichna Zveza or JSZ] throughout the decade of the 1920s and beyond — primarily a Slovenian group. In 1927, 7.4% of the Socialist Party’s paid membership came to it through its Yugoslav Federation. The year 1928 proved to be rougher for the group, however, with the paid membership of the Federation plummeting 18% to about 675 members.
[fn: Letter of National Executive Secretary Willam H. Henry to the NEC of the SPA, Nov. 24, 1928. Original in Bob Millar collection.]
The JSZ had headquarters at 3639 W 26th Street in Chicago and issued an 8 page weekly called Proletarec [The Proletarian]. The first seven pages of each paper was in the Slovene language and the back cover in English.
In 1931, the officers of the Yugoslav Socialist Federation were:
Charles Pogorelec — Secretary
Executive Committee (7): Frank Alesh, Peter Kokotovich, George Maslach, Filip Godina, Fred A. Vider, Joshko Oven, Frank Zaitz.
“Nadzorni Odbor" (3): Sava Bojanovich, Donald J. Lotrich, Blazh. Novak.
“Prosvetni Odsek" (4): Charles Progorelec (Sec.); Anton Garden, Ivan Molek, John Rak.
“Nadzorni Odbor Slov. Sekcije”(3): Frank Margolle, Angeline Zaitz, Frank Udovich.
[fn. Proletarec, No. 1220 (Jan. 29, 1931), pg. 7.]
South Slavonian Federation of the Socialist Labor Party
A group of South Slavic Socialists refused to follow the Federation into affiliation with the Socialist Party in 1910 and instead affiliated with the Socialist Labor Party. This South Slavic Socialist Labor Party Federation, which seems to have been comprised mostly of Serbs, published its own newspaper, Radnicka borba [The Workers’ Struggle]. This South Slavic SLP Federation continued to hold a major place in the party until the 1970s, when the Socialist Labor Party eliminated its Language Federations.
[fn: John Kraljic, “South Slavic Federation,”posted to the Historians of American Communism Newsgroup, Oct. 15, 2004.]
Until July of 1923, the South Slavonian Federation issued a monthly in the Slovenian language called Socijalisticna Zarja [Socialist Dawn]. The publication was terminated for financial reasons. The Federation also included a certain percentage of Ukranian SLP members — the Ukrainians not having sufficient organizational presence for their own Federation — and published a Ukrainian-language monthly called Robitnychyi Holos [The Workers’ Voice] from an Akron editorial office.
[fn:Milos Malencich: “South Slavonian Federation,”in 16th National Convention, Socialist Labor Party, May 10-13, 1924: Minutes, Reports, Resolutions, Platform, Etc., pp. 90-92.]
South Slavic Federation of the (old) Communist Party of America
1. First Convention —- Chicago —- Sept. 12, 1919.
The South Slavic Federation held a Convention in Chicago on Sept. 12, 1919. Nicholas Hourwich and Isaac Ferguson attended on behalf of the old CPA.
The CPA briefly issued a Croatian-language organ called Glas Komunista [Communist Voice], published in Chicago under the editorship of P.B. Stankovich. The first issue was dated Nov. 1, 1919.
Most Croatian Federationists and some Serbs joined the Communist Party, where they formed the South Slavic Section. The Section published a Croatian language newspaper, called variously Radnik and Radnicki glasnik. In late 1921, during the 5 months between formation of the unified CPA and the split of the Central Caucus faction, this Communist Party South Slavic Section had an average monthly paid membership of 527.
South Slavic Federation of the United Communist Party of America
There were more South Slavic (Croatian & Slovenian) “groups”(Primary Party Units of the UCP, consisting of 5-10 members) than those of any other language, some 144 out of 673 total (21.4%) in December of 1920. The overwhelming majority of these were concentrated in the Cleveland and Chicago districts.
[fn: DoJ/BoI Investigative Files, NARA M-1085, reel 940, doc. 501 — downloadable below.]
The last South Slavic organizer of the UCP (mid 1921) was S,M. Zemlin ("Evans"), who also edited the official organ of the Federation.
The South Slavic Federation held a Conference in the Midwest that began on July 16, 1921.
[fn: Comintern Archive f.515, op. 1, d. 75, l. 220]
The “Educationalists" Movement in the Communist Party’s South Slavic Section (early 1920s)
In the early 1920s a movement originated in the Communist Party’s South Slavic Section around the persons of Teodor Svetkov, editor of Radnik, and Djuro Kutuzovic. This group, called the Prosvjetasi (Educationalists), argued that the working class could not achieve its liberation until it freed itself from religion and mastered the natural and social sciences. These individuals were expelled from the party in 1924 and established a group called Jugoslavenski prosvjetni savez, which published the paper Novi svijet.
[fn: John Kraljic, “South Slavic Federation,”posted to the Historians of American Communism Newsgroup, Oct. 15, 2004; 1921 membership figure from Comintern Archive: f. 515, op. 1, d. 75, l. 12.]
Downloads
1908
MAY
“Report of Committee on Foreign Speaking Organizations to the National Convention of the Socialist Party, May 17, 1908.” Committee report to the 1908 SPA Convention in Chicago, delivered by S.A. Knopfnagel. The Committee advocated the acceptance of all foreign language organizations seeking affiliation with the Socialist Party, subject to 5 conditions: “(1) They are composed of Socialist Party members only. (2) Any foreign speaking organization having a national form of organization of its own be recognized only if all the branches composing this organization having been chartered by the national, state, or local Socialist Party organizations, and pay their dues to the respective Socialist Party organizations. (3) No foreign speaking organization asking the Socialist Party for recognition shall issue their own particular national, state, or local charters. Same to be issued only by the respective organizations of the Socialist Party, as the case may require. (4) All foreign speaking organizations affiliated with the Socialist Party must and shall conform in every respect with the Socialist Party national, state, and local constitutions, platforms, and resolutions. (5) They should function only as agitation, education, and organization bureaus of the Socialist Party.”Includes an amendment made from the floor but not published in the SP’s Official Bulletin (probably due to incompetence rather than malice) prohibiting the refusal of admission to the SPA on account of race or language.
1913
MAY
“Report of the South Slavic Section to Socialist Party National Convention, May 1912,” by Frank Petrich. The South Slavic Socialist Federation affiliated with the Socialist Party of America in January of 1911. This is the report of the Translator-Secretary of the Yugoslav Federation Frank Petrich to the 1912 Indianapolis Convention of the Socialist Party of America. Details about membership demographics, size, and the financial status of the organization up to March 31, 1912, are provided.
DECEMBER
“United Communist Party — “Groups" According to Language: As of December 1920.” This is based upon an internal document of the United Communist Party captured by the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Investigation in the April 1921 raid on UCP National Headquarters in New York. The UCP prided itself on having largely eliminated the federation-based form of organization which typified its rival, the Communist Party of America. Groups (Primary Party Units of between 5 and 10 members) were nevertheless based around language as well as geography and statistics tabulated by the organization. This snapshot from the midpoint of the UCP’s one year of existence surprisingly shows more South Slavic (Croatian and Slovenian) language groups than any other (144), followed by the Russian (136), English (121), German (61), Latvian (49), Yiddish (37), Lithuanian (34), and Finnish (31) language groups.
1918
“South Slavic Federations Withdraw From Socialist Party; May Combine with Social Democratic League,” by Emanuel Haldeman-Julius [event of Sept. 20, 1918] The war in Europe was a divisive issue within the South Slavic Federation of the Socialist Party of America, with the radical Croatian component staunchly supporting the party’s unbending anti-militarist position, while the large Slovenian and small Serbian component bitterly disagreeing. The federation effectively split over this issue, with the Slovenian and Serbian Federationists voting to separate from the SPA at a conference held in Springfield, Ill. on Sept. 20, 1918. The main resolution of the Slovenian-dominated South Slavic conference states that the tactics of the Socialist Party had “estranged the American toiling masses, thus making itself impossible of representing them politically or otherwise” and effectively excluded socialists “from all actual participation in the peace conference, and also from cooperation in reconstruction after the war.” In effect, the Socialist Party had rendered itself “merely a pacifistic sect,” in the judgment of the Slovenian socialists, who withdrew. This event was gleefully reported by Managing Editor Emanuel Haldeman-Julius of The New Appeal, the social-patriotic incarnation of The Appeal to Reason, who breathlessly speculates that the Slovenian socialists might well soon join the upstart Social Democratic League which Haldeman-Julius “provisionally” headed. Pouring on the invective, Haldeman-Julius calls the action of the Slovenian socialists “additional proof that The New Appeal was entirely justified in its policy against the party’s treasonable stand against the government and against the democratic ideals of the Entente.” About 6 weeks later, the war would end, effectively terminating Haldeman-Julius’ delusions of grandeur as a party leader. A few months after that Haldeman-Julius again altered his personal business plan, turning to the mass marketing of “Little Blue Books”—a rather more effective means to the fame and fortune he so anxiously desired.
1923
undetermined date
“Membership Series by Language Federation for the Workers Party of America. ‘Dues Actually Paid’ — January to December 1923.” Official 1923 data set of the Workers Party of America, compiled from a document in the Comintern Archive. This series shows a great numerical dominance of the WPA by its Finnish Federation, accounting for a massive 42.8% of the average monthly paid membership of the organization (6,583 of 15,395). The total of the English language branches is the 2nd strongest amongst the federations (7.6%) followed by the South Slavic (7.5%), Jewish [Yiddish language] (6.9%), and Lithuanian (6.0%) Federations. In all, there were statistics kept for 18 different language groups of the WPA in 1923, including the English and the barely organized Armenian sections.
“Initiation Stamps Sold by Federation for the Workers Party of America. January to December 1923.” Official 1923 data set of the Workers Party of America, compiled from a document in the Comintern Archive. This series once again (repeating the previous published 1924 series) shows a schizophrenic pattern of stamp sales among language groups . Some federations clearly did not collect the initiation fees called for in the WPA constitution at all (Jewish, German, Latvian) while at the same time the quantities sold via the English branches are ridiculously high. Over 53% of the initiation stamps sold for the entire WPA were credited to the English branches — nearly three times as many initiations than there were average duespayers in those English branches! Even assuming a significantly higher than average “membership churn”rate for English branches, there is clearly some other unexplained phenomenon at play in these English branch initiation stamp sale figures...
1920
JULY
“Correspondence Relating to the Application of the South Slavic Federation for Readmission to the Socialist Party of America from Frank Petrich, Secretary.” [July 1, 1920] The Slovenian-dominated South Slavic Federation withdrew from the Socialist Party on Sept. 20, 1918, over the issue of the war (the Slovenian and Serbian members of the federation being generally pro-war in orientation, the SPA maintaining a strong anti-militarist line throughout). The anti-war and revolutionary socialist Croatian section stayed within the SPA before leaving for the Communist movement in 1919, but the changed situation after the termination of the war left the Slovenians on the outside looking in. This document collects several pieces of correspondence to and from Frank Petrich, the Slovenian Secretary of the South Slavic Federation, dealing with the federation’s ongoing effort to gain readmission to the Socialist Party. The NEC of the Socialist Party was in no forgiving mood, it seems, as the first formal proposal for readmission was defeated on June 1, 1920 by a vote of 6-1. Petrich continued his campaign for readmission, however, writing an extensive letter to NEC member William Henry of Indiana on June 26 attempting to explain the situation within the South Slavic Federation. Petrich unapologetically skirts the issue of the federation’s pro-war stance. “We were against the war then, as we are against it today. But the war came in spite of our opposition. ...We could not believe that passivity in such a crisis is a virtue of Socialism; we thought such tactics erroneous because it does not allow to exploit the situation in the best interests of international Socialism. There were many problems the war had to settle—problems in which the working class had interests. Of course, our thought was wrong because we were in minority—and as a rule the minorities are always ‘wrong,” Petrich coyly asserts. Petrich indicates that a section of the Slovenian and Serbian socialists were coquetting with “Laborism” [the Farmer-Labor Party], a trend which would “become impossible” if the South Slavic Federation were readmitted. Petrich states he would be in attendance at the forthcoming July 10, 1920, physical meeting of the NEC, at which the matter of the South Slavic Federation’s readmission would be reconsidered.
“Correspondence Relating to the Application of the South Slavic Federation for Readmission to the Socialist Party of America from Frank Petrich, Secretary.’ [July 1, 1920] The Slovenian-dominated South Slavic Federation withdrew from the Socialist Party on Sept. 20, 1918, over the issue of the war (the Slovenian and Serbian members of the federation being generally pro-war in orientation, the SPA maintaining a strong anti-militarist line throughout). The anti-war and revolutionary socialist Croatian section stayed within the SPA before leaving for the Communist movement in 1919, but the changed situation after the termination of the war left the Slovenians on the outside looking in. This document collects several pieces of correspondence to and from Frank Petrich, the Slovenian Secretary of the South Slavic Federation, dealing with the federation’s ongoing effort to gain readmission to the Socialist Party. The NEC of the Socialist Party was in no forgiving mood, it seems, as the first formal proposal for readmission was defeated on June 1, 1920 by a vote of 6-1. Petrich continued his campaign for readmission, however, writing an extensive letter to NEC member William Henry of Indiana on June 26 attempting to explain the situation within the South Slavic Federation. Petrich unapologetically skirts the issue of the federation’s pro-war stance. “We were against the war then, as we are against it today. But the war came in spite of our opposition. ...We could not believe that passivity in such a crisis is a virtue of Socialism; we thought such tactics erroneous because it does not allow to exploit the situation in the best interests of international Socialism. There were many problems the war had to settle—problems in which the working class had interests. Of course, our thought was wrong because we were in minority—and as a rule the minorities are always ‘wrong,” Petrich coyly asserts. Petrich indicates that a section of the Slovenian and Serbian socialists were coquetting with “Laborism” [the Farmer-Labor Party], a trend which would “become impossible” if the South Slavic Federation were readmitted. Petrich states he would be in attendance at the forthcoming July 10, 1920, physical meeting of the NEC, at which the matter of the South Slavic Federation’s readmission would be reconsidered.1924
undetermined date
“Membership Series by Language Federation for the Workers Party of America. ‘Dues Actually Paid’ — January to December 1924.” Official 1924 data set of the Workers Party of America, compiled from a document in the Comintern Archive. This shows a continued numerical dominance of the Workers Party of America by its Finnish-language federation, averaging a paid membership of 7100 (41% of the entire organization) for the year 1924. Impressive growth is shown by the Yiddish-language ("Jewish") federation, which moved to the third largest language group in the WPA in 1924. The English branches comprised the second largest language group in the WPA, but still remained just 11% of the overall organization. The South Slavic federation (predominately Slovenian and Croation) was the 4th largest language group in the WPA, topping the Russian, Lithuanian, and Ukrainian federations.
“Initiation Stamps Sold by Federation for the Workers Party of America. January to December 1924.” Official 1924 data set of the Workers Party of America, compiled from a document in the Comintern Archive. An extremely interesting monthly series in which two unexplained anomalies are apparent: (1) The failure of at least 8 of the WPA’s 18 language sections to make more than a token effort to collect the $1 initiation fee and obvious similar behavior (to lesser degree) among branches of other language groups; (2) A preposterously large sale of 5,264 initiation stamps to “English”branches, which averaged a paid membership of just 1909 over the course of the year. Either there was a revolving door in the English branches that was entirely dissimilar to the situation in any other language group of the WPA; or there was some sort of effort to collect initiation fees among “English”workers without organizational follow up; or there was some sort of strange accounting practice used by the WPA in which miscellaneous sales of initiation stamps were lumped into the “English”category (or some combination of these explanations). A perplexing question in raised, with further archival research clearly necessary.
MAY
“Report of the South Slavonic Socialist Labor Federation to the 16th Convention of the SLP, May 1924," by Milos Malencich. Report of the National Secretary of the Yugoslav Federation of the SLP to that party’s quadrennial national convention about the size and state of the organization. No hard membership figures are provided, but Malencich does give a useful accounting of party publications, noting the termination of a Slovenian monthly in July 1923 and the existence of a Ukrainian monthly. Malencich notes that the World War “has had the result of inflaming the tribal hatreds aong Servian, Croatian, and Slovenian workers."
1931
APRIL
“This Post-War Generation and Our Time: Will It Be Able to Find a Way Out?” by Anna P. Krasna [April 30, 1931] A little heard perspective: the views of a Depression-era Socialist rather than a Communist; of a woman, not a man; of a Slovene-American, not an Anglo-American. Anna P. Krasna, a writer, appeals to the youth of America to wake up and begin to take an active interest in politics, as a new war was in the wind. The post-war generation had been bred upon illusions of individual success and was learning that the brutal reality of the economic system was different, Krasna stated. “We are hoping that the youth, seeing the future holds nothing but misery in store for them, or perhaps a chance to die a heroic death for the international speculators and exploiters, shall demand the right to live as comfortably as the modern technical improvements permit”— this to be achieved through participation in “the groups of those who believe in equality for all."