Non-English press of the Socialist Party of America

For a number of decades after its establishment in August 1901, the Socialist Party of America produced or inspired a vast array of newspapers and magazines in a variety of different languages. This list of the non-English press of the Socialist Party of America provides basic information on each title, along with links to pages dealing with specific publications in greater depth.

Non-English press

Czech

Obrana (Defense) (November 1910 – 1938) — Czech language weekly newspaper launched in New York City by the Czech Socialist Section of the Central Labor Union. The publication moved to the left after the 1917 Russian Revolution and sided with the Left Wing Section of the Socialist Party during the factional war of 1919 which resulted in the formation of the American communist movement.František Bielek, "Czechs," in Hoerder with Harzig (eds.), The Immigrant Labor Press in North America, 1840s-1970s, vol. 2, pp. 250-251. The paper was produced in the interim by the "Independent Czechoslovak Marxist Federation," with this group later joining the Communist Party. In 1924 Obrana proclaimed itself the official publication of the Czechoslovak Section of the Workers Party of America. Circulation as of that date was approximately 4,000 copies. The paper moved from weekly to daily status in 1934. Publication was terminated in 1938.

Estonian

Uus Ilm (New World) (January 1909 – 1980s?) — The Estonian language Uus Ilm, one of the longest-running radical publications in the United States, was launched as a weekly in New York City by the Central Committee of the American-Estonian Socialist Association.Dirk Hoerder, "Estonians," in Hoerder with Harzig (eds.), The Immigrant Labor Press in North America, 1840s-1970s, vol. 2, pp. 222-223. The paper moved to the left after the 1917 Russian Revolution and was the organ of Estonian-speaking communists in America from the 1920s.

Finnish

Amerikan Työmies (The American Worker) (1900) — While antedating the establishment of the Socialist Party of America, Amerikan Työmies was thoroughly social democratic in character and an important forerunner of the Finnish-American socialist press. The 4-page paper was launched in New York City by A.F. Tanner in January 1900 and at least 24 weekly issues were produced, some of which have survived.Auvo Kostiainen, "Finns," in Hoerder with Harzig (eds.), The Immigrant Labor Press in North America, 1840s-1970s, vol. 1, pg. 212. Ampiainen (The Wasp) (1900) — Early Finnish-American political humor publication, probably edited by A.F. Tanner in New York and issued in conjunction with his Amerikan Työmies. No copies are known to have survived. Päivälehti (The Daily Journal) (1901-October 1948; Socialist: 1940–1948) — This daily Duluth, Minnesota newspaper was apolitical throughout its early existence. In 1940 it was purchased by the Raivaaja Publishing Company and thereby brought into the socialist camp, although the paper was not particularly ideological in its orientation even after its purchase.Kostiainen, "Finns," in Hoerder with Harzig (eds.), The Immigrant Labor Press in North America, 1840s-1970s, vol. 1, pg. 223. Vapauttaja (The Liberator) (1903) — Vapauttaja was a 4-page socialist political supplement to the non-socialist newspaper called Lännetar, published in Portland, Oregon. The paper was edited by pioneer Finnish-American socialist Martin Hendrickson, and a total of four issues are believed to have been produced, only one of which, dated February 1903, survives.Kostiainen, "Finns," in Hoerder with Harzig (eds.), The Immigrant Labor Press in North America, 1840s-1970s, vol. 1, pg. 242. Uusi Meikäläinen (The New Fellow-Countryman) (April 1903?-1909) — Finnish-language political humor magazine published in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, which included political cartoons, jokes, and short stories.Auvo Kostiainen, "Finns," in Hoerder with Harzig (eds.), The Immigrant Labor Press in North America, 1840s-1970s, vol. 1, pp. 238-239. In the summer of 1903 the publication was moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, where it seems to have had some sort of connection with the establishment of the straight newspaper Amerikan Suomalainen Työmies (better known by its subsequent name, Työmies). The publication subsequently moved to the neighboring town of Quincy, Massachusetts, where it seems to have expired in 1909 or shortly thereafter. Aatteita (Ideals) (1903) — Short-lived bimonthly Finnish language newspaper founded by pioneer Finnish-American socialist A.F. Tanner. Three issues of the paper were produced in Ely, Minnesota, but no surviving copies have come to light.Kostiainen, "Finns," in Hoerder with Harzig (eds.), The Immigrant Labor Press in North America, 1840s-1970s, vol. 1, pg. 210. Suomalainen (The Finn) (1903) — Short-lived independent socialist weekly issued during the summer of 1903 in Ely, Minnesota, by Toivo Hiltunen.Kostiainen, "Finns," in Hoerder with Harzig (eds.), The Immigrant Labor Press in North America, 1840s-1970s, vol. 1, pg. 229. A few examples of the publication have survived. Amerikan Suomalainen Työmies (The Finnish-American Worker) (July 1903 – June 1904) — The granddaddy of the Finnish-American radical press was Työmies, established in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1903 as Amerikan Suomalainen Työmies. The publication was a weekly and was only in Massachusetts for about a year before heading west to Michigan.Kostiainen, "Finns," in Hoerder with Harzig (eds.), The Immigrant Labor Press in North America, 1840s-1970s, vol. 1, pp. 234-235. Työmies (The Worker) (July 1904-August 1950; Socialist: 1904 – about 1920) — In June 1904 the publication was moved to the small town of Hancock, located in the sparsely populated Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The paper remained in that location for a decade before moving to the comparative metropolis of Superior, Wisconsin, a virtual twin city of Duluth, Minnesota. From its earliest days, Työmies was a Marxist publication, significantly more radical than its East Coast counterpart established in January 1905, Raivaaja (The Pioneer). The paper briefly published an English-language paper called Wage Slave, and was the source of a number of annual magazines in the Finnish language. In 1950 the paper was consolidated with the CPUSA's East Coast Finnish-language newspaper, Eteenpäin, to form Työmies-Eteenpäin. Raivaaja (The Pioneer) (January 1905-April 2010?) — Raivaaja, based in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, was ultimately the daily flagship of a Finnish-language publishing operation which rivaled that of Työmies — one which stayed loyal to the Socialist Party of America during the factional war which swept the Finnish Socialist Federation in 1920–1921. The paper began as a weekly in January 1905, edited by Taavi Tainio under the auspices of the Finnish Socialist Publishing Company, renamed the Raivaaja Publishing Company in 1929.Auvo Kostiainen, "Finns," in Hoerder with Harzig (eds.), The Immigrant Labor Press in North America, 1840s-1970s, vol. 1, pg. 226. During the decade of the 1910s, the Finnish Socialist Federation split into three geographic districts, with Raivaaja the official organ for the east, Työmies in the middle district, and Toveri in the west. Raivaaja was a radical publication in its early years, but the paper moved gradually to a moderate social democratic position over time, coming down firmly in the Socialist Party camp during the 1920s factional controversy. The paper launched with a circulation of about 2,000, hit its stride in the 1910s with a circulation in excess of 8,000, and peaked with a circulation of 10,000 in 1927 before beginning a long downward slide. As was the case with the publishing company of Työmies, the Raivaaja operation produced an array of annual publications, such as an annual yearbook-and-calendar, and auxiliary publications, such as the monthly Säkeniä/Nykyaika. The list of editors of the publication over the years included such major names as Frans Josef Syrjälä, Yrjö Makelä, Eemeli Parras, Santeri Nuorteva, Oskari Tokoi, and Yrjö Halonen. The publication continued in continuous publication for over 100 years, making it one of the longest-running publications in the history of the American radical press, with the paper finally going down in 2010 for budgetary reasons.

Soihtu (The Torch) (July 1905 – December 1906) — This monthly 32-page magazine of the Finnish Socialist Federation, produced in Hancock, Michigan, by the publishers of Työmies.Auvo Kostiainen, "Finns," in Hoerder with Harzig (eds.), The Immigrant Labor Press in North America, 1840s-1970s, vol. 1, pgp. 227-228. Content was serious and theoretical in tone, with coverage of contemporary issues through the socialist prism. A complete run of the magazine is held by the University of Helsinki in Finland, with other partial runs in Finnish institutions. Soihtu was succeeded without interruption by the monthly magazine Säkeniä, produced in Massachusetts by the publishers of Raivaaja. Säkeniä (Sparks) (January 1907 – April 1921) — Säkeniä was a monthly slick-paper literary, artistic, and theoretical magazine produced in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, by the publishers of Raivaaja. The publication launched with a print run of 2,000 copies and gained a substantial readership, peaking with a circulation of 11,000 at the time of its discontinuation in 1921.Kostiainen, "Finns," in Hoerder with Harzig (eds.), The Immigrant Labor Press in North America, 1840s-1970s, vol. 1, pg. 227. Among the magazine's editors over the years were future Communist Party leaders Santeri Nuorteva and Yrjö Halonen and the publication featured contributions from an array of prominent Finnish and Finnish-American radicals, including Eemeli Parras, A.B. Mäkelä, and Yrjö Sirola. Due to the durability of the materials with which it was produced and the sale of bound volumes by the publisher, this illustrated monthly is substantially preserved in hardcopy — although no single library holds a complete run, nor is microfilm readily available. Nykyaika (The Modern Age) (May 1921 – February 1937) — With a factional battle between left and right sweeping the Finnish Socialist Federation in 1921, Säkeniä was terminated and the clearly social democratic Nykyaika launched in its place.Kostiainen, "Finns," in Hoerder with Harzig (eds.), The Immigrant Labor Press in North America, 1840s-1970s, vol. 1, pp. 222-223. The latter continued to be published by the publishers of Raivaaja and essentially represented a continuation of Säkeniä under a different name. Editors included the former editor of Säkeniä, Moses Hahl, succeeded in turn by two prominent leaders of the Finnish-American socialist movement, William Reivo and Oskari Tokoi. Nykyaika had a circulation of 5,000 in 1923, declining to just 3,000 in 1927, and largely as a result of its declining availability has not been perfectly preserved. Velosuu (The Loose Mouth) (c. 1905) — Short-lived Finnish-language political humor weekly published in Hibbing, Minnesota, by well-known socialist editor Moses Hahl. No specimens are known to have survived.Kostiainen, "Finns," in Hoerder with Harzig (eds.), The Immigrant Labor Press in North America, 1840s-1970s, vol. 1, pg. 243.