ABSTRACT
The development of the communist movement in the United States was strongly influenced by the policies of the Communist Third International, just as was the communist movement in other parts of the world. In 1935, at its Seventh Congress, the Communist International took another sharp turn in its policies. In France, for example, the popular front policy adopted by the Communists in 1935 paid political dividends as early as the election of 1936. In Germany the Communists had been crushed as an isolated fringe of the national political life. In France, where the popular front policy had a chance, Communists played a significant role in shaping the national response to the crises of economic depression and fascist politics. In the United States, Communists threw their support to those who opposed US entry into the war against the fascist powers. Alarmed at the apparent successes of Communists at home and around the globe, American capitalism fought back.
