ABSTRACT
Ideological politics appeared on campus as socialism and communism became student concerns. Politically oriented activism on both regional and national levels grew as well. The 1900-1930 periods did set the stage, both organizationally and ideologically, for the ascendancy of the massive student groups of the thirties. The Intercollegiate Socialist Society (ISS) succeeded in coordinating the various socialist and liberal clubs which existed in many universities and was the only nationally organized political group. The Intercollegiate Socialist Society was able to maintain an active and fairly stable student organization for fifteen years. In the midst of political conservatism and apathy, the American left was going through its birth pangs with the founding of the Communist Party. Student radicalism followed the general trends of the broader radical movement in America which had undergone substantial change as a result of World War I and its aftermath.
