When looking at the organizing the Communist party accomplished in Harlem during the Depression it is important to designate what constitutes as victories and goals. During this period, the party displayed two very similar yet distinct goals; complete overthrow of the capitalist system and the racism inherent to it, and a general progression towards equality and justice for all (economically and racially). When one distinguishes these two aspects of the party the accomplishments and failures, successes and failures, are more greatly illuminated.

Following the basic party line, established long before the Comintern, but solidified by its doctrines, the party strived for a complete overthrow of America’s capitalist system. The party was very effective in directing this rhetoric towards the African-American population of Harlem. Soapbox speakers and street rallies presented the theories of racism based in capitalism well to those passing. It was not the talk that was the greatest strength of the party in its early days in Harlem. The discipline the organization demanded of its comrades impressed many. Since the Comintern decided its program for the “Negro Question” in 1928, then updated it in 1930, the need for struggle shoulder to shoulder with white workers was demanded. The talk was not enough for the people of Harlem. It was when the party took drastic steps, which demanded full cooperation from party members that African-Americans began to shift their attitudes. The “white chauvinists” trials forced not just the white members but also the African-American spectators the parties line in terms of race relations. It was when direct action of whites against whites was taken that trust began to form around the Party. They were beginning their move from just talk to action. It was even more action that cemented Communist dedication to the “Negro Question.” The evictions that came increasingly as the Depression continued offered white Party members another opportunity to prove their beliefs. As the evictions progressed it was white party members that protected and returned the furniture of the victims. White party members fought with police protecting the notice of eviction. It was white party members that risked arrest in defense of the slogan “No Wages, No Rent.” When African-Americans witnessed the lengths white radicals were willing to go based on Communist ideals, again the Parties support rose greatly. Action allowed Communists to gain a foothold in Harlem in their quest for revolution.

One of the greatest barriers Communists were forced to overcome was not a weakness but a relic that remained in the ideology of Harlem. Marcus Garvey’s calls for separation of the races and African independence lingered in the hearts of the most radical of the neighborhood. It was overcoming the obstacle of racial consciousness in lieu of class-consciousness that was detrimental. Unable to ever sway the most radical of Garvey’s followers, the Communists lost many valuable soldiers in the fight against Capitalism. The other great weakness of the organization was the negative side of its greatest strength. The discipline the party demanded was too great to encourage a great increase in membership. Though the numbers of supporters swelled when the people witnessed the determination of Communist, membership totals only grew minimally. Communist inability to reconcile the discipline demanded by the party to the people of Harlem was their greatest failure in the struggle for revolutionary activity.

As party line shifted due to the threats of fascism and as party leadership introduced personal philosophies into party strategy. Coalitions were formed on general topics of social reform. Issue-based organizing replaced Communist demands for a revolution. The Scottsboro cases displayed the foundations of this strategy. Beginning to shy away from copious amounts of Communist propaganda and focusing attention of the masses with the events at hand while slowly influencing minds with Communist theories, the party began reaching others. For many the Communists, in one form or another, represented the defense of the Scottsboro boys and therefore the fight against lynching, legal or illegal. In Harlem, this forced many organizations that earlier avoided relationships with the Party to join forces. This strategy was improved in building the United Front against Fascism. Putting Communist rhetoric on the side and focusing on the issues at hand, Communists were able to direct organizations that gained mass support towards goals that better represented their general vision of racial equality. When the impending invasion of Ethiopia by Italian Fascist forces spurred actions from every corner of Harlem life, the Party was able to effectively build a coalition that pointed to capitalism as the ultimate enemy of not just the people of Ethiopia but also people struggling for justice all over the world. The party was able to work in strong coalitions that made real progress for social change, when they put revolution to the side and worked on the issues that affected Harlemites the most. This is when the Party was able to make its greatest strides in Harlem towards its post-revolutionary social vision.