Why read In the Cause of Freedom?

Book cover of In the Cause of Freedom: Radical Black Internationalism from Harlem to London, 1917-1939

Book description

In this intellectual history, Minkah Makalani reveals how early-twentieth-century black radicals organized an international movement centered on ending racial oppression, colonialism, class exploitation, and global white supremacy. Focused primarily on two organizations, the Harlem-based African Blood Brotherhood, whose members became the first black Communists in the United States, and the…

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1 author picked In the Cause of Freedom as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Oleksa Drachewych

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Why did some Black Americans turn to the communist movement during the interwar period? This is one of the key questions Makalani seeks to answer in his book. He understands the limits of the movement, particularly its doctrinaire approach and the left’s limited engagement with race heading into the 1920s. He focuses on how Black Americans played a role in turning communism’s attention to racial issues while reconsidering certain theories of communism within their own radical networks. Makalani also emphasizes how many Black sojourners accepted communist tactics while maintaining their hesitancy towards the broader movement. Makalani provides a critical look…

From Oleksa's list on The best history books to understand the international communist movement between the World Wars.