The Communist Party of Hawaii was the regional party of the

Communist Party USA The Communist Party USA, officially the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA), is a communist party in the United States which was established in 1919 after a split in the Socialist Party of America following the Russian Revo ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Territory of Hawaii The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory ( Hawaiian: ''Panalāʻau o Hawaiʻi'') was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 30, 1900, until August 21, 1959, when most of its territory, excluding ...

founded in 1934 by American communist

Bill Bailey Mark Robert Bailey (born 13 January 1965), known professionally as Bill Bailey, is an English musician, comedian and actor. He is known for his role as Manny in the sitcom ''Black Books'' and his appearances on the panel shows ''Never Mind the ...

Appeal

The party targeted poor

working class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...

such as the

stevedores A stevedore (), also called a longshoreman, a docker or a dockworker, is a waterfront manual laborer who is involved in loading and unloading ships, trucks, trains or airplanes. After the shipping container revolution of the 1960s, the number o ...

and plantation workers in the Territory.

Unions

The Communist Party was involved with forming

labor unions A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

and organizing

labor strike Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became common during the I ...

s and the

general strikes A general strike refers to a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coa ...

during the

nonviolent revolution A nonviolent revolution is a revolution conducted primarily by unarmed civilians using tactics of civil resistance, including various forms of nonviolent protest, to bring about the departure of governments seen as entrenched and authoritarian ...

leading up to the "Revolution of 1954".

Decline

Hawaii 7

In an attempt to stop the movement the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

launched synchronized raids in 1951, rounding up seven prominent members of the party including chairman

Charles Fujimoto Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...

. The seven detainees became known as the Hawaii 7 and were charged with conspiracy to overthrow the territorial government. Following the raids the party went into hiding. Several members that were members of both the Communist and Democratic parties moved to the Democrats and helped push the Democrats of Hawaii closer to

center-left Centre-left politics lean to the left on the left–right political spectrum but are closer to the centre than other left-wing politics. Those on the centre-left believe in working within the established systems to improve social justice. The c ...

. Little is known about the Communist Party after it went underground, but it was still active in the successful

Hawaii Democratic Revolution of 1954 The Hawaii Democratic Revolution of 1954 is a popular term for the territorial elections of 1954 in which the long dominance of the Hawaii Republican Party in the legislature came to an abrupt end, replaced by the Democratic Party of Hawaii whi ...

Defunct

By far the largest contribution to the decline of Communist Party was their own success. They had gained support from the poor and non-Caucasian workers by messages of bringing an improved lifestyle, equal rights, and expanded opportunities. But as these promises were coming true there was no longer a need for the Party. Most members, including

Jack Wayne Hall Jack Wayne Hall (February 28, 1915 – January 2, 1971) was an American labor organizer and trade unionist. He was the Hawaii Regional Director of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. Early life Hall was born in Ashland, Wisconsin ...

, head of the

ILWU The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) is a labor union which primarily represents dock workers on the West Coast of the United States, Hawaii, and in British Columbia, Canada. The union was established in 1937 after the 1934 West ...

in Hawaii, became convinced the task of the Communist Party was completed and the Party was dissolved in 1958. In February of 1959 it was reported that "FBI investigations, plus ... Federal court convictions, had 'crippled' the Communist apparatus in Hawaii ''Se
Hearing before the Subcommittee on Territories and Insular Affairs of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, United States Senate, Eighty-Sixth Congress, First Session on S.50
', p.15 (February 25, 1959). The "anti-American activity" of the Communist Party of Hawaii was opposed by the IMUA organization. Id.

References

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

Defunct communist parties in the United States Politics of Hawaii Political parties in Hawaii Banned communist parties 1958 disestablishments in Hawaii Political parties established in the 1930s Political parties disestablished in 1958 1930s establishments in Hawaii {{communism-stub