Reports, correspondence, minutes, conference proceedings, resolutions, speeches, pamphlets, discussion bulletins, newsletters, and printed matter, relating to activities of the Partido Comunista Mexicano from its formation in 1919 until its merger with other parties in 1981, including electoral, trade union, student and other activities, and activities both at the national level and within various states.

The Partido Comunista Mexicano (P.C.M.) was organized in September 1919 by Mexican socialists under the direction of Comintern representatives Manabendra Nath Roy and Michael Borodin. The political instability and radicalism of the final years of the Mexican Revolution, combined with a native tradition of anarcho-syndicalism and trade unionism, created a party with a large rural following, as well as strength among transport workers, miners, educators and intellectuals. The party probably reached maximum strength (approximately 30,000 members) during the Popular Front period, when it cooperated with the administration of President Lazaro Cardenas (1934-1940). By 1960, the membership was estimated at 3,000. In 1940, two important leaders, Hernan Laborde and Valentin Campa, expelled from the P.C.M. for "right opportunist deviation", formed the Partido Obrero-Campesino Mexicano (P.O.C.M.). In 1948, the Partido Popular Socialista (P.P.S.) was established by Vincente Lombardo Toledano. From its inception, the P.P.S. was more influential; its larger membership allowed its candidates to qualify for election registration, a goal which the P.C.M. was never able to achieve under the old electoral law.

34 manuscript boxes, 2 oversize boxes, 1 phonotape (17.0 Linear Feet)

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Boxes 36 and FH1 may not be used without permission of the Archivist. The remainder of the collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.