Ideological Struggles within Ethnic Communities: The Communist Weekly <i>Naprej</i> and its Role Among Slovenian Americans (1935–1941)

Abstract This article examines the efforts of the Slovenian section of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) to influence public opinion within the Slovenian American community during the 1930s. It explores the interplay between ideology, ethnic identity, and political activism, focusing on how events like the Spanish Civil War, the annexation of Austria, and the Nazi-Soviet Pact shaped public attitudes. Central to this activity was the magazine Naprej, which served as an informal CPUSA organ for disseminating anti-fascist and communist ideas. Slovenian American communists aimed to guide the community's political engagement by adopting grassroots tactics reminiscent of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia's (CPY) strategies under the Popular Front policy. However, they encountered resistance from major Slovenian American organizations and publications, which rejected their ideological stance. Despite these challenges, their discourse influenced certain segments of the community, contributing to ideological divides that became evident during World War II, particularly regarding Yugoslavia's postwar future. Methodologically, this study draws on archival, newspaper, and memoir sources to contextualize these activities within broader trends in ethnic and leftist politics, offering a new perspective on the intersection of communism and ethnic identity in pre-war America.