Federation of Russian Canadians

Last updated

The Federation of Russian Canadians is a left-leaning cultural organization for Russian immigrants to Canada and their descendants.

Contents

It is the successor of the Russian Farmer-Worker Clubs which were closed by the government at the beginning of World War II as a suspected subversive organization due to its links with the Communist Party of Canada. In 1942, after the Nazi invasion of the USSR, the organization reappeared as the Federation of Russian Canadians, known also by its Russian initials as the FRK. [1]

At its height, the FRK had 15 branches across Canada and published a newspaper, Vestnik. In 1944, the organization had around 4,000 members but, as a result of the Cold War and the defection of Igor Gouzenko, that number fell to 2,709 by 1949. In the late 1980s, the group had less than 800 members. [1]

While Vestnik ceased publication in 1994, the FRK still has community centres in Toronto and Vancouver.

The FRK organized some 15 branches in various Canadian cities and published the newspaper Vestnik (Herald), long the only Russian newspaper in Canada. [1]

The FRK was associated with the Labor-Progressive Party and was affiliated with the Canadian Peace Congress.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Socialist Party of America</span> 1901–1972 United States political party

The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a socialist political party in the United States formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party of America who had split from the main organization in 1899.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian Communist Workers' Party of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union</span> Political party in Russia

The Russian Communist Workers' Party of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union is an anti-revisionist Marxist–Leninist communist party in Russia. It is considered the republican branch of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (2001).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Communist Party of Canada</span> Federal political party in Canada

The Communist Party of Canada is a federal political party in Canada. Founded in 1921 under conditions of illegality, it is the second oldest active political party in Canada, after the Liberal Party of Canada. Although it does not currently have any parliamentary representation, the party's candidates have previously been elected to the House of Commons, the Ontario legislature, the Manitoba legislature, and various municipal governments across the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Russia</span> Political party in Russia

The All-Russian Political Party "United Russia" is the ruling political party of Russia. As the largest party in the Russian Federation, it holds 325 of the 450 seats in the State Duma as of 2022, having constituted the majority in the chamber since 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armenian Revolutionary Federation</span> Political party in Armenia

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation, also known as Dashnaktsutyun, is an Armenian nationalist and socialist political party founded in 1890 in Tiflis, Russian Empire by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon Zavarian. As of 2023, the party operates in Armenia, Lebanon, Iran and in countries where the Armenian diaspora is present. The party was also active in Artsakh until the Azerbaijani offensive in September 2023. Although it has long been the most influential political party in the Armenian diaspora, it has a comparatively smaller proportional presence in modern-day Armenia. As of October 2023, the party was represented in two national parliaments, with ten seats in the National Assembly of Armenia and three seats in the Parliament of Lebanon as part of the March 8 Alliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Communist Labor Party of America</span> Political party in United States

The Communist Labor Party of America (CLPA) was one of the organizational predecessors of the Communist Party USA.

The League for Socialist Action (LSA) was the premier Trotskyist organization in Canada for much of the 20th century. Throughout its history the LSA went through many different names and iterations. In chronological order it was known as: the International Left Opposition (Trotskyist) of Canada, the Workers Party of Canada, the Socialist Policy Group, the Socialist Workers League, the Revolutionary Workers Party, The Club, the Socialist Education League, and the League for Socialist Action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Workers Order</span> Insurance, mutual benefit and fraternal organization

The International Workers Order (IWO) was an insurance, mutual benefit and fraternal organization founded in 1930 and disbanded in 1954 as the result of legal action undertaken by the state of New York in 1951 on the grounds that the organization was too closely linked to the Communist Party. At its height in the years immediately following World War II, the IWO reached nearly 200,000 members and provided low-cost health and life insurance, medical and dental clinics, and supported foreign-language newspapers, cultural and educational activities. The organization also operated a summer camp and cemeteries for its members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proletarian Party of America</span> American left-wing political party

The Proletarian Party of America (PPA) was a small communist political party in the United States, originating in 1920 and terminated in 1971. Originally an offshoot of the Communist Party of America, the group maintained an independent existence for over five decades. It is best remembered for carrying forward Charles H. Kerr & Co., the oldest publisher of Marxist books in America.

Language federations were formed in the late 19th and early 20th century by immigrants to the United States, primarily from Eastern and Southern Europe, who shared a commitment to some form of socialist politics. Some of these groups joined the Socialist Labor Party of America (SLP); later, many joined the Socialist Party of America (SPA) and then later joined one of the precursors of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA); a number of federations also remained in the Socialist Party. The Russian and Finnish federations were particularly important in the early years of the Communist Party.

The Socialist Party of British Columbia (SPBC) was a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada, from 1901 to 1905. In 1903, the SPBC won seats in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Socialism in Canada</span> Role and influence of socialism in Canada

Socialism in Canada has a long history and along with conservatism and liberalism is a political force in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Socialist Party of Oregon</span> Political party in the United States

The Socialist Party of Oregon (SPO) is the name of three closely related organizations — an Oregon state affiliate of the Social Democratic Party of America established in 1897 and continuing into the 1950s, as well as the Oregon state affiliate of the Socialist Party USA from 1992 to 1999.

The Finnish Socialist Federation was a language federation of the Socialist Party of America which united Finnish language-speaking immigrants in the United States in a national organization designed to conduct propaganda and education for socialism among their community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Communist Party of Quebec</span> Provincial political party in Canada

The Communist Party of Quebec is a provincial political party in Quebec. It is affiliated with, but officially independent from, the Communist Party of Canada (CPC). The PCQ-PCC publishes the newspaper Clarté.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian Socialist Federation</span> American political organization

The Russian Socialist Federation was a semi-autonomous American political organization which was part of the Socialist Party of America from 1915 until the split of the national organization into rival socialist and communist organizations in the summer of 1919. Elements of the Russian Socialist Federation became key components of both the Communist Party of America and the rival Communist Labor Party of America as "Russian Federations" within these organizations. Following the unification of these two groups in 1921, the resulting unified Russian Communist Federation gradually evolved into the so-called Russian Bureau of the Communist Party USA.

<i>Pravda</i> Russian newspaper founded in 1912

Pravda is a Russian broadsheet newspaper, and was the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, when it was one of the most influential papers in the country with a circulation of 11 million. The newspaper began publication on 5 May 1912 in the Russian Empire but was already extant abroad in January 1911. It emerged as the leading government newspaper of the Soviet Union after the October Revolution. The newspaper was an organ of the Central Committee of the CPSU between 1912 and 1991. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Pravda was sold by the then Russian president Boris Yeltsin to a Greek business family in 1992, and the paper came under the control of their private company Pravda International.

A communist front is a political organization identified as a front organization, allied with or under the effective control of a communist party, the Communist International or other communist organizations. It is a structure used by Communist and left-wing parties to intervene in broader political movements. They attracted politicized individuals who were not party members but who often followed the party line and were called fellow travellers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People's Patriotic Union of Russia</span> Political association in Russia

The People's Patriotic Union of Russia was a political association in Russia, created on August 7, 1996 by political parties and public organizations that supported Gennady Zyuganov in the presidential elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Front of National Revolutionary Action</span> Political party in Russia

The Front of National Revolutionary Action was a youth national-patriotic organization that existed in Russia at the end of the 20th century. Until the end of 1992, it was called the Union of Russian Youth (SRM).

References

  1. 1 2 3 Russians [ dead link ], Canadian Encyclopedia