International Socialist Review (1900)

International Socialist Review

The International Socialist Review became a prominent voice for the Socialist Party's left wing. After 1908, it strongly supported the Industrial Workers of the World.
Categories	Marxist theory, labor movement
Frequency	Monthly
Publisher	Charles H. Kerr & Co.
First issue	July 1900
Final issue	February 1918
Country	United States
Based in	Chicago, Illinois
Language	English

The International Socialist Review was a monthly magazine published in Chicago, Illinois by Charles H. Kerr & Co. from 1900 to 1918. Initially, under the editorship of A.M. Simons, the magazine primarily served as a Marxist theoretical journal, focusing on Marxist analysis and discussion. In 1908, the publication shifted further to the left when publisher Charles H. Kerr assumed editorial responsibilities. The later Review (as contemporaries called it) adopted a more dynamic format, incorporating photographic illustrations on glossy paper and blending news of the contemporary labor movement with theoretical content.

Throughout its run, the International Socialist Review was loyal to the Socialist Party of America and became a leading voice for the party's left wing. After 1908, it championed the cause of revolutionary socialism, opposing efforts to transform the Socialist Party into a vehicle for moderate reforms. The magazine embraced syndicalism and supported the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and their vision of revolutionary industrial unionism. It also criticized the Preparedness Movement and other efforts to promote militarism in the lead-up to World War I. Additionally, the Review provided a platform for leaders of the Zimmerwald Left to communicate their anti-war and revolutionary socialist ideas to an American audience.

Following the United States' entry into World War I in 1917, the International Socialist Review faced increasing pressure from the United States Post Office Department and the United States Department of Justice. The magazine lost its mailing privileges in 1917 due to actions taken by Postmaster General Albert S. Burleson under the administration of President Woodrow Wilson. This government suppression effectively ended the publication, which ceased in early 1918.

An attempt to revive the Review as The Labor Scrapbook in 1918, under the editorship of Mary Marcy, one of Kerr's closest collaborators, was ultimately unsuccessful.