According to Marx's theories, communism would develop more violently and rapidly in states that showed a greater propensity for purely capitalist economic development. If this could clearly be applied to the countries of the Old World, then it was also broadly comparable to a striking example of a large capitalist country in the New. We are obviously referring to the United States of America, an economic and commercial giant that from the 19th century onward monopolised business on the American continent and steered its economy toward an avowedly consumerist and capitalist model.

Just as the German philosopher theorised, a movement toward the left of the political spectrum also emerged in the United States, beginning in the early 20th century with the Socialist Party of America, founded in 1901. However, this was always characterised by a distinctly reformist stance, not far removed from the policies proposed by other progressive parties. Left-wing members of the party, such as John Reed and Luigi Carlo Fraina, immediately opposed this general trend and over time drew closer to revolutionary syndicalist movements, such as the well-known Industrial Workers of the World.

The existing fractures within the party were exacerbated following 1917 and the exponential rise of Lenin's Bolsheviks in Russia. The American communist movement's inclination to align itself with the Bolsheviks was expressed by workers in the massive Seattle strikes of February 1919, and by politicians in the spring of that year with their favourable vote to accept Lenin's invitation to join the Comintern. This vote, however, was disregarded by the moderate and more right-wing elements of the party, leading to the founding of two main communist parties, both the fruit of left-wing expelled members after the vote and divided only by their differing leanings toward Bolshevism.

Obviously, these divisions within the American communist camp immediately angered Soviet leaders, who pushed for a unification of the parties. After years of doubt and tribulation, the Communist Party of the United States of America, of which only 5% of members were Americans, was finally formed, a majority of whom were immigrants from Europe. This factor marked decades of mistrust among the American public, amplified by the growing rivalry with the Soviet Union.