Editing Communist Party USA (section)

===Great Depression===
In October 1929, a major economic crisis known as the [[Great Depression]] began. 17 million workers became unemployed and basic industrial production dropped by 50%. During the first four years of the Depression, party membership increased from under 10,000 to 18,000.

On March 6, 1930, the CPUSA organized a demonstration of over a million workers and unemployed. In [[New York City]], the demonstration was met with 25,000 police and firemen.<ref name=":1">{{Citation|author=William Z. Foster|year=1952|title=History of the Communist Party of the United States|title-url=http://williamzfoster.blogspot.com/|chapter=The Communist Party and the Great Economic Crisis (1929-1933)|chapter-url=http://williamzfoster.blogspot.com/2013/01/chapter-twenty-communist-party-and.html}}</ref>

The Seventh National Convention of the CPUSA was held in New York City in 1930 with 306 delegates. Party leaders, including [[William Z. Foster]], did not participate because they were in jail after attempting to present the demands of the [[Unemployment|unemployed]] to Mayor [[Jimmy Walker]].<ref>{{Citation|author=Marxists Internet Archive|year=2009|title=Communist Party of the United States of America (1919–1946)|chapter=The Communist Party, USA|publisher=|mia=https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/eam/cpa/communistparty.html}}</ref>

In 1932, William Z. Foster ran for president and received over 100,000 votes.<ref name=":1" />