The Union for Democratic Action (UDA) was an American

political Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

organization advocating liberal policies and the preservation and extension of democratic values domestically and overseas.Zuckerman, ''The Wine of Violence: An Anthology on Anti-Semitism,'' 1947, p. 220. It existed from 1941 to 1947, and was the precursor organization to the group

Americans for Democratic Action Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) is a liberal American political organization advocating progressive policies. ADA views itself as supporting social and economic justice through lobbying, grassroots organizing, research, and supporting p ...

History

The Union for Democratic Action was co-founded by liberal

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

Reinhold Niebuhr Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr (June 21, 1892 – June 1, 1971) was an American Reformed theologian, ethicist, commentator on politics and public affairs, and professor at Union Theological Seminary for more than 30 years. Niebuhr was one of Ameri ...

(then a member of the

Socialist Party of America 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 ...

), James I. Loeb (later an

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

and diplomat in the John F. Kennedy administration), International Ladies Garment Workers Union official Murray Gross, actor Melvyn Douglas, and others at the Town Hall Club in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on May 10, 1941.Boyle, ''The UAW and the Heyday of American Liberalism, 1945-1968,'' 1998, p. 49.Brock, ''Americans for Democratic Action: Its Role in National Politics,'' 1962, p. 49; Parmet, ''The Master of Seventh Avenue: David Dubinsky and the American Labor Movement,'' 2005, p. 214.Brown, ''Niebuhr and His Age: Reinhold Niebuhr's Prophetic Role and Legacy,'' 2002, p. 102.Ceplair, "The Film Industry's Battle Against Left-Wing Influences, From the Russian Revolution to the Blacklist," ''Film History,'' 2008, 400-401. The impetus for the formation of the UDA was the

pacifism Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ...

advocated by the

, which many socialist intellectuals and left-wing activists felt was inappropriate given the threat to western democratic nations posed by

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

and

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

.Libros, ''Hard Core Liberals: A Sociological Analysis of the Philadelphia Americans for Democratic Action,'' 1975, p. 13. Other leaders and members of the UDA came out of William Allen White's Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies, which was becoming increasingly

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

. The organization was explicitly pro- union, and barred political

conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

from membership. The organization also explicitly barred

communists Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, d ...

from membership as well.Powers, ''Not Without Honor: The History of American Anticommunism,'' 1998, p. 200-201. Niebuhr was the organization's first and only chairperson. Loeb was its executive director. The organization was widely quoted; its members often held influential positions in the presidential administration of

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

, and it strongly supported the

Lend-Lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (),3,000 Hurricanes and >4,000 other aircraft) * 28 naval vessels: ** 1 Battleship. (HMS Royal Sovereign (05), HMS Royal Sovereign) * ...

arms supply program. In 1945, the UDA distributed 1 million copies of a cartoon pamphlet in support of the Dumbarton Oaks proposals for an international organization that would become the United Nations. But it was financially very weak and had only a handful of low-membership chapters on the East Coast.Brown, ''Niebuhr and His Age: Reinhold Niebuhr's Prophetic Role and Legacy,'' 2002, p. 103. It had only one active chapter in 1944 and a mere 5,000 members in 1946.Beinart, ''The Good Fight: Why Liberals—and Only Liberals—Can Win the War on Terror and Make America Great Again,'' 2007, p. 4. The organization was politically astute, however. It pioneered the use of the voting records of members of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

as a means of swaying public opinion for or against its favored candidates. The UDA undertook a major effort to support left-wing Democratic candidates for Congress in 1946. The defeat of a large number of Democrats in the 1946 elections prompted Loeb to advocate UDA's disbanding and the formation of a new, more broadly based, mass-membership organization.Libros, ''Hard Core Liberals: A Sociological Analysis of the Philadelphia Americans for Democratic Action,'' 1975, p. 22. The Americans for Democratic Action was formed on January 4, 1947, and the UDA shuttered.Davis, ''The Civil Rights Movement,'' 2000, p. 27.Hambly, "The Liberals, Truman, and the FDR as Symbol and Myth," ''The Journal of American History,'' March 1970; Heale, ''American Anticommunism: Combating the Enemy Within, 1830-1970,'' 1990, p. 140.

Footnotes

Bibliography

*Beinart, Peter. ''The Good Fight: Why Liberals—and Only Liberals—Can Win the War on Terror and Make America Great Again.'' Carlton, Victoria, Australia: Melbourne University Press, 2007. *Boyle, Kevin. ''The UAW and the Heyday of American Liberalism, 1945-1968.'' Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1998. *Brock, Clifton. ''Americans for Democratic Action: Its Role in National Politics.'' Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1962. *Brown, Charles C. ''Niebuhr and His Age: Reinhold Niebuhr's Prophetic Role and Legacy.'' Harrisburg, Pa.: Trinity Press International, 2002. *Ceplair, Larry. "The Film Industry's Battle Against Left-Wing Influences, From the Russian Revolution to the Blacklist." ''Film History.'' 2008: 399-411. *Davis, Jack E. ''The Civil Rights Movement.'' Malden, Mass.: Blackwell, 2000. *Halpern, Martin. ''UAW Politics in the Cold War Era.'' Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York Press, 1988. *Hambly, Alonzo L. "The Liberals, Truman, and the FDR as Symbol and Myth." ''The Journal of American History.'' 56:4 (March 1970). *Heale, M.J. ''American Anticommunism: Combating the Enemy Within, 1830-1970.'' Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1990. *Libros, Hal. ''Hard Core Liberals: A Sociological Analysis of the Philadelphia Americans for Democratic Action.'' Cambridge, Mass.: Schenkman Publishing Co., 1975. *Parmet, Robert D. ''The Master of Seventh Avenue: David Dubinsky and the American Labor Movement.'' New York: New York University Press, 2005. *Powers, Richard Gid. ''Not Without Honor: The History of American Anticommunism.'' New Haven, Con..: Yale University Press, 1998. *Zuckerman, Nathan. ''The Wine of Violence: An Anthology on Anti-Semitism.'' New York, Association Press, 1947.

External links

"Reinhold Niebuhr Papers." Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
{{DEFAULTSORT:Union for Democratic Action Organizations established in 1941 Organizations disestablished in 1946 Political advocacy groups in the United States Liberalism in the United States