W. E. B. Du Bois

The African Roots of War

Reprinted here is a little known, yet important, article by W.E.B. Du Bois on the imperialist origins of the First World War. This article, which stressed the significance of the rivalry among the imperialist powers over the division of the African continent, appeared in the May 1915 issue of Atlantic Monthly, about a year before Lenin completed his classic Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism. Dr. DuBois did not attempt, as did Lenin, to develop a full-blown theory of imperialism. But it is equally clear that his essay is informed by extensive and critical study of the subject. Among the interesting points of coincidence between Lenin and DuBois is the attention paid by the latter to the relation between imperialism and the growth of a labor aristocracy. On the other hand, it should be noted how much more importance Dr. DuBois gave to the ties between racism and imperialism. This article is published by permission of Shirley Graham DuBois, and will appear in the collected works of W.E.B. DuBois, to be published by Kraus-Thomsen Organization Ltd. —The Editors.This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.

Illustrated Souls of Black Folk

Foreword. Introduction. Fifty Years After. The Forethought. Of Our Spiritual Strivings. Of the Dawn of Freedom. Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others. Of the Meaning of Progress. Of the Wings of Atalanta. Of the Training of Black Men. Of the Black Belt. Of the Quest of the Golden Fleece. Of the Sons of Master and Man. Of the Faith of the Fathers. Of the Passing of the First-Born. Of Alexander Crummell. Of the Coming of John. Of the Sorrow Songs. The Afterthought. Afterword. Explanatory Notes. Chronology of the Life of W. E. B. Du Bois. Index

Preface to the Jubilee Edition of The Black Souls of Black Folk (1953)

The Blue Heron Press Jubilee edition of The Souls of Black Folk appeared in 1953. In 1949 Du Bois had purchased the plates to the book, which was then out of print. At that time, during the anticommunist hysteria, it was extremely difficult to keep in print or to publish works that raised fundamental questions about U.S. society. In 1952, best-selling novelist Howard Fast had his latest novel Spartacus turned down by his usual publisher and by every other he turned to—presumably, because of his association with the Communist Party as well as the incendiary nature of his novel, which was about a revolt against slavery, albeit in antiquity. Fasts only choice was to publish the book himself. Devising his own imprint, Blue Heron Press, he solicited orders by direct mail and finally had enough so that he could print 50,000 copies. This self-published book became a best-seller, and with the proceeds Fast reissued a number of his earlier historical novels.This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.