The present pamphlet is based upon an earlier brochure under the same title first published in 1932. Since then, important changes in the United States and in the world situation have rendered sections of the old pamphlet inadequate or out of date. In addition, the movement of the Negro people towards unity in the fight for equal rights and the new progressive movement in the country have advanced considerably since 1932.

These developments have brought to the fore a number of new problems and have placed others in a new light. Under these circumstances, I thought it best to revise and elaborate a considerable portion of the earlier pamphlet, keeping particularly in mind various problems raised in the course of numerous discussions during the past few years. The reader will undoubtedly find a number of important problems either treated very briefly or entirely omitted. This is unavoidable in a short pamphlet in which the principal emphasis is placed upon the main forces shaping the movement for Negro liberation.