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Socialist Labor Party of America | |
|---|---|
| Founded | July 1876 |
| Headquarters | Mountain View, California |
| Membership (1879) | 10,000 |
The Socialist Labor Party of America, founded in 1876, is the oldest socialist party in the United States. It was originally known as the Workingmen's Party of America.
History
Foundation
The Socialist Labor Party was founded in July 1876 in Philadelphia, shortly after the dissolution of the First International. It contained Marxist factions of the First International and Lassalleans from the Illinois Labor Party. About 3,000 members participated in the founding congress. The Lassalleans won a majority in the congress and elected Philip Van Patten as national secretary.
The Socialist Labor Party supported the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, which was put down by 100,000 federal troops.[1]
Growth
By 1879, the Socialist Labor Party had 10,000 members from 24 out of 38 states. The SLP endorsed the Greenback Labor Party, which won 300,000 votes, in the 1880 presidential election.[1]
Revisionism
The SLP, controlled by Van Patten, abandoned trade unions and devoted itself only to electoralism. It was also racist against Chinese immigrants and called for a gradual abolition of capitalism instead of a revolution. By 1883, the party's membership had decreased to 1,500 and Van Patten disappeared after six years as national secretary.[1]
De Leonism
In 1891, Daniel De Leon became leader of the party. He was a revisionist and rejected the dictatorship of the proletariat in favor of syndicalism. His policies and political line are now known as De Leonism.[2]
Political positions
The Socialist Labor Party called for nationalization of railroads and telegraphs. It supported state-owned industry operated by trade unions.[1]