Socialist Party of America | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founders | Eugene Debs Morris Hillquit |
| Founded | July 29, 1901 |
| Dissolved | December 31, 1972 |
| Youth wing | Young People's Socialist League |
The Socialist Party of America was a left-wing political party in the United States.
History
Foundation
The Socialist Party of America was founded on July 29, 1901 in Indianapolis. 125 delegates were present at the founding convention: 70 from Morris Hillquit's faction of the Socialist Labor Party, 47 from the Social Democratic Party led by Eugene Debs, and eight from other groups.
The second convention of the party, held in May 1904, had 184 delegates from 35 states. By this point, the SPA had over 20,000 members and ran several newspapers in English and other languages.[1]
Peak
In 1908, the party created a national women's commission. By 1912, the Socialist Party had 120,000 members, a tenth of them in the state of Pennsylvania. The Socialist Party had socialists as mayors in 56 towns and cities, including Milwaukee, and Victor Berger was elected as the first socialist congressman. In 1913, the Young People's Socialist League was formed as the youth wing of the party.[2]
Criticism
The Socialist Party of America had a class reductionist policy towards the African diaspora in the United States. The party's leadership was also infiltrated by the petty bourgeoisie.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 William Z. Foster (1952). History of the Communist Party of the United States: 'The Socialist Party (1900-1905)'.
- ↑ William Z. Foster (1952). History of the Communist Party of the United States: 'The Heyday of the Socialist Party (1905-1914)'.