Socialist Party of America

The Socialist Party of America was a socialist political party in the United States. It was formed in 1901 by a merger between the Social Democratic Party of Eugene V. Debs, formed three years earlier by veterans of the Pullman Strike of the American Railway Union, and a wing of the older Socialist Labor Party of America.

Split

By 1973 the Socialist Party of America had fallen under the control of the right-Shachtmanites and their allies, who renamed it the Social Democrats USA, in pursuit of their strategy of realignment in American politics that sought to realign the Democratic Party on a pro-labor and pro-civil rights basis. Meanwhile, a faction led by Michael Harrington became the Democratic Socialists of America, which also worked within the Democratic Party but was less dogmatically anti-communist. A third faction, including David McReynolds, reclaimed the name Socialist Party USA.

Related Topics:
Shachtmanites - Social Democrats USA - Democratic Party - Labor - Civil rights - Michael Harrington - Democratic Socialists of America - David McReynolds - Socialist Party USA

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This last re-formed Socialist Party has developed into a small third party in U.S. politics with roughly 1,500 members. The party regularly runs candidates for public office without any great success.

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