Changes

==Politics==

==Politics==

Throughout its existence, the party had very little party unity.  Its members' political stances took wide ranges of views from small social reform to Marxist Utopianism.  It's most prominent candidate (and founder), [[Eugene Debs]], ran for president in 1904, 1908, and 1912.  In 1912 he received 897,011 votes.<ref>[http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAsocialismP.htm Spartacus:  Socialist Party of America]</ref>  He ran on the notion of a "Cooperative Commonwealth." The [[constitution]] of the party can be found [http://www.marxisthistory.org/history/usa/parties/spusa/1917/0000-spa-constitution1917.pdf here]<ref>I think one can draw his own conclusions.</ref>

Throughout its existence, the party had very little party unity.  Its members' political stances took wide ranges of views from small social reform to Marxist Utopianism.  It's most prominent candidate (and founder), [[Eugene V. Debs]], ran for president in 1900, 1904, 1908, 1912 and 1920.  In 1912 he received 897,011 votes.<ref>[http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAsocialismP.htm Spartacus:  Socialist Party of America]</ref>  He ran on the notion of a "Cooperative Commonwealth."<ref> The constitution of the party can be found [http://www.marxisthistory.org/history/usa/parties/spusa/1917/0000-spa-constitution1917.pdf here]</ref>

The party never received much national support.  At its height, it held only a few mayoral positions and some chairs in city legislatures.

The party had limited support.  For many years it controlled the mayoralty in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Bridgeport, Connecticut, where it stressed efficiency, absence of corruption, and municipal ownership of the ewater supply.  

During the [[World_War_I|first world war]], the party aggressively opposed [[America|America's]] entrance into the war.  They claimed that the cause of the war was the "imperialist competitive society."  Through these actions, the party lost much of the support of the American public.  They held protests for the war and were imprisoned under the newly-sanctioned Espionage Act.

During the [[World_War_I|first world war]], the party aggressively opposed [[America|America's]] entrance into the war.  They claimed that the cause of the war was the "imperialist competitive society."  Through these actions, the party lost much of the support of the American public.  They held protests for the war and were imprisoned under the newly-sanctioned Espionage Act.