Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Socialist Party of America

2008-11-27T14:13:46Z

GStoner: /* Socialist Party */

The '''Socialist Party of America''' began in 1904 with the merger of the Social Democratic Party and the Social Labor Party. The party contained both moderate and radical socialists. At it's peak in 1912, there were 118,000 members. It was dissolved after the [[United States presidential election, 1976|1976 presidential election]].
==Debs era==

===Socialist Party===
The Socialist Party was a diverse coalition of local parties based in industrial cities, and usually was rooted in ethnic communities, especially German, Jewish and Finnish. By 1912 they claimed more than a thousand locally elected officials in 33 states and 160 cities, especially the Midwest. [[Eugene Debs]] ran for president in 1900, 1904 and 1908 primarily to encourage the local effort, and he did so again in 1912 and 1920. The party was factionalized. The conservatives, led by [[Victor Berger]] of Milwaukee who promoted progressive causes of efficiency and an end to corruption. The radicals wanted to overthrow capitalism, tried to infiltrate labor unions, and sought to cooperate with the [[IWW]]. With few exceptions the party had weak or nonexistent links to local labor unions.
Immigration was an issue--the radicals saw immigrants as fodder for the war with capitalism, while conservatives complained they lowered wage rates and absorbed too many city resources. Many of these issues were heatedly debated at the First National Congress of the Socialist Party in 1910, and the national convention in Indianapolis in 1912. At the latter the radicals won an early test by seating [[Bill Haywood]] on the Executive Committee, by sending encouragement to western "Wobblies," and by a resolution seeming to favor industrial unionism. The conservatives counterattacked by amending the party constitution to expel any socialists who favored industrial sabotage or syndicalism (that is, the IWW), and who refused to participate in American elections. They adopted a conservative platform calling for cooperative organization of prisons, a national bureau of health, abolition of the Senate and the presidential veto, and a long list of progressive reforms that the Democratic party was known for.
Debs did not attend--he saw his mission as keeping the disparate units together in the hope that someday a common goal would be found. There was little money--his campaign cost only $66,000, mostly for 3.5 million leaflets and travel to rallies organized by local groups. Debs criss-crossed the country, His biggest event was a speech to 15,000 in New York City. The crowd sang the "Marseillaise," and "International" as Emil Seidel, the vice-presidential candidate, boasted, "Only a year ago workingmen were throwing decayed vegetables and rotten eggs at us but now all is changed....Eggs are too high. There is a great giant growing up in this country that will someday take over the affairs of this nation. He is a little giant now but he is growing fast. The name of this little giant is socialism." Debs said that only the socialists represented labor; he condemned "Injunction Bill Taft"; ridiculed Roosevelt as "a charlatan, mountebank, and fraud, and his Progressive promises and pledges as the mouthings of a low and utterly unprincipled self seeker and demagogue." Debs insisted that the Democrats, Progressives and Republicans alike were financed by the trusts. Party newspapers spread the word

==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>

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

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.

==Downfall and Dissolution==
Due to the varied political views of members of the party, there was a schism during the Russian Revolution. The right-wing members condemned the Revolution, and expelled over 20,000 members who were sympathetic with [[Russia]]. Because of the so-called "Red Scare," many Americans stopped subscribing to the left-wing socialist newsletters.

After [[Franklin_Delano_Roosevelt|FDR]]'s [[New Deal]] legislation was enacted, the leaders of the Socialist Party called for many of its members to vote for the [[Democrats]]. Between this and the rising tide of [[Joseph_McCarthy|McCarthyism]], the Party's membership dropped to 2,000.

==Reorganization==
A minority faction of the Socialist Party of America, Socialist Party USA, came into being in 1973. They have yet to achieve any seats in federal government.

==See Also==
*[[Socialism]]
*[[Communism]]
*[[Karl Marx]]
==Bibliography==
* Ginger, Ray. ''The Bending Cross: A Biography of Eugene Victor Debs''. (1949)
* Hyfler, Robert. ''Prophets of the Left: American Socialist Thought in the Twentieth Century'' (1984) 192 pp. [http://www.questia.com/read/15255158?title=Prophets%20of%20the%20Left%3a%20American%20Socialist%20Thought%20in%20the%20Twentieth%20Century online edition]
* Quint, Howard. ''The Forging of American Socialism: Origins of the Modern Movement.'' (1964) 412pp; standard scholarly history [http://www.questia.com/read/9299312?title=The%20Forging%20of%20American%20Socialism%3a%20Origins%20of%20the%20Modern%20Movement online edition]
* Radosh, Ronald (ed). ''Great Lives Observed: Debs''. (1971). essays and primary sources
* Salvatore, Nick. ''Eugene V. Debs: Citizen and Socialist''. (1984), the standard scholarly biography.

==External Links==
*[http://www.dsausa.org/dsa.html Democratic Socialists of America]
*[http://www.sp-usa.org/ Socialist Party USA]
*[http://www.thesocialistparty.net/ Recently reorganized Socialist Party of America]
*[http://www.marxists.org/history/usa/eam/spa/socialistparty.html Detailed history of the Party]

==Notes and References==
<references/>

[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Socialism]]

Socialist Party of America

2008-11-27T14:13:12Z

GStoner: Made the text a little less of a wall to read.

The '''Socialist Party of America''' began in 1904 with the merger of the Social Democratic Party and the Social Labor Party. The party contained both moderate and radical socialists. At it's peak in 1912, there were 118,000 members. It was dissolved after the [[United States presidential election, 1976|1976 presidential election]].
==Debs era==

===Socialist Party===
The Socialist Party was a diverse coalition of local parties based in industrial cities, and usually was rooted in ethnic communities, especially German, Jewish and Finnish. By 1912 they claimed more than a thousand locally elected officials in 33 states and 160 cities, especially the Midwest. [[Eugene Debs]] ran for president in 1900, 1904 and 1908 primarily to encourage the local effort, and he did so again in 1912 and 1920. The party was factionalized. The conservatives, led by [[Victor Berger]] of Milwaukee who promoted progressive causes of efficiency and an end to corruption. The radicals wanted to overthrow capitalism, tried to infiltrate labor unions, and sought to cooperate with the [[IWW]]. With few exceptions the party had weak or nonexistent links to local labor unions.
Immigration was an issue--the radicals saw immigrants as fodder for the war with capitalism, while conservatives complained they lowered wage rates and absorbed too many city resources. Many of these issues were heatedly debated at the First National Congress of the Socialist Party in 1910, and the national convention in Indianapolis in 1912. At the latter the radicals won an early test by seating [[Bill Haywood]] on the Executive Committee, by sending encouragement to western "Wobblies," and by a resolution seeming to favor industrial unionism. The conservatives counterattacked by amending the party constitution to expel any socialists who favored industrial sabotage or syndicalism (that is, the IWW), and who refused to participate in American elections. They adopted a conservative platform calling for cooperative organization of prisons, a national bureau of health, abolition of the Senate and the presidential veto, and a long list of progressive reforms that the Democratic party was known for.
Debs did not attend--he saw his mission as keeping the disparate units together in the hope that someday a common goal would be found. There was little money--his campaign cost only $66,000, mostly for 3.5 million leaflets and travel to rallies organized by local groups. Debs criss-crossed the country, His biggest event was a speech to 15,000 in New York City. The crowd sang the "Marseillaise," and "International" as Emil Seidel, the vice-presidential candidate, boasted, "Only a year ago workingmen were throwing decayed vegetables and rotten eggs at us but now all is changed....Eggs are too high. There is a great giant growing up in this country that will someday take over the affairs of this nation. He is a little giant now but he is growing fast. The name of this little giant is socialism." Debs said that only the socialists represented labor; he condemned "Injunction Bill Taft"; ridiculed Roosevelt as "a charlatan, mountebank, and fraud, and his Progressive promises and pledges as the mouthings of a low and utterly unprincipled self seeker and demagogue." Debs insisted that the Democrats, Progressives and Republicans alike were financed by the trusts. Party newspapers spread the word
==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>

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

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.

==Downfall and Dissolution==
Due to the varied political views of members of the party, there was a schism during the Russian Revolution. The right-wing members condemned the Revolution, and expelled over 20,000 members who were sympathetic with [[Russia]]. Because of the so-called "Red Scare," many Americans stopped subscribing to the left-wing socialist newsletters.

After [[Franklin_Delano_Roosevelt|FDR]]'s [[New Deal]] legislation was enacted, the leaders of the Socialist Party called for many of its members to vote for the [[Democrats]]. Between this and the rising tide of [[Joseph_McCarthy|McCarthyism]], the Party's membership dropped to 2,000.

==Reorganization==
A minority faction of the Socialist Party of America, Socialist Party USA, came into being in 1973. They have yet to achieve any seats in federal government.

==See Also==
*[[Socialism]]
*[[Communism]]
*[[Karl Marx]]
==Bibliography==
* Ginger, Ray. ''The Bending Cross: A Biography of Eugene Victor Debs''. (1949)
* Hyfler, Robert. ''Prophets of the Left: American Socialist Thought in the Twentieth Century'' (1984) 192 pp. [http://www.questia.com/read/15255158?title=Prophets%20of%20the%20Left%3a%20American%20Socialist%20Thought%20in%20the%20Twentieth%20Century online edition]
* Quint, Howard. ''The Forging of American Socialism: Origins of the Modern Movement.'' (1964) 412pp; standard scholarly history [http://www.questia.com/read/9299312?title=The%20Forging%20of%20American%20Socialism%3a%20Origins%20of%20the%20Modern%20Movement online edition]
* Radosh, Ronald (ed). ''Great Lives Observed: Debs''. (1971). essays and primary sources
* Salvatore, Nick. ''Eugene V. Debs: Citizen and Socialist''. (1984), the standard scholarly biography.

==External Links==
*[http://www.dsausa.org/dsa.html Democratic Socialists of America]
*[http://www.sp-usa.org/ Socialist Party USA]
*[http://www.thesocialistparty.net/ Recently reorganized Socialist Party of America]
*[http://www.marxists.org/history/usa/eam/spa/socialistparty.html Detailed history of the Party]

==Notes and References==
<references/>

[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Socialism]]

Talk:Planet

2008-11-21T14:36:51Z

GStoner: /* Creationism View */

It should be noted that the IAU definition of a planet is currently undergoing close scrutiny and debate. After all, according to the current definition, Neptune shouldn't be a planet either. (Pluto's and Neptune's orbits cross over each other.) [[User:ColinR|ColinR]][[User_talk:ColinR|talk]] 14:00, 26 March 2007 (EDT)

:Oh yeh, I agree (i'm not happy with the revised definition at all) but I just thought I'd get the ball rolling, when I have more time I'll get to a more thorough article unless someone gets to it first. [[User:Airdish|Airdish]] 14:02, 26 March 2007 (EDT)

Duly noted. Thanks for the heads-up. --[[User:Huey gunna getcha|Huey gunna getcha]] 14:03, 26 March 2007 (EDT)

There is a subtle difference between the definition for a planet in our solar system or one orbiting a star other than the sun. The rationale for giving a "loose definition" was to avoid getting lost in minutiae. Changing to "is" is fine until a proper article is done. [[User:Airdish|Airdish]] 14:10, 26 March 2007 (EDT)

== Creationism View ==

The Young Earth Creationism View is not relevant enough unless it can offer a valid explanation of planetary creation instead of the section just stating "explanations of the planet formation are inadequate and contra-evidential". [[User:GStoner]]

Talk:Planet

2008-11-21T14:36:18Z

GStoner: /* Creationism View */

Talk:Planet

2008-11-21T14:35:51Z

GStoner: /* Creationism View */ new section