From “On the Rise of Socialism in America” by Professor Larry Smith, DeLeon University
In the aftermath of the old United States’ civil war, the Republican Party that rose to prominence under Lincoln came to dominate American politics. However, the party became increasingly entrenched into America’s capitalist hierarchy, and became dominated by monopolies and business interests. The period of Republican dominance following the Civil War and the end of Reconstruction would become known as the Gilded Age, for it was indeed gilded; gold on the outside, but not on the inside. The power of the monopolies was fully consolidated under President William McKinley(1897-1904)[1] and continued under his successor, William Howard Taft(1905-1912).
During the Gilded Age, numerous political parties existed. The Republican Party dominated American politics, winning every election except for Grover Cleveland’s two non-consecutive terms. The Republicans were the party of bourgeois interests, and cooperated with monopolies to maintain power. The Democratic Party was America’s second largest political party, however, their support for the feudal slaveholding secessionists during the Civil War left them mostly a regional party in the South. The Democrats were similar to the Republicans, but more avowedly racist and reactionary. The Socialist Party was founded by Eugene V. Debs of Indiana. In 1907, Daniel DeLeon’s Communist Party split from the Socialists over numerous disputes. The Communists would rise to prominence during the First Great War.
In 1914, President Charles Evans Hughes(1911-1920) entered the United States into the First Great War alongside the British Empire, the French Third Republic, and Tsarist Russia(the Entente) against Imperial Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire(the Central Powers). It should be noted that, unlike the Second Great War, the First Great War was an inherently imperialist conflict, and neither side deserves your sympathy. An innumerable amount of innocent soldiers were sent to die in the trenches. This seemingly endless slaughter disillusioned many Americans from the lies fed to them by their ruling class. However, it was not in America where the first communist state was formed. That award goes to the Soviet Union, where Vladimir Lenin’s Bolsheviks rose up against the Tsarist regime. The slaughter of the trenches, combined with Lenin’s success in Russia, convinced many Americans about the merits of socialism. On November 11, 1918, the Central Powers surrendered to the Entente, ending the First Great War.
Even with the war over, things did not improve for American workers. Hughes’ successor, Warren G. Harding(1921-1923), died three years into his presidency, and was succeeded by his Vice President, Calvin Coolidge(1923-1929), both capitalist Republicans. During the 1928, the Republicans nominated Herbert Hoover, who won the election and needs no introduction. By this point, American politics had radically changed. The Republicans’ corruption still kept them in power, but the Democrats were now a decrepit shad of their former selves. The Socialist and Communist Parties were both rising in popularity, particularly in the South and Midwest. The, on September 4, 1928, the stock market crashed and the world entered the Great Depression. Hoover’s failure to combat the crisis led to the Communists rising in popularity, completely replacing both the Democrats and Socialists on the national scale. The old United Statesp would soon come to an end, its time and place having gone from the world. In its place, the UASS[2] would be born.
**********
For a while now I’ve had this idea that I would come back to every so often; what if a communist regime rose to power in the United States? The ultimate irony, where the heartland of capitalism fell to the reds. When this scenario is imagined, their are usually two scenarios that are imagined; either a complete recreation of Stalinism in America, or some sort of socialist utopia. I will not be going with either of those. If you came here for a dystopian recreation of the USSR in America, I’m afraid that the differences between Russia and the United States at the time of their respective revolutions would make any sort of American communists very different from their Russian counterparts. On the other hand, if you came here for a socialist utopia where everyone has free healthcare, well, let’s just say that I’m not a communist or a socialist by any definition of the word, and the American communists will be very much oppressive authoritarians. Without further adieu, welcome to the world of a communist America.
[1]The POD. McKinley is never assassinated, and as a result Roosevelt never becomes President and the trusts and monopolies remain more powerful.
[2]Union of American Socialist States
In the aftermath of the old United States’ civil war, the Republican Party that rose to prominence under Lincoln came to dominate American politics. However, the party became increasingly entrenched into America’s capitalist hierarchy, and became dominated by monopolies and business interests. The period of Republican dominance following the Civil War and the end of Reconstruction would become known as the Gilded Age, for it was indeed gilded; gold on the outside, but not on the inside. The power of the monopolies was fully consolidated under President William McKinley(1897-1904)[1] and continued under his successor, William Howard Taft(1905-1912).
During the Gilded Age, numerous political parties existed. The Republican Party dominated American politics, winning every election except for Grover Cleveland’s two non-consecutive terms. The Republicans were the party of bourgeois interests, and cooperated with monopolies to maintain power. The Democratic Party was America’s second largest political party, however, their support for the feudal slaveholding secessionists during the Civil War left them mostly a regional party in the South. The Democrats were similar to the Republicans, but more avowedly racist and reactionary. The Socialist Party was founded by Eugene V. Debs of Indiana. In 1907, Daniel DeLeon’s Communist Party split from the Socialists over numerous disputes. The Communists would rise to prominence during the First Great War.
In 1914, President Charles Evans Hughes(1911-1920) entered the United States into the First Great War alongside the British Empire, the French Third Republic, and Tsarist Russia(the Entente) against Imperial Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire(the Central Powers). It should be noted that, unlike the Second Great War, the First Great War was an inherently imperialist conflict, and neither side deserves your sympathy. An innumerable amount of innocent soldiers were sent to die in the trenches. This seemingly endless slaughter disillusioned many Americans from the lies fed to them by their ruling class. However, it was not in America where the first communist state was formed. That award goes to the Soviet Union, where Vladimir Lenin’s Bolsheviks rose up against the Tsarist regime. The slaughter of the trenches, combined with Lenin’s success in Russia, convinced many Americans about the merits of socialism. On November 11, 1918, the Central Powers surrendered to the Entente, ending the First Great War.
Even with the war over, things did not improve for American workers. Hughes’ successor, Warren G. Harding(1921-1923), died three years into his presidency, and was succeeded by his Vice President, Calvin Coolidge(1923-1929), both capitalist Republicans. During the 1928, the Republicans nominated Herbert Hoover, who won the election and needs no introduction. By this point, American politics had radically changed. The Republicans’ corruption still kept them in power, but the Democrats were now a decrepit shad of their former selves. The Socialist and Communist Parties were both rising in popularity, particularly in the South and Midwest. The, on September 4, 1928, the stock market crashed and the world entered the Great Depression. Hoover’s failure to combat the crisis led to the Communists rising in popularity, completely replacing both the Democrats and Socialists on the national scale. The old United Statesp would soon come to an end, its time and place having gone from the world. In its place, the UASS[2] would be born.
**********
For a while now I’ve had this idea that I would come back to every so often; what if a communist regime rose to power in the United States? The ultimate irony, where the heartland of capitalism fell to the reds. When this scenario is imagined, their are usually two scenarios that are imagined; either a complete recreation of Stalinism in America, or some sort of socialist utopia. I will not be going with either of those. If you came here for a dystopian recreation of the USSR in America, I’m afraid that the differences between Russia and the United States at the time of their respective revolutions would make any sort of American communists very different from their Russian counterparts. On the other hand, if you came here for a socialist utopia where everyone has free healthcare, well, let’s just say that I’m not a communist or a socialist by any definition of the word, and the American communists will be very much oppressive authoritarians. Without further adieu, welcome to the world of a communist America.
[1]The POD. McKinley is never assassinated, and as a result Roosevelt never becomes President and the trusts and monopolies remain more powerful.
[2]Union of American Socialist States
