Socialist party politics and activism in the Northwest, 1895--1925 (Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington)

American socialism has long fascinated historians. For the Northwest, defined in this study as Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, despite a reputation for radicalism, Socialist politics have remained unexplored historical ground. This dissertation seeks to provide historians with the first regional institutional history of Socialist politics and activism. The work argues that a dedicated, optimistic, and vigorous Socialist party membership made not only a significant imprint on regional politics, but also typified, with few exceptions, national Socialist successes and failures.; The dissertation chronologically examines socialism in the region from 1895 to 1925. Detailed here are the earliest expressions of socialism that arose from the turbulent economy of the 1890s, especially utopian colonies and party organizing. The study then examines the genesis, growth, and successes of the longest lasting Socialist party in the region and nation, the Socialist Party of America (SPA), established in 1901. SPA partisans in the Northwest worked tirelessly in the name of party growth and propaganda. Northwest Socialists enjoyed considerable showings and victories in a number of municipal, state, and national elections and campaigns. Indicative of their political imprint, in 1912 Northwest Socialists nearly doubled the national percentages for Socialist presidential candidate, Eugene V. Debs. The dissertation also explores the most significant challenges to party permanency, including party factionalism, unionism, World War I, and the Red Scare. Despite an eventual decrease in political influence, Socialist politics and activism proved an important element of the early twentieth century Northwest and its political climate.; The dissertation utilizes a number of previously neglected primary sources. The work consults a number regional and national Socialist newspapers and periodicals. The text also employs archival materials from the Idaho State Historical Society, the Montana Historical Society, the Oregon Historical Society, and the Washington State Historical Society. These manuscripts include private collections, pamphlets, and party records. Also available via microfilm are the official party records of the Socialist Labor Party (State Historical Society of Wisconsin) and the Socialist Party of America (Duke University).