What if the United States became Communist instead of Russia?

A soc.history.what-if post of mine from twenty (!) years ago:

***
Well, let's see. The IWW, which never had as many as 100,000 members
(mostly lumberjacks, longshoremen, migrant workers the AFL wouldn't
organize, etc.) defeats the most powerful capitalism, the most powerful
middle class, and the most powerful reformist labor movement on the face
of the earth. Once you grant that slightly implausible premise, you get
all sorts of interesting possibilities.

"Bill Haywood, chairman of the central executive committee of the
Workers' Councils, today announced his new Council of People's
Commisars. Chairman of the Council is Comrade Eugene Debs. Debs and
other left socialists were reconciled with the IWW after the Seattle
general strike of 1919 on the platform of 'all power to the workers'
councils.' To think that only a year ago Woodrow Wilson was in the White
House and Eugene Debs in prison, rather than the other way around!

"The council also includes the first woman 'cabinet' member in this
country's history, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn. There are reportedly quarrels
between ex-IWWs and ex-Socialists about the distribution of seats in the
Council. William Z. Foster has been rumored likely to get a position,
though he will have to explain away his past support for the AFL and the
imperialist world war.

"Apart from announcing immediate independence for Puerto Rico and the
Philippines, Comrade Haywood has announced that the capital of the
former U.S. (now the United Workers' Republic of America) will be moved
from Washington, D.C. to IWW headquarters in Chicago. This will assist
in the 'withering away of the state' into self-government by industrial
unionism, and will give breathing space against an expected
cross-Atlantic invasion by the capitalist powers of Europe, aligned with
American capitalists. Comrade Haywood, in announcing the formation of
the American Red Army, admitted that the very words 'government' 'army'
and 'police' make him uneasy, but says that the workers do temporarily
need an instrument of repression against the bourgeoisie. Asked whether
the American workers could withstand the combined assault of the
European capitalist powers (including Tzarist Russia, which is raising
new claims on Alaska) and their allies at home (who have set up a
separatist govenment in New England with British and Canadian support),
Comrade Haywood said that he hoped an early European revolution would
solve that problem.

"A reporter asked Comrade Haywood what would happen if a local workers'
council would elect 'reformists.' Comrade Haywood said that he would
try to 'dissuade' any such council, but added that free council
elections could not be used as a 'cloak' for 'counterrevolution and
sabotage.' He rejected rather testily a reporter's suggestion that the
experience of power was eroding his former 'anti-authoritarian' views."

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