WI President Debs?

Technocrat

Banned
Well if we accept that Bryan couldn't have won on a Populist ticket, that means that perhaps we can port the way he had a good shot at the Presidency to Debs.

So how do you get one of the parties to support him?

While the Progressive movement's counterpart among the Dems was interested in breaking the Republican industrial-commercial power structure, they wouldn't have found the side of immigrant workers to be acceptable. As much as Debs would contest the fact, citing the Republicans as his enemies, the Dems would still see his constituency as those who are loyal to the Grand Old Party.

Also, since the Democrats are still something akin to the Party of the Confederacy, I'm not sure the immigrant workers would choose them over the plutocratic Republicans that represent their hated bosses. Plus the political machines in New York and the like aren't exactly endearing Democrats to the Northern working man.

The best I can think of in this scenario is Bryan getting elected, the Populist wing completely swallowing the Democratic party, and the Socialists becoming a wing to the Populist-dominated party; with Norman Thomas or Upton Sinclair eventually becoming president decades later.
 
What if the government decided to stay like the UK was during the Industrial Revolution and refused to put any regulations on corporations?

I suggest that the author of this post read the first volume of Marx's Capital, which is largely about how the UK did put regulations on industrial capitalism, early and on a fairly significant scale. It was done by Parliament and Marx gives a blow by blow account of how it was done to mitigate excesses such as child labor. I happen to think the mitigation of the worst horrors was due more to rising labor productivity than the legislation; still, the legislation was put in place, and the pace of it stepped up once Disraeli and the Tories extended the vote to much of the working class.
 

mowque

Banned
The best I can think of in this scenario is Bryan getting elected, the Populist wing completely swallowing the Democratic party, and the Socialists becoming a wing to the Populist-dominated party; with Norman Thomas or Upton Sinclair eventually becoming president decades later.

Have you been looking through my hard-drive? :confused:
 
A few simple steps
1. Have debs not be a socialist
2. have him be a conservative
3. Have him become a republican governor or a democratic senator
4. Have him win the nomination of one of the major parties

(step 1 is the most important)
 

Technocrat

Banned
Or, have Debs become born again in prison after the Pullman Strike, rather than reading Marx.

He joins the Populist movement, bringing union ties with him, and helps unite rural Protestants with urban Germans and Catholics.

He, rather than Bryan, fulfills the role of a Populist candidate entering a Democratic convention and getting the nomination after a rousing speech.
 
Top