Socialism In The 20th Century Essay

At the turn of the 20th century, socialism was at its prime. Workers and labor unions were advocating for change, and socialism’s voice answered their calls. Socialism’s popularity and success at the turn of the 20th century was because it appealed to the working class because it offered a solution to their struggles, it was supported by the many labor unions, and the messages sent were easily accessible. At the turn of the 20th century, the capitalist system was growing enormously and monopolies dominated industries and exercised control over the government. Many workers struggled under this, and socialism appealed to their cries for reform of their wages and working conditions. Workers worked long hours, in dangerous conditions, 6 days a …show more content…
“For socialists who believe that the working class must organize itself to take power from the capitalists, unions have provided a necessary central focus. Socialists have been active, often essentially so, in the early stages of union organization in the United States” (Weinstein). Unions organized together everyone who was discontented, and socialism played into this and appealed to the labor unions, gaining supporters through this. During the early 1900’s many worker strikes swept across the United States, and these led to rapid growth in membership among unions that spoke to their members about socialist doctrine, encouraged their immigrant members to become citizens, and ushered them to polling places to vote for socialist party candidates (Melvyn). The relationship between unions and socialism was essential to it’s growth and success in the early 1900s. “Wherever the socialists established municipal power or influence the party constructed an alliance with local unions of skilled workers” (Melvyn). These workers that were in the unions were now introduced to socialism, and the socialist party thus gained a lot more followers through supporting and working with these unions. Without labor unions relationship with the socialist party, socialism’s ideas wouldn’t have been as widespread as they had been in the beginning of the 20th