Progressive Party (United States, 1948)

Progressive Party (United States, 1948) was a third party in the United States that was formed in 1948 by Henry A. Wallace, the former Vice President of the United States under Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. The party was established in response to the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, which Wallace and his supporters saw as a threat to peace and international cooperation. The party's formation was also influenced by the Congress of Industrial Organizations and the American Labor Party. The party's ideology was shaped by progressivism, social liberalism, and anti-imperialism, and it was affiliated with the Socialist International.

● History

The Progressive Party was formed in 1948 by Henry A. Wallace, who had been Vice President of the United States under Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. Wallace had been a strong supporter of Roosevelt's New Deal policies, but he disagreed with Truman's more conservative approach to domestic policy and his Cold War foreign policy. The party's formation was also influenced by the Congress of Industrial Organizations and the American Labor Party, which had been founded by John L. Lewis and Sidney Hillman. The party's early supporters included Lee Pressman, John Abt, and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, who were all involved in the American Communist Party and the Congress of Industrial Organizations. The party also received support from W.E.B. Du Bois, Paul Robeson, and Pete Seeger, who were all prominent figures in the American Civil Rights Movement and the Folk music scene.

● Platform

The Progressive Party's platform was based on the principles of progressivism, social liberalism, and anti-imperialism. The party called for an end to the Cold War and the establishment of a peaceful coexistence between the United States and the Soviet Union. The party also supported the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which had been adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. The party's domestic platform included support for labor unions, civil rights, and social welfare programs, such as Social Security and Medicare. The party also called for the nationalization of key industries, such as coal mining and steel production, and the establishment of a publicly-owned electric power industry. The party's platform was influenced by the New Deal policies of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Great Society programs of Lyndon B. Johnson.

● Candidates

The Progressive Party's presidential candidate in 1948 was Henry A. Wallace, who ran on a ticket with Glen H. Taylor, a United States Senator from Idaho. The party also ran candidates for United States Congress and state and local offices, including Vito Marcantonio, who was a United States Representative from New York. The party's candidates included W.E.B. Du Bois, who ran for United States Senate in New York, and Paul Robeson, who ran for United States House of Representatives in California. The party also supported Pete Seeger, who was a Folk singer and activist, and Woody Guthrie, who was a Folk singer and songwriter.

● Election results

The Progressive Party's presidential candidate, Henry A. Wallace, received over 1 million votes in the 1948 presidential election, but he did not win any electoral votes. The party's candidates for United States Congress and state and local offices also did not fare well, with only a few winning election. The party's poor showing in the election was due in part to the Red Scare and the McCarthyism that was sweeping the country at the time, which made it difficult for the party to attract support from moderate and conservative voters. The party's election results were also influenced by the Dixiecrat movement, which was led by Strom Thurmond and Fielding Wright, and the American Labor Party, which was led by John L. Lewis and Sidney Hillman.

● Legacy

The Progressive Party's legacy is complex and multifaceted. The party's emphasis on peace and international cooperation helped to shape the foreign policy debate in the United States during the Cold War era. The party's support for civil rights and social welfare programs also helped to lay the groundwork for the Great Society programs of Lyndon B. Johnson and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. The party's influence can also be seen in the New Left movement of the 1960s and the anti-war movement of the 1970s, which were led by figures such as Tom Hayden and Jane Fonda. The party's legacy is also reflected in the work of Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, and Michael Harrington, who were all influenced by the party's ideology and activism.

● Notable members

The Progressive Party had a number of notable members, including Henry A. Wallace, Glen H. Taylor, Vito Marcantonio, W.E.B. Du Bois, Paul Robeson, and Pete Seeger. The party also attracted support from Folk singers such as Woody Guthrie and Joan Baez, and from writers such as Langston Hughes and Richard Wright. The party's members included activists such as Bayard Rustin and A. Philip Randolph, who were involved in the Civil Rights Movement, and labor leaders such as John L. Lewis and Sidney Hillman, who were involved in the Congress of Industrial Organizations. The party's members also included academics such as C. Wright Mills and Herbert Marcuse, who were involved in the New Left movement. Category:Defunct political parties in the United States