It Happened Here: Electoral Strategies of Municipal Socialist Parties in the United States

It is commonly assumed that socialism is a political ideology that never took root in the United States. This thesis demonstrates that, at least at the municipal level, socialists managed to be successful in many respects. The thesis takes a particularly close look at the electoral appeals, organizational strategies, and other party activities of the socialists of Milwaukee, WI in the early half of the 20th century. It concludes that, given an often hostile electoral environment, socialist parties and candidates must adopt a degree of flexibility in order to win office.