History of the Socialist Party of Kansas
The Original SPK Organization
From Populists to Socialists
The original Socialist Party of Kansas (SPK) was founded in the wake of the collapse of the Populist Movement sometime in the 1890s. The party had its largest following in the southeastern portion of the state among the recent immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe. The SPK grew as the broader Socialist movement gained a stronger following nationwide.
In the summer of 1901, the SPK joined with many other regional and factional Socialist parties across the country to form the Socialist Party of America at the Socialist Unity Convention in Indianapolis. By the time of the convention, Kansas had already acquired a worldwide reputation as a major hub for Socialist activity.
Julias Wayland and Appeal to Reason
This reputation was due in large part to the establishment in Girard of a weekly Socialist newspaper by Julias Wayland. The paper, Appeal to Reason, eventually reached a weekly circulation of 760,000, making it the largest circulation weekly newspaper in the United States. Among its regular contributing writers were Eugene V. Debs, Upton Sinclair, Helen Keller, and Jack London. Sinclair's classic novel, The Jungle, was originally commissioned by the publishers of Appeal to Reason, which is where the book was initially published in serial form.In the years between the founding of the Socialist Party of America and American involvement in World War I, the Socialist Party of Kansas made significant gains in the political establishment in the Sunflower State. In the 1912 elections, Socialists were elected to nearly every post in Crawford County. Many Kansans also voted for the party's gubernatorial and presidential candidates. The Socialist movement world-wide was growing at this time, and many thought capitalism's days were numbered.
World War I and the Persecution of Socialists
Everything changed in the summer of 1914 when the major powers of Europe entered into war with one another. The Socialist International fell apart as the Socialist parties of England, France, Germany, Austria, and Russia failed to resist the nationalist fervor that swept their countries. They quickly forgot about international solidarity, and millions of Socialists ended up in the trenches, slaughtering fellow Socialists.
In Kansas, the Socialists were split between the moderate faction, who wanted to enter the war on the side of the Allies, and the left-wing faction, who favored neutrality. When America declared war on the Central Powers in 1917, it became illegal to criticize the war and the government in any way. Many Socialists who had opposed the war found themselves in prison. While the country waged war in Europe, the federal government waged its own war on American Socialists, pacifists, immigrants, and labor activists. More than 10,000 Americans were arrested by federal agents (under the direction of J. Edgar Hoover) during the Palmer Raids. Most were held without trial for a long period before eventually being released without charge. This persecution would continue for years, and it effectively put an end to popular support for the Socialist movement in America. Appeal to Reason - once the nation's largest circulation newspaper - ceased publication in 1922; subscribers were too intimidated to be marked as Socialist.
Another event that rocked the Socialist Party of America to the core was Russia's October Revolution. A faction of the party supported Lenin and the Bolsheviks. That group ended up breaking away to form the Communist Party USA (CPUSA). Following the split, the party began to wane, despite a revival during the 1930s and the arrival of new leaders such as Norman Thomas.
The 1950s - 1970s
The Socialist Party of Kansas continued to exist up until McCarthyism swept the nation in the 1950s. During this period, Socialists, Communists, and other left-wing organizations experienced increased harassment from the authorities. There is little information to be found about the activities of the original Socialist Party of Kansas after 1956.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the documents of the original SPK were donated to the Kansas Historical society.
The New Socialist Party of Kansas
Picking Up the Torch
In August 2008, having no local Socialist organizations to join, a group of several members of The Socialist Party USA came together in a meeting in Topeka to form a new Socialist Party of Kansas. The state organization is made up of two "local" chapters - a North Kansas chapter and a South Kansas chapter. Both chapters were recognized and chartered by the Socialist Party USA in September 2008, and the state organization is expected to receive its charter when the national committee of the Socialist Party USA meets in January 2009.
