The ''Appeal to Reason'' and the Formulation of a Socialist Ideology in 20th Century United States

Abstract

This essay is the product of the capstone history senior seminar, which requires original research in primary and secondary sources. Literature on United States socialism limits itself to the history of its downfall. This paper analyzes the methods used by the ''Appeal to Reason'' to promote a socialist ideology in the early twentieth century. The research conducted was strictly qualitative. Its findings come from analysis of editions of the paper up through the 1912 presidential election. ''The Appeal'' provided a space for the generation of socialist ideas that matter through the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This runs against the grain, because many scholars have concluded that ''The Appeal'' has a narrow political perspective that isn't long-lived.

Peter Canova | Economics, History, and Political Science | Faculty Sponsor Sean Goodlett