"War" printed broadside by the Socialist Labor Party of America

Access and use

Location of collection:
George Mason University
2400 Fenwick Library
Special Collections Research Center
Fenwick Library MS2FL
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA 22030
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Mieko Palazzo
Phone: (703) 993-2220
Fax: (703) 993-2669
Restrictions:

There are no access restrictions

Terms of access:

The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)

Preferred citation:

"War" printed broadside by the Socialist Labor Party of America, C0544, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries

Summary

Extent:
.01 Linear Feet 1 folder
Creator:
Socialist Labor Party
Abstract:
Double-sided printed broadside titled "War" published in 1939 by the Socialist Labor Party of America advocating for protest against capitalism.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

"War" printed broadside by the Socialist Labor Party of America, C0544, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries

Background

Scope and content:

Double-sided printed broadside titled "War" published in 1939 by the Socialist Labor Party of America advocating for protest against capitalism. The front side features a header reading "Socialist Labor Party of America" centered between two identical illustrations of an arm holding a hammer. The title "WAR" is centered above a cartoon depicting two pigs labeled as "Fascist Capitalism" and "Democratic Capitalism" eating two soldiers labeled "Fascist Worker" and "Democratic Worker" respectively. The cartoon is signed "P. Herzel" in the lower right corner. The remainder of the front includes text arranged into three columns and continues onto the reverse side, which also includes a coupon for requesting additional information the party and a sample copy of "Weekly People" the party's official publication.

Biographical / historical:

Established in 1876 as the Workingmen's Party and renamed in 1877, the Socialist Labor Party (SLP) is the oldest socialist political party in the United States, and the second oldest socialist party in the world. Until 1889, the party was controlled by a conservative faction committed to a purely political program following the views of socialist theoretician Ferdinand Lassalle. In the 1890s, the Lassallean wing was overtaken by a more radical faction under the leadership of Daniel De Leon, transforming the SLP's platform into one focused on militant trade unionism and political action, and taking stands against the party's previous position of political reform and the trade union activity of the American Federation of Labor.

Beginning in 1900, the SLP saw a group of moderates, led by Morris Hillquit and known as the "Kangaroos," split from the party and advocate a return to a more conservative socialist program, eventually joining with the Social Democratic Party to establish the Socialist Party of America in 1901. This split, followed by De Leon's death in 1914, led to a swift decline in the SLP's activity, which became largely restricted to purely educational agitation, although the party would continue to field national tickets in every presidential campaign from 1892 through 1976 and publish the official newspaper "Weekly People" until the closure of its national office on September 1, 2008.

Acquisition information:
Purchased in 2018.
Processing information:

Processing and finding aid completed by Meghan Glasbrenner in January 2026.

Arrangement:

This is a single item collection.

Physical location:
R 73, C 2, S 4
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard