The Socialist Party of America was formed in 1901 by a merger of In 1924, Wisconsin Republican Senator Robert M. La Folette, Jr., a other smaller parties. It drew suppot from trade unionists, progressive, broke with the Republican Party and ran for President, progressive social reformers, populist farmers, and immigrant reviving Roosevelt’s Progressive Party. Supported by a farmer-labor As Democrats began to take up Populist communities. From 1904 to 1916, its candidates drew between 3 coalition and endorsed by the Socialist Party, he won 17 percent of causes, the Populist Party lost inuence. and 6 percent of the vote in presidential elections. In 1900 they ran a “Fusion” ticket, the popular vote but carried only his home state of Wisconsin. The supporting the Democratic nominee for party disbanded after the election. President, . Eugene V. Debs Eugene V. Debs Eugene V. Debs Allan Louis Benson Eugene V. Debs

Wharton Barker

POPULIST William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan Alton B. Parker William Jennings Bryan Woodrow Wilson James M. Cox John W. Davis Alfred E. Smith

NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC PROGRESSIVE John McCauley Palmer Robert M. La Follette, Sr.

William McKinley William McKinley Theodore Roosevelt William Howard Taft Warren G. Harding

Joshua Levering John Granville Wooley Silas Comfort Swallow Eugene W. Cha n Eugene W. Cha n James Franklin Hanly Aaron S. Watkins

Theodore Roosevelt retired in 1908, but by 1912, he In 1896, Republicans led by William McKinley argued that Bryan’s liberal Promising a “return to normalcy” after , believed that his successor, William H. Taft, was too Warren Harding won the Presidency in 1920 and economic policies would make everyone poor. McKinley also reassured closely aligned with business interests. He ran for immigrants, especially Germans, that he welcomed them as Americans. His returned the to the Republican Party for President on the Progressive or “Bull Moose” Party ticket. another 12 years. campaign manager, , raised millions of dollars and used new By splittling the Republican vote, he allowed Democrat techniques of advertising. The result was a Republican landslide. The new Woodrow Wilson to win the Presidency. Republican coalition would dominate national politics for another 36 years.

1896 1904 1908 1912 1916 1924 1928 1900 1910 1920 1930

POLITICAL PARTIES IN THE , 1896–1929

Political parties have shifted many times in 220 years of national politics. Even when parties The colored lines represent organized parties that had a signi cant impact on national have kept the same names for long periods, their issues, principles, demographics, and politics, electing members of Congress or receiving more than 1% of the vote for President. regional support all change over time. Where the lines merge and split, parties split or party aliations changed dramatically in a short period of time. This chart shows the of political party systems in the U.S. in the early twentieth century. Each “party system” is a roughly de ned time period in which two major political Presidential candidates are also listed for each party, with the winning candidate in bold: parties, each with fairly consistent supporters and beliefs, dominated the political scene. Candidate Winning Candidate

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