By Michael SD.
In 1948, the Democratic Party would split, with the late FDR’s Vice President Henry Wallace leading the charge after being ousted from the party. The message was simple: big business had bought up both parties and as such they were incapable of meeting the needs of the people. Instead of investing in infrastructure, providing robust wages for workers, and being an advocate for world peace, the duopoly were charged with being “the champions of Big Business”. The Progressive Party laid out a bold plan of creating an anti-monopoly coalition between the working class and the “independent businessman” as they were also being displaced by “monopoly domination”.
“Throughout our history new parties have arisen when the old parties have betrayed the people. As Jefferson headed a new party to defeat the reactionaries of his day, and as Lincoln led a new party to victory over the slave owners, so today the people, inspired and led by Henry Wallace, have created a new party to secure peace, freedom, and abundance.”
Progressive Party Platform of 1948, Preamble
The stark difference between the Progressive Party and the Republican and Democratic Party was their rejection of anti-communism, specifically stating they would “fight for the constitutional rights of Communists and all other political groups to express their views”, believing that the United States and the Soviet Union must work together despite their different economic systems. In essence, they called for many policies that reflected those of the Soviet Union including economic planning, low cost housing, a national health service, and an overall plan of peace.
“We denounce anti-Soviet hysteria as a mask for monopoly, militarism, and reaction. We demand a new leadership of the peace-seeking people of our nation—which has vastly greater responsibility for peace than Russia because it has vastly greater power for war.”
Progressive Party Platform of 1948, American-Soviet Agreement
Labor was another cornerstone of their program – the Progressive Party advocated for the repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act, the right for public employees to organize and strike, and improving the working conditions of workers across the country. They also supported an overhaul of the Railway Labor Act, including “genuine collective bargaining and the right to strike.” It is worth noting that the Democrat former President Joe Biden used the Railway Labor Act to stop railroad workers from striking in 2022.
Many of the issues that the Progressive Party addresses are still problems for Americans today in 2024. Wages are down, housing causes many to go into debt, and healthcare is poor quality with high prices. Still, today the the Republican and the Democratic Parties are the two major parties in the United States. They are increasingly pushed to the right and becoming unpopular among the people. An anti-monopoly coalition is needed once again to bring together the broad masses of working people and even the progressive elements of the petty bourgeoisie to struggle against Big Business and the two party system that has “a record profaning the American ideal of freedom.”
The full program of the Progressive Party can be viewed here.
