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Eugene V. Debs

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Eugene V. Debs

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Also known as Eugene Victor Debs, Eugene Debs, Convict Number 9653, 9653, Convict No. 9653, Inmate Number 9653, Eugene V Debs, The Revolutionist

American labor and political leader (1855–1926)

Person · Open Library

Born
1855
Died
1926
Works
21

Top works

  • Danger ahead for the Socialist Party in playing the game of politics
  • The Red portfolio
  • John Swinton, radical editor & leader
  • Class unionism
  • Riley, Nye & Field

via Open Library + Wikidata

Music · MusicBrainz

Type
Person
Gender
Male
Origin
United States
Active from
1855
Active to
1926
non-music

via MusicBrainz · CC0

Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners
3
Total plays
5

<a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Eugene+V.+Debs">Read more on Last.fm</a>

via Last.fm · Eugene V. Debs

Academic profile · OpenAlex

3h-index
Works
21
Cited by
41

Research areas

HistoryPolitical scienceLawArtPhilosophy

Most cited works

  • Writings and Speeches of Eugene V. Debs.1950 · 19 cit
  • Labor and Freedom: The Voice and Pen of Eugene V. Debs2009 · 7 cit
  • Unionism and Socialism: A Plea for Both2009 · 4 cit
  • Eugene V. Debs Speaks1970 · 3 cit
  • Debs: his life, writings and speeches, with a department of appreciations ...2009 · 2 cit

via OpenAlex · CC0

Quotes

  • The class which has the power to rob upon a large scale has also the power to control the government and legalize their robbery.
  • The issue is Socialism versus Capitalism. I am for Socialism because I am for humanity. We have been cursed with the reign of gold long enough. Money constitutes no proper basis of civilization. The time has come to regenerate society — we are on the eve of universal change.
  • I am not a Labor Leader; I do not want you to follow me or anyone else; if you are looking for a Moses to lead you out of this capitalist wilderness, you will stay right where you are. I would not lead you into the promised land if I could, because if I led you in, some one else would lead you out. You must use your heads as well as your hands, and get yourself out of your present condition; as it is now the capitalists use your heads and your hands.
  • Wherever capitalism appears, in pursuit of its mission of exploitation, there will Socialism, fertilized by misery, watered by tears, and vitalized by agitation be also found, unfurling its class-struggle banner and proclaiming its mission of emancipation.
  • The most heroic word in all languages is REVOLUTION.
  • I have no country to fight for; my country is the earth; I am a citizen of the world.

via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA

Key facts

Preceded by
Office established
Succeeded by
Victor L. Berger
Born
Eugene Victor Debs , ( 1855-11-05 ) November 5, 1855, Terre Haute, Indiana , U.S.
Died
October 20, 1926 (1926-10-20) (aged 70), Elmhurst, Illinois , U.S.
Resting place
Highland Lawn Cemetery
Party
Democratic (1870s–1894) Populist (1894–1896) Social Democracy (1897–1898) Social Democratic (1898–1901) Socialist (1901–1926)
Spouse
Kate Metzel ​ ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1885 ) ​
Relatives
Theodore Debs (brother)

via Wikipedia infobox

~40 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Eugene Victor Debs (November 5, 1855 – October 20, 1926) was an American socialist activist and trade unionist. He was one of the founding members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and a five-time candidate of the Socialist Party of America for President of the United States; through his presidential candidacies as well as his work with labor movements, Debs eventually became one of the best-known socialists living in the United States.

Early in his political career, Debs was a member of the Democratic Party. He was elected as a Democrat to the Indiana General Assembly in 1884. After working with several smaller unions, including the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen, Debs led his union in a major ten-month strike against the CB&Q Railroad in 1888. Debs was instrumental in the founding of the American Railway Union (ARU), one of the nation's first industrial unions. After workers at the Pullman Palace Car Company organized a wildcat strike over pay cuts in the summer of 1894, Debs signed many into the ARU. He led a boycott by the ARU against handling trains with Pullman cars in what became the nationwide Pullman Strike, affecting most lines west of Detroit and more than 250,000 workers in 27 states. Purportedly to keep the mail running, President Grover Cleveland used the United States Army to break the strike. As a leader of the ARU, Debs was convicted of federal charges for defying a court injunction against the strike and served six months in prison.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Eugene V. Debs” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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