Udzhin Debs One of the organizers (1900-1901) of the Socialist Party of America. Date of Birth: 05.11.1855 Country: USA

Eugene V. Debs: Biography of a Revolutionary

Eugene Victor Debs (1855-1926) was one of the organizers of the Socialist Party of America in the years 1900-1901, as well as the Industrial Workers of the World in 1905. Debs completed eight grades of school and began his working life at the age of 14 as a railroad worker, later becoming a fireman's assistant and eventually a locomotive fireman in 1870.

The first third of his life was dedicated to the creation and expansion of the labor union movement. His vision was to unite numerous labor unions into one powerful global union. Unfortunately, his plans were never realized. After the failure of the Pullman Strike, the largest strike of its time, Debs was sentenced to six months in prison. It was during his time in prison, where he read the works of socialists, that Debs began to believe that labor unions alone, without political support, could not effectively help workers in their struggle for better working conditions.

As one of the founders of the Social Democratic and later the Socialist Party of the United States, Debs traveled extensively throughout the country, conducting lectures on socialist topics. He ran as the Socialist Party's candidate for president of the United States in 1904, 1908, 1912, and 1920. In 1904, only about 20,000 voters cast their ballots for Debs. In 1908, he received about 500,000 votes. The party's best result came in the 1912 presidential election, where Debs garnered 901,551 votes, or 6% of the popular vote. In 1920, while in prison, Debs ran again and achieved similar results to the 1912 elections.

After 1921, Debs stepped back from active politics and focused on advocating for socialism. Until his death, he traveled across America, giving lectures with the support of his brother, Theodore Debs. Throughout his life, Debs often struggled financially, both for himself and the organizations he founded, as well as for supporting party newspapers and magazines, where he or his brother served as editors. He frequently used up all his savings to cover these expenses and even had to borrow money in his name to cover the debts of the labor unions in times of crisis.

"Revolutionary, but without a clear theory, not a Marxist," characterized Debs by V.I. Lenin.