Social-Democratic Workingmen's Party of North America

In 1868, German-speaking members of the International Workingmen's Association in America (IWA) in New York City create the Allgemeiner Deutscher Arbeiterverein (ADAV, General German Labor Association).^[1] Around this core, in 1874, dissident Lassallean members of the IWA split and created the Social-Democratic Workingmen's Party, shortly before the Philadelphia IWA collapsed.^[2] The SDWP claimed 1500 members, mostly German immigrants in New York City.^[3] 90% of its members were foreign-born workers.^[2] SDWP founders included Pyotr Lavrov^[2] and Adolph Strasser, who served as its executive secretary.^[4]

In the 1874 elections, the SDWP performed horribly.^[5] This encouraged Marxists within the organization to promote trade union membership over electoral participation, which they won at the 1875 convention. In turn, these results enabled the 1876 merger.^[5]

In 1876, the SDWP merged with three other socialist organizations to create the Workingmen's Party of the United States (WPUS), which would become the Socialist Labor Party of America (SLP).^[6]

Although the SDWP's platform contained no explicit reference to democracy,^[7] its successor the Socialist Labor Party would be the first US political party to demand initiatives as a plank in their party platform.^[8]

If dated from the formation of the ADAV, the SDWP was the second socialist party created in the world, after the General German Workers' Association of Ferdinand Lassalle.^[1]