The eclipse of progressivism: Henry A. Wallace and the 1948 presidential election.

摘要

Henry Wallace's 1948 presidential campaign marked a pivotal moment in both the history of American liberalism and the so-called "Old Left." Following Wallace's dismal showing at the polls, support for the Popular Front-style liberalism espoused by those who had made up the left wing of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal coalition quickly collapsed. Likewise, the Old Left, particularly the Communist Party, saw what little political clout it had acquired over the past generation vanish almost overnight. The eclipse of a left-leaning liberalism that had its origins in the thirties was accompanied by the rise of a more centrist, anti-communist liberalism, an ideological shift that would have far reaching consequences for American politics in the years ahead. The failure of the Wallace campaign proved crucial in accelerating this shift, particularly within the labor movement where the launching of the third party precipitated a final showdown between the CIO's pro-Soviet and anticommunist factions.;Wallace's Progressive party did not attract a significant number of independent liberal voters largely because of the sectarian behavior of the many concealed Communists who played significant roles in both the national and state organizations. As noncommunist Progressives grew disenchanted with the Communists' tactics and their refusal to allow any criticism of Soviet policy into the party platform, they abandoned the Wallace movement rather than fight the CPers for control of it. As a result, the Communists exercised an increasingly disproportionate influence within the third party as they tried to implement the more "militant" postwar line handed down by the Cominform.;Wallace himself lost much of his earlier political appeal among liberals as it became clear that his candidacy would serve only to elect a Republican president. Moreover, his comments on such events as the Marshall Plan and the Communist coup in Czechoslovakia convinced most voters that he was either naive regarding Soviet intentions or a captive of his Communist advisors. Even Wallace's courageous stand against segregation during his campaign swing through the South Wed to win back his old supporters. By late October, the party was in full retreat as the Popular Front coalition fell victim to its own internal tensions.