Question

Who is Eugene V. Debs? Why was he put in prison? Did he run for political office while imprisoned, and if so, what position? Did his party survive the war?

a) Eugene V. Debs was a socialist leader imprisoned for opposing WWI, he ran for President while in prison, and his party, the Socialist Party, thrived.
b) Eugene V. Debs was a war hero imprisoned for his socialist beliefs, he ran for Congress, and his party dissolved.
c) Eugene V. Debs was a political commentator imprisoned for tax evasion, he ran for Governor, and his party split into factions.
d) Eugene V. Debs was a general imprisoned for insubordination, he ran for mayor, and his party rebranded.

Answer 1

The correct answer is option a) Eugene V. Debs was a socialist leader imprisoned for opposing WWI, he ran for President while in prison, and his party, the Socialist Party, thrived.

Step-by-step explanation:

Eugene V. Debs was a labor leader and one of the leading figures in American political history from the late 19th to the early 20th century. He was a founder of the American Railway Union and led the Pullman Strike. Debs became more radical in his criticism of the capitalist system and ran as the Socialist Party candidate for president in several elections. He was imprisoned for his opposition to World War I. While in prison, he ran for president in the 1920 election.

Debs' party, the Socialist Party, did not thrive during the war. The election of 1912, where Debs polled 900,000 votes representing 6 percent of the popular vote, was the high-water mark of the party in US presidential politics. Although the Socialist Party had some success in electing mayors and state legislators, its influence diminished over time and it did not survive as a prominent political force.