Editing De Leonism (section)

==History==
De Leonism emerged in the late 19th century as a distinct socialist tendency under the leadership of '''Daniel De Leon''', an American Marxist and labor activist. De Leon’s engagement with the labor movement began in the 1890s through the Socialist Labor Party of America (SLP), where he sought to fuse Marxist theory with practical industrial organization. He argued that the working class could achieve socialism not only through political action but also through direct control of industry via industrial unions.

By the early 1900s, De Leon was promoting the concept of the “dual union strategy,” advocating that workers form independent, socialist-oriented industrial unions rather than join mainstream craft unions, which he considered conservative and reformist. In 1905, he became instrumental in the establishment of the '''Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)''', contributing to the development of syndicalist organizing tactics. However, ideological conflicts over the role of political action versus direct industrial action led to De Leon’s eventual split from the IWW in 1908, after which he continued to build the SLP along explicitly De Leonist lines.

Throughout the 1910s and 1920s, De Leonism maintained influence primarily within the SLP and associated industrial union networks. De Leonist organizations emphasized the need for a socialist industrial republic in which workers would directly manage production and governance. While the movement never gained mass political power, it inspired a number of later socialist and labor-oriented groups, including sections of the IWW that adopted De Leonist organizational principles and international Marxist currents that valued a synthesis of political and industrial action.

In the mid-20th century, De Leonism persisted as a niche but ideologically coherent current, especially in North America and the United Kingdom, with splinter groups and parties maintaining the theoretical legacy. Its emphasis on industrial unionism, workers’ councils, and revolutionary political engagement has continued to influence contemporary socialist thought, particularly among groups advocating for labor-led transformation of society.