Turning Points
in Wisconsin History
Milwaukee Sewer Socialism
While early twentieth century politics were largely associated with the Progressive party, it was also the era of Socialism in Milwaukee. Often referred to as "sewer socialism" for their back-to-basics strategy, Milwaukee Socialists sought to reform the legacy of the Industrial Revolution on the local level by cleaning up neighborhoods and factories with new sanitation systems, municipally-owned water and power systems, community parks, and improved education systems. Progressivism and Socialism had different leaders and spoke different languages, but were, in many ways, remarkably similar in practice. Socialists rejected the Progressive idea of government regulation of industry. Instead, they sought to... more...
Original Documents and Other Primary Sources
 | Victor Berger, the first Socialist elected to Congress |
| Berger's death signals a change in the Socialist Party, 1929 |
| "Bergerisms:" Amusing incidents in the political life of Victor Berger |
| A sketch of the life of Meta Berger |
| A visit to the home of Victor and Meta Berger in 1906 |
| A review of the career of Milwaukee mayor Daniel Hoan. |
| A survey of socialist viewpoints, 1918 |
 | Meta Berger describes her husband's election to Congress in 1910 |
 | Campaign poster for Victor Berger (ca. 1918) |
| Milwaukee's former mayor speaks out against WWI |
| A Socialist Party campaign poster from 1920. |