Simons period (1900–1908) , a graduate of the
University of Wisconsin, was the first editor of the
International Socialist Review. The
International Socialist Review was edited from 1900 to 1908 by
Algie M. Simons, a graduate of the
University of Wisconsin. Under Simons' editorship, the magazine served as a platform for discussing various theoretical issues that divided the socialist movement. A central focus of the magazine during Simons' tenure was the relationship between the socialist movement and American farmers. This issue was of particular interest to both Simons, who authored a 1902 book on the subject, and
J.A. Wayland, the publisher of the
Appeal to Reason, the most widely circulated socialist newspaper of the time. The policies it advocated were similarly temperate, aligning with the centrist views of its editor and contributors. The
Review began publishing in the summer of 1900 and achieved a modest circulation of about 4,000. Approximately three-quarters of its readers subscribed by mail, with the remainder accessing the magazine through
newsstand sales or bundle orders arranged by local socialist organizations. The influence of the
Review was further amplified in 1910 with the cessation of
The Socialist, a left-wing weekly newspaper published in
Seattle, Washington by
Hermon F. Titus. This left many of its readers turning to the
Review, helping its circulation grow to 27,000 by July 1910. Despite such criticism, the
Review maintained a strong sympathy for the
Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), a revolutionary
industrial union that aimed to unite all workers, regardless of race, craft, or skill, under the banner of "One Big Union." The IWW's ultimate goal was the abolition of the
wage system and its replacement with a system of worker-managed economic units, a concept rooted in
syndicalism. ==Prominent staff members==