Socialism was growing in England and America at about the same pace in the early 20th century, with a number of Socialists elected to national and provincial offices in both countries. But in 1914, the Socialist Labour Party caught on in England and has been a major player in British political affairs since, while the Socialist Party of America simultaneously began a decline from which it would never fully recover. Why did the parties and philosophies experience such different fates in the two countries?