| Motivation: | Debs was a successful trade union leader. He converted from Democratic Populist to Socialist in 1897. In 1898 he was one of the founders of the Socialist Party of America (the name was adopted in 1900). Debs started to work actively for peace during World War I, mainly because he considered the war to be in the interest of capitalism. He was the Socialist Party's candidate for the US presidency five times between 1900 and 1920.
Morel was nominated firstly for his work to protect indigenous African people during European imperialism and colonization, and secondly for his efforts to prevent an open conflict between Germany and France over colonial matters. Morel had become familiar with African geography, history, and commercial affairs while working as a clerk for a shipping company trading in West Africa. He brought this knowledge into the fields of journalism and committee work. On several occasions Morel criticized European administrations in Africa, and he led the British opposition to the Belgian misruling in Congo. Morel organized the The Congo Reform Association in 1904, of which he became Secretary. The main objective for Morel was to prevent future disputes and wars by improving the relations between Europeans and other peoples. Morel was a proponent of pacifism and internationalism, and Secretary of The Union of Democratic Control. He was an influential representative of the Labour Party in the British parliament. |
