"Modern-day socialism was born in the early 1900's with the birth of industrialism, unionization, and the New Deal."
That's true. I don't know if you've ever read "A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn, but if you haven't, as an ordinary person, you should. Zinn is a socialist himself, but if you throw in that grain of salt, the actual history he presents from the point of view of the ordinary people at the various times, is very accurate. It's a fascinating contrast to conventional histories that take the POV of the national leaders.
It covers how the New Deal was basically a sop to working people here in America to head off socialism here, or even more feared, communism. It's hard to picture it now, but after the crash of 1929, the depression and the dust bowl, ordinary Americans were fed up, a vast number were jobless and starving, and socialists and communists were an actual force in this country, picking up more followers every day.
FDR responded with the "New Deal", basically temporary socialism lite with some permanent features, like Social Security. He HAD to do it, to prevent a more permanent social revolution, to co-opt the growing numbers of socialists and communists. |
