Socialism in America from the Shakers to the Third International [Paperback]

Albert Fried (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1993 | ISBN-10: 0231081413 | ISBN-13: 978-0231081412 | Edition: Morningside ed

Socialism in America is a thematic presentation of the various types of socialism, such as Communitarian, Christian, Marxist, and Anarcho-Communist, that have existed in the United States from the time of the Revolutionary War to 1919. The documents included demonstrate how socialism wsa an integral part of the American past: because its ideals were embedded in the birth of America, it authentically expressed the American egalitarian norm.

The documents demonstrate that each type of socialism has a counterpart in a broadly based contemporary social movement: for example, religious communities were linked to revivalism and millenarianism. Ultimately, the collapse of socialism in America was tied to the country's conservative mood in the 1890s and World War I.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Albert Fried"s books include The Essential Lincoln, The Jeffersonian and Hamiltonian Traditions in American Politics, and The Rise and Fall of the Jewish Gangster in America. He divides his time between teaching American History at the State Universsity of New York at Purchase and writing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 580 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press; Morningside ed edition (April 15, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231081413
• ISBN-13: 978-0231081412
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,008,574 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great look at the history of socialism in America, March 26, 2011

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T. W. Peterson (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Socialism in America from the Shakers to the Third International (Paperback)

This is a "documentary history'. It includes actual texts mixed in with commentary from Albert Fried. I have not quite finished it. It is about 500 pages and there is a lot of information to absorb. I have found it very interesting indeed. The most important thing it documents is that socialism is authentically American, at least historically. The most politically developed and contemporary elements of socialism are European in origin. However socialism arose from more than one source. The relation of American religious groups to socialism is particularly relevant to the American experience.

Socialism is often depicted as atheistic or as a state religion, which it has been in some incarnations. But what this book shows is the incredible variety of socialist thought. It shows the foolishness of simplistic definitions. Socialists come in many types, and they often disagreed intensely with each other.

One very good thing about this book is that it helps make clear why socialism failed so often. Socialism appeared often in very utopian expressions in America, as elsewhere, and this was almost like setting itself up for failure. Many of the methodologies, passionate beliefs and arguments that are included in this book make one smile, laugh or cringe at the naivety of many of these early socialists. But in equal measure one finds powerful arguments against injustice, tyranny, and yes, evil.

Socialism is dormant in America, but with the great centralization of wealth by today's oligarchs, for how long?

I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in socialist thought and particularly socialism in America.