Customer Reviews

Socialism in America from the Shakers to the Third International

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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.