The article concerns the political nature of not having a
party that represents the values and beliefs of the workers, and that the
Democratic and Republican parties only seek to serve the established
capitalists and to pander their beliefs to emulate those of the common good. In
trying to analyze and interpret why there is no socialism in America, is to
look at various momentums in history that have tried to bring the issue to the
forefront, and the reaction of the public and government. To be socialistic and
have socialism is to have policies and a way of government that is equal in the
treatment of the individuals, in public goods and power. However, the article
notes that this type of turnover has met opposition throughout our history, and
hints that politicizing the argument and struggle of the working class, through
the formation of a party, is the key to get close to the goal.
As
mentioned in the introduction, the United States does not have a party for the
working class, even though they constitute a large percentage of the U.S.
population, they are not being represented in interests that will most benefit
them. Race, has been the tool used to suppress this class-consciousness in
Americans, and fueled policies of segregation and hatred between the poor African
American community and the poor whites, even though they were/are in the same
class bubble. The article suggests that if the workers want the opportunity to
have a say in politics and its’ policies, they must organize and unionize,
which eventually led to the creation of unions that had some political appeal;
like the AFL and the IWW. It would not
be long until parties, with the foundation of unions, started developing, such
as the Socialist Democratic Party and the Communist Party. However, it was
still prone to the struggles that originate within, through issues like control
and power. The Socialist Democratic Party emerged and became a force by Eugene
Debs, to try to liberate the working class from the tyrannical rule from the
elite and capitalists, but it did not last long.
During the New Deal and FDR’s reign as president, there
emerged another socialist party that tried to emulate, but be as influential as
the two-party system, and that was the Communist Party. From them, there seem
to be trouble in gaining a reputation that wasn’t tied to violence or
anti-American appeals, as we saw with the HUAC investigations and the
persecution by Joseph McCarthy, by labeling them as anarchists and bad for
America.
It seems that to have socialism in America is to balance
the goals of workers and to play along with the political system, to a degree, without
forgetting ones’ intentions of the party. Raising consciousness of the
inequality of the workers to the capitalists is a way to bring forth a
revolution—whether that be politically, socially, or economically—that can lead
to the creation of equality among Americans.
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