By David Sole
The New York Times on-line edition of July 10, 2026 featured a long piece reviewing the history of socialism in the United States with emphasis on the recent successes of the Democratic Socialists of America inside the Democratic Party. Two issues spanning the decades were glaringly omitted – war for empire and bloody repression. Interestingly that this article was taken down only hours later.
The Times painted the struggle between capitalism and socialism as a purely peaceful debate – a war of words. Since the end of the Civil War and the defeat of the slave-owning class the capitalist class has had complete control of the government and the economy. The capitalists have waged a relentless war against all groupings that have fought for the betterment of the working class – trade unionists, socialists, communists and anarchists.
The fight for the 8 hour day by tens of thousands of workers in 1886 led to the frame-up and hanging of four leaders of the movement: Albert Parsons, August Spies, George Engel and Adolph Fischer. Louis Lingg is said to have committed “suicide” in prison awaiting execution. Three others spent years in prison.
Mention is made of unionist and Socialist Party leader Eugene V. Debs who won 6% of the popular vote in the 1912 presidential race (women did not have the vote in national elections until 1920; African Americans were widely denied the right to vote until the Civil Rights battles of the 1960s). Left out is the opposition by the Socialist Party to the U.S. participating in World War I and the jailing of Debs for giving an anti-war speech in Ohio in 1918. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
On appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court the “liberal” Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote the decision for the unanimous court, upholding Debs’ conviction. Running again for President in 1920 from his prison cell, Debs polled almost one million votes. President Warren G. Harding commuted Debs in 1921. The Socialist leader had served 36 months and was 65 years old on his release.
It should be noted that over the years most states made it increasingly difficult for 3rd parties to obtain ballot status thus blocking participation in electoral politics. Of course the domination of mass media by corporate interests presented another obstacle to reaching a wider audience with a socialist message.
An upsurge in interest in socialist and communist ideas was seen in the Great Depression era of the 1930s. Many radicals became involved in the union movement where workers and their leaders were met with vicious assault by the ruling rich. Among the many victims throughout that decade were the four Ford Hunger Marchers gunned down in Michigan (1932) and the 18 martyrs during the “Little Steel” strike (1937).
The Times article credits President Franklin D. Roosevelt with adopting ideas promoted by the radical left. Those ideas, like the right to unionize, social security and public works programs, were not simple suggestions. They had been raised in marches, rallies and three general strikes in 1934 where workers fought and died. The San Francisco general strike was led by Communists, the Toledo Auto-Lite strike was led by Socialist Party activist and the Minneapolis Teamster general strike was led by members of the Socialist Workers Party.
Shortly after World War II a full-scale onslaught targeted communists and socialists. It began in the late 1940s following the massive labor upsurge where workers fought to regain some of what had been lost during the period of the “no-strike” agreements. Many unions led by socialists and communists who had often founded them before the war were driven out from their positions and jobs. To this day the Constitution of the United Auto Workers (Article 10, Section 7) still says “No member of any Local Union shall be eligible to hold any elective or appointed position in this International Union or any Local Union…if they are a member of or subservient to any political organization, such as the Communist…”
The Times notes that several prominent leaders in the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s were socialists. Not a word is written about the socialists among the youth who were the army of organizers who organized throughout the South facing beatings, terror and death at the hands of the ruling class financed racist police, KKK and White Citizens Councils.
No mention either of the openly socialist Black Panther Party that surged out of the poverty and racism of the 1960s attracting and inspiring Black youth. They became the targets for the FBI Cointelpro (counter-intelligence program) resulting in organized assassinations, frame-ups and other forms of disruption that led to the Panthers’ dissolution.
Socialists and communists also played a leading role in the anti-Vietnam War protest movement for over a decade. These individuals and groups also became targets for persecution and prosecution.
Especially noteworthy is the absence in the Times article of anything but a mention of the issue of U.S. aid for the apartheid, genocidal Israeli government. Large numbers of people across the United States have been horrified by the wanton slaughter of Palestinian men, women and tens of thousands of children by Israeli Occupation Forces armed and politically supported by the US government – both under Democrats and Republicans. To its credit many of the politicians and candidates who identify as socialists have stood strong against continuation of past policies.
The history of violence against socialists and communists gives a strong indication that the US billionaire class which dominates the leadership of both Republicans and Democrats will not allow any serious challenge to capitalism to grow. It should be expected voter suppression, already underway to disenfranchise African Americans, plus massive spending to defeat left leaning candidates will be used to secure the system that enriches the bankers and corporate bigwigs.
Should those tactics prove to be ineffective we can be sure that all other options, including violence, will be quickly mobilized to crush any growing socialist movement in this country. In a July 3 speech, President Trump denounced “communism” in language not heard since the height of the Cold War. Of course he believes that all Democrats are “communists.” He and his gang, like Nazis Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon, have been discussing use of the Insurrection Act of 1807 to declare martial law. Heavily armed ICE battalions are already in formation, expanding and training in many cities where they could turn on a dime into Trumps Storm Troopers.
Election campaigns by socialists can be useful educational tools to reach a wide audience with radical, even revolutionary, ideas. But no one should believe that capitalism will concede anything of importance to poor and working people without a serious and sustained revolutionary struggle in the streets.
