Occupy Forum: Why There is No Socialism In the United States

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When:
May 22, 2017 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
2017-05-22T18:00:00-07:00
2017-05-22T21:00:00-07:00
Where:
The Black and Brown Social Club
474 Valencia St
San Francisco, CA 94103
USA
Contact:

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Why There is No Socialism In the United States
with George Wright

 

The United States capitalist economy is at a historical conjuncture. The future, to borrow from revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg, will be either “Barbarism” or “Socialism.” This conjuncture is caused by the crisis of capital accumulation driven by the 40 year Neo-Liberal-Monopoly/Financial accumulation model, and intensified by the 2008 collapse of the financial system. Rather than reassess the contradiction wrought by that model, the ruling class and its political operatives and media propagandists have chosen to continue to follow the path of “Barbarism.” The obvious implications of that strategy is exponential wealth and income disparities; intensified ravaging and destruction of the public sector and its social safety net; and acceleration of military aggression aimed at directly confronting Russia and China.There are numerous forces in the United States that see this crisis and understand that Socialism is the only alternative to Capitalism.  These forces include progressive activists and environmentalists; academic and organic intellectuals; and members of the working class. Many young people who supported Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders espoused that they were Socialist. Nevertheless, those forces are in a quandary as to: How could Socialism be established in the United States? That question also implies an understanding of the obstacles to Socialism in the U.S., and what organizational form a Socialist movement would take. Other questions to be addressed include, “What is exactly Socialism?”; “What form would Socialism take in the United States?”; and “Can Socialism be established in only one country?”

We will survey the ideas of historians and sociologists; authors will include German Socialist Werner Sombart, who wrote the pioneering “Why there is no Socialism in the United States?” in 1906; Seymour Martin Lipset, and Eric Foner. We will assess the reasons a Socialist movement and parties have failed to succeed in establishing an alternative political force, in spite of the fact that there have been major radical political formations and movements throughout U.S. History.

George Wright taught Political Science at California State University, Chico between 1969 and 2003; and History at Skyline Community College between 2004 and 2013. His major research interests include: United States Politics, International Political Economy, and the Politics of International Sport. He has a Ph.D. from the Department of Politics at the University of Leeds (UK).

Time will be allotted for discussion and announcements.

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