Eugene V. Debs, Socialism
In Debs, Eugene V., Electoral Politics, History, Labor, Socialism on December 2, 2009 at 5:35 pm
Eugene V. Debs addresses a massive crowd in Chicago, 1912 (Source: Indiana State University)
It’s sad that so many people take the silly back and forth about President Obama’s alleged “socialism” seriously. If the name Eugene Victor Debs was as well known as it should be, such nonsense would be recognized for what it is.
Nick Salvatore is the author of Eugene V. Debs: Citizen and Socialist (University of Illinois Press, 2nd edition 2007), a fascinating and engaging biography of the socialist leader and presidential candidate and a detailed history of the early radical American labor movement.
Lenny Flank edited Writings of Eugene Debs: A Collection of Essays by America’s Most Famous Socialist and Reds,White and Blue: An Anthology of American Socialism and Communism 1880-1920 (Red and Black Publishers, 2009).
Both generously took the time to answer some questions about their books.
G&R: How did Eugene Debs define socialism and how much was his vision influenced by Marx and the European movements?
Nick Salvatore: EVD read Marx and some of the more popular European socialists, but they were never a driving force for him. His understanding of socialism for America owed more to an effort to maintain American democratic values in an era of industrial corporate development. Read the rest of this entry »
Anarchism, Libertarian-Socialism, Noam Chomsky
In Anarchism, Chomsky, Noam, Media, Socialism on November 11, 2008 at 10:03 pm
GR: You’re probably the most well-known proponent of libertarian-socialism, which, as I understand it, is a political philosophy that embraces both non-Leninist forms of Marxism and the social forms of anarchism. Libertarian-socialism relies on a highly organized and class conscious working class and also rejects participation in electoral politics and representative government. Given the weak state of US labor and progressively untempered barbarism of the US government, do you see anarchism and left-wing Marxism as appropriate models for the US left?
NC: Well, libertarian-socialism has very loose links with Marxism. There are the left-Marxists — allegedly to the left. There was a left, anti-state Marxist movement, which was very far from the mainstream of Marxism, which had reasonably close relations and associations with libertarian-socialists. Libertarian-socialism is just a European phrase for anarchism. It’s not used in the United States but it’s a traditional phrase. It was the anti-state wing of the socialist movement. Pretty hostile to Marxism, in fact. Certainly to Marxism-Leninism, which was an enemy.
The weak state of the labor movement in the United States is a very serious matter. By now there is recognition of minority rights to an extent that was not true in the past: women’s rights, the rights of ethnic minorities, immigrant rights and so on. But one group has been excluded: labor rights. The labor rights have been significantly undermined, particularly in the United States since the Reagan years. But it’s been happening worldwide. That’s, in fact, what the strikes are about in France right now. Read the rest of this entry »
