As a kid my dad was an electrician and mom a hairdresser. Neither of them went to college, nor did their parents. My entire childhood they warned me that I had to go to college. They created a college savings account for me (though they only ended up saving a…

Surveys from the Pew Research Center and Gallup show a majority of the people that live in many of the former Soviet Union feel its breakup caused more harm to its people than benefit, especially among the older population. …

I grew up hearing about the “gay agenda,” the “liberal agenda,” and even the “Communist agenda.” It felt like powerful dark forces were conspiring to destroy America and everything that was good and righteous in the world. …

Socialists believe government has a role in the distribution of some goods and services, such as medically necessary health care, child care and education. We all know Medicare, free child care, and free college are not free. Someone has to pay for them. Many people dismissed Bernie Sander’s policies as…

Democratic socialists believe the rich and powerful have rigged the system. On the whole they have rigged the system not through conspiracies, but through using their vast resources to donate to political campaigns, lobbying politicians, busting unions, and influencing political narratives in the media. One narrative in particular that has…

What is democratic socialism? Something like what they have in Norway and Denmark? Are England, France and Germany democratic socialist countries? Was Franklin Roosevelt New Deal socialist? Is democratic socialism just another name for Soviet-style Communism? The reality is that there is no one “correct” definition of “democratic socialism.” The…

Introduction “What is democratic socialism?” Bernie supporters want to know because he sounds different that the Democratic Party. Baby boomers want to know because they grew up hearing terrible things about the USSR, China, and Cuba. “Democratic socialism isn’t Communism” according to many defenders. “Communism was authoritarian. Democratic socialism is like…

Most criticism of capitalism focuses on how the system is rigged. Bernie’s entire campaign is built upon this argument. This argument is true and powerful, but in Wage Labour and Capital Marx makes a more nuanced, more powerful critique of capitalism, by accepting many premises of the capitalists, and using…

This is a history of socialism focusing primarily on some of the important moments in socialist theory. It is very brief, and admittedly inadequate. As democratic socialism breaks through into the mainstream, there is a lack of understanding by opponents, or even by those in the media open to this…