Socialist FAQ

At the same time, socialism is one of the most misunderstood and misused terms out there.  The root word of socialism is "social".  At its most basic, socialism is the idea that things that the commanding heights of the economy should be socially owned, instead of being the private property of millionaires and billionaires.  It is the idea that working people make the world go round, and because of that it is they who should run the world, not the wealthy elite.

 

However, socialism is more than just a nice idea that things could and should be better.  Karl Marx famously said that philosophers have sought to interpret the world, the point however is to change it!  We couldn't agree more.  Our goal isn't just to convince people that socialism is a nice idea, but for it to be a concrete call to action.  Fortunately, one of the strengths of the socialist movement is that it has been around for a long time, and as a result there is a wealth of history to mine for lessons. 

We've set up this page to both 1.) try to answer some basic questions about socialism, and 2.) provide some resources to activists looking to understand on a deeper level how to tackle the big political questions of the day.  

 

Let us know if you have any questions that aren't on this FAQ, as well as any feedback that you have about the essays we've chosen to list here.

WHAT IS SOCIALISM?

•  Socialism Explained
  
•  5 Questions About Socialism You'll Get at the Holiday Dinner Table (and how to answer them)
• Socialism 101 video series
• More Than Universal Healthcare - the Real Meaning of Socialism
• Workshop Talks on Socialism by James Connolly

WHAT WOULD SOCIALISM LOOK LIKE?

• What Socialists Propose by Paul Siegel
• What Would a World Without Bosses Be Like?

 

WHAT ABOUT HUMAN NATURE?

• Human Nature and Socialism

 

WILL SOCIALISM BE DEMOCRATIC?

• Socialism and Democracy Can Exist at the Same Time
• On Workers' Democracy by Ernest Mandel
• Dictatorship of the Proletariat & Socialist Democracy by Ernest Mandel

 

IS SCANDINAVIA & WESTERN EUROPE SOCIALIST? 

• No, Europe is Not Socialist

 

WHAT ABOUT THE SOVIET UNION?

• Russia Wasn't Really Socialist

 

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE WAY THINGS ARE?

• The Fight for Free Time and the Struggle Against Capitalism
• Socialism vs Capitalism  
• The Class Character of the U.S. Constitution
  
• The Undemocratic Nature of the Supreme Court
• Capitalism Always Produces Racism
  

 

HOW CAN SOCIALISM BE BROUGHT ABOUT?

•  How to Make a Revolution in the U.S.
• How Can the Working Class Come to Power?
• How to Make a Revolution in the U.S. 
• General Strike: How the Working Class Takes Control
• How Are Radical Reforms Won? Lessons From the New Deal
• Why Socialists Need Organization
  

 

WHAT DO SOCIALISTS THINK ABOUT PROTESTS & SOCIAL MOVEMENTS?

•  Why Protests & Social Movements Matter
  
• The Nature of Mass Demonstrations 
• Liberalism, Ultra-Leftism and Mass Action 
• What is a General Strike?  Why Does it Matter?

 

WHAT DO SOCIALISTS PROPOSE TO DO THE ECONOMY?

• Workers Action Program to Confront the Economic Crisis

 

WHAT DO SOCIALISTS PROPOSE TO SAVE THE PLANET?

•  Change the System, Not the Climate!
  
•  Why Nationalizing the Energy Industry is Crucial
  
• Climate Catastrophe and Socialist Strategy
• We Can Beat the Climate Destroyers 
• Where Science and Socialism Intersect 
• Why Humans Shouldn't Be Removed From Nature
  

 

WHAT DO SOCIALISTS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT RACISM?

• How Racism Began & How to Fight It
  
• Why Socialists Have Always Fought for Open Borders
• The Forging of Oppressed Nationalities in the U.S.
• A Transitional Program for Black Liberation
• Black Self-Determination & Socialist Revolution
• The Case for Reparations for African-Americans

WHAT DO SOCIALISTS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT GENDER & SEXUALITY?

• From Queer Struggle to Revolution
• Women in the Revolution, the Revolution in Women's Lives
• Love and Socialism
• The Decriminalization of 'Homosexuality' in the Russian Revolution
• What is Social Reproduction Theory? by Tithi Bhattacharya
• Combatting Women's Oppression in Working Class Organizations

 

WHAT DO SOCIALIST HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE LABOR MOVEMENT?

• How to Win Strikes

WHAT DO SOCIALISTS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT ABLEISM?

• Autism and Anti-Capitalism

WHAT IS THE SOCIALIST ANSWER TO FASCISM?

• The Fight Against Fascism in the USA 
• An Historic Example of How to Respond to Fascist Rallies
• Counter-Mobilization: An Effective Response to Right-Wing Speakers
  

 

WHAT DO SOCIALIST HAVE TO SAY ABOUT POLICE & PRISONS?

• The Case for Prison Abolition
• These on Police, State Forces of Repression & Mass Rebellion
  

 

WHAT DO SOCIALIST HAVE TO SAVE ABOUT HEALTH CARE?

WHAT DO SOCIALISTS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE URBAN/RURAL DIVIDE?

• Rural Americans & the Language Too Many People Use to Talk About Them
• What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Rural Poverty 
• To Upend Corporate Agriculture, We Need to Understand Basic Farm Policy

WHAT DO SOCIALISTS THINK ABOUT CHARITY?

• Don't Give to Charities
• Mutual Aid and Workers' Power 
• Activism vs Charity
  

 

WHAT ARE SOME GOOD INTRODUCTIONS TO MARXISM?

• Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx
• The Three Component Parts of Marxism by Vladimir Lenin
• State and Revolution by Vladimir Lenin
• The Role of the Mass Strike in the Revolution by Rosa Luxemburg
• The Transitional Program by Leon Trotsky
• In Defense of October by Leon Trotsky
• An Introduction to Marxist Economic Theory by Ernest Mandel