Various Writings

The following are a collections of writings. Some of them are official SD publications with statements of policy or position. However, some of them are essays written by SD members and reflect their own opinion. The individual articles demonstrate how Social Democrats are attempting to engage in the traditions of socialism and the issue of justice and peace in today’s world.

Understanding Social Democracy by Sheri Berman is a primer on the concept.  Dr. Berman is a professor at Barnard College, a member of Dissent magazine editorial board, and an advisor to SDUSA.

Why Socialism Now? Why Socialism Now was written by David Hacker, vice president and historian of the SDUSA, at the time of the fall of the Soviet Union and of the other so called socialist nations of Eastern Europe. Unfortunately the movement toward democratic forms socialism has not made much progress since the early 90s. Nonetheless, David’s article still shows clearly the difference between the reality of the socialist ideal and the tyrannical systems that masqueraded as socialism of the old Soviet block.

An Alternative Socialism: Glenn King believes that for socialism to be credible in the 21st Century it must strongly support an alternative vision of the future to that of capitalism. He see the roots of this vision beginning in the alternative anti statist vision of many of the oldest of socialist traditions. He thinks that modern examples of worker ownership and management of cooperative firms are strongly indicative of what a socialist future could look like.

God and Socialism: One of the principles of the Social Democrats USA is that religion in its more progressive formations could play an important role in the development of a strong socialist movement in the United States. God and Socialism by Glenn King is an example of his thinking on the subject

A Socialist Youth: An adult needing the welfare state: SDUSA National Committee member Steve Weiner had an essay included in Classics of Community Psychiatry, published in April 2011.  He describes his “red diaper” raising and his struggles with mental health.  Interesting reading, especially for folks who grew up in 1960’s Berkeley.

Mental Health Movements: Another article by Steve Weiner.  This article appeared in the Socialist Standard in 1988.

For the Record: This is an historical document published by SDUSA in 1973 explaining Michael Harrington’s resignation from Social Democrats, USA.

The American Challenge: A Social Democratic Program for the Seventies.  An historical document published by SDUSA in 1973.

The Future of Socialism: This is a essay written by Jim Burnett, published by SDUSA in 1993, discussing the implications of the end of the Cold War.

A Way Forward is a pamphlet that describes an electoral strategy to create a strong left/labor presence in the Democratic Party instead of creating a separate Labor Party. The strategy was adopted at the 1960 Socialist Party convention.

Social Democracy Basics from FES

Social Democracy Reader No. 1 from FES