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Democratic Socialists of America | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | DSA |
| National Director | Maria Svart |
| Founder | Michael Harrington |
| Founded | 20 March 1982 |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York |
| Newspaper | Democratic Left |
| Student wing | Young Democratic Socialists of America |
| Membership (2021) | 94,915 |
| Political orientation | Democratic socialism Factions: Social democracy Ecosocialism Scientific socialism Libertarian socialism Neoliberalism |
| International affiliation | Socialist International (1982–2017) |
| Website | |
| https://www.dsausa.org/ | |
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a big-tent nonprofit organization in the United States whose members' ideological views tend to range from social democracy to democratic socialism, with some factions embracing farther left ideologies such as communism and anarchism.
Despite the left-wing position of the membership, its leadership and history is rife with anti-socialism, anti-communism,[1] liberal reformism[2] and pro-imperialism.[3] The pro-imperialism has recently been in decline, with DSA's International Committee calling for the US withdrawal from NATO.[4]
The DSA itself is not a political party, but several of its members have held office in the Democratic Party, Green Party, Working Families Party, or as independents.
In 2022, Socialist Alternative launched a caucus within the DSA.[5]
History[edit | edit source]
DSA was founded by Michael Harrington, a self-described "democratic socialist" who opposed actually existing socialist states of his time, notably the USSR, China, and members of the Eastern Bloc.
In 1948, Harrington and other young intellectuals joined with Trotskyist Max Shachtman to develop the idea of a "Third Camp" which opposed both the capitalist bloc and the communist bloc.
Revealing his reactionary character, Harrington said in the New York Times in the 1980s that, "I share an immediate program with liberals in this country because the best liberalism leads toward socialism."
See also[edit | edit source]
- The Squad - "progressive" US congresspeople, many of whom are involved with DSA
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Tom Hall (2017-08-03). "The anti-socialist politics of the Democratic Socialists of America" WSWS.
- ↑ Rainer Shea (2020-12-10). "Unmasking the fake left: The DSA Leading The Masses Towards Soft Imperialism And Petty-Bourgeois Reformism" The Greanville Post.
- ↑ Ben Norton (2017-06-07). "DSA, we need to talk about imperialism"
- ↑ "DSA IC says “No to NATO”" (2021-05-11).
- ↑ Erin Brightwell (2022-03-01). "Why Socialist Alternative is Launching a Caucus in DSA" Socialist Alternative.