Past Socialist Experiments
This 20th-century superpower was the world's most influential socialist state in the Cold War, formed after the 1917 October Revolution and lasting until 1991.
The Soviet Union
This well-known American civil rights leader advocated for democratic socialism later in his life, arguing that racial justice required economic justice as well.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
This currently active group is the largest socialist organization in the United States in 100 years.
Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)
This foundational socialist ideology, developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, centers on class struggle, the overthrow of capitalism, and the development of a workers' state that will gradually "wither on the vine" into a stateless, classless, and moneyless society.
Marxism
This period after World War I and the Russian Revolution saw widespread fear of radical leftist movements in the U.S., leading to mass arrests and deportations.
First Red Scare (Red Scare is okay)
This country in the Caribbean underwent a socialist revolution led by Fidel Castro, overthrowing the Bautista dictatorship and surviving to the modern day.
Cuba
This important theoretical physicist is most well-know for his theory of general relativity, but also wrote a compelling work advocating for democratic socialism titled "Why Socialism?"
Albert Einstein
Founded in 1901, this political party became the main vehicle for socialist politics in the U.S. during the early 20th century.
Socialist Party of America
This ideology builds off of Marxism's foundation, advocating for a Vanguard Party of professional revolutionaries that will diffuse socialist ideas and class consciousness into the masses.
Marxism-Leninism
This U.S. senator became the face of anti-communist investigations in the 1950s, giving rise to a widely-known term for aggressive and often baseless accusations.
Joseph McCarthy
This country in Southeast Asia saw socialist guerillas fight against Imperial Japan, France, and eventually the United States, before finally succeeding in uniting the country in 1975.
Vietnam
This British author, famous for his fictional works critiquing totalitarianism, fought in a Marxist militia during the Spanish Civil War and would later go on to write about his experience in Homage to Catalonia.
George Orwell
This early 20th-century American politician and labor leader ran for president five times as a Socialist Party candidate, including from prison in 1920.
Eugene V. Debs
This ideology advocates for a stateless, classless, and moneyless society, but rejects the Marxist workers' state, instead demanding an immediate abolition of hierarchy.
Anarcho-Communism (Anarchism is an okay answer).
This House committee, active during the Cold War, investigated alleged communist influence in American society, including Hollywood.
House Un-American Activities Committee
Daily Double!!!
This South American country saw a socialist party elected democratically, implementing reforms before being violently overthrown in a U.S-backed coup on September 11th, 1973.
Chile
This famous author of The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds was also a prominent social critic, embracing socialism at an early age.
H.G Wells
This event occurred during an 1886 rally in support of the 8-hour workday, which experienced a deadly bombing and shootout with the police. This eventually culminating in the scapegoating of 8 anarchist activists, 4 of whom were executed.
Haymarket Affair
These early socialist theories, developed before Marx, includes thinkers like Robert Owen and Charles Fourier, believing the bourgeoisie could be convinced to willingly give up their power and transition into socialism.
Utopian Socialism
These two married individuals were accused of passing nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union and executed in 1953.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
This region saw anarcho-syndicalist revolutionaries rise up amid a brutal 20th century civil war, establishing an anarchist commune that lasted until 1939.
Catalonia (in Spain)
This American writer is best known for his work, The Jungle, and ran several times for public office as a Socialist Party candidate.
Upton Sinclair
This labor union, founded in 1905 and known as the “Wobblies,” sought to unite all workers into “One Big Union” and had strong socialist and anarchist influences.
Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)
This form of socialism emphasizes labor unions organized by industry as the key force for revolutionary change, often advocating for general strikes and other direct action to transfer control of industry to workers.
Syndicalism
These 1919–1920 raids, ordered by the Attorney General, targeted suspected radicals and anarchists across the United States.
Palmer Raids