Embraced by some, deplored by others, misunderstood by many, socialism is back and it’s a hot topic in presidential politics. With younger voters increasingly supporting socialism, the growing movement is changing the national conversation and potentially, the Democratic party. But when a recent Gallup poll asked Americans what socialism actually is, answers varied wildly. Columbia Journalism School Director of Academic Affairs, and former Editor-in-Chief of The Forward Jane Eisner sat down with an all-star panel on November 12, 2019 at the Center for Jewish History to discuss socialism today, its complicated past, and how New York’s predominantly Jewish socialist movement paved the way for change a century ago. She was joined by University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor of American Jewish History, Tony Michels; Washington Post columnist, Catherine Rampell; New York Post columnist, Karol Markowicz; and former Deputy Director of the Democratic Socialists of America, David Duhalde.
As we approach the 2020 presidential election, History Behind the Headlines: Socialism is the first in a series of programs designed to look at today’s political issues against the backdrop of history.