Ted Rall: Why Socialism Now?

Ted Rall askes Why Socialism Now?

Rall sees a return to the political dynamics of the Gilded Age:

When the ruling class go 19^th century, their victims go 19^th century socialism.

Economic divisions of our time are eerily reminiscent of the stark chasm between idle rich and working poor that prompted Karl Marx to bang out the Paris Manuscripts and, four years later, co-author the 1848 Communist Manifesto. The top 1% and top 0.01% of income “earners” collect shares of national wealth rivaling those of the late 1800s to 1920s. The 19^th century transition from an agrarian to an industrial economy looked much like the current disruption caused by big tech, automation and AI, which rewards Wall Street and tech bros while leaving the vast majority of Americans behind. Both the Gilded Age and ours saw unions crushed, financial regulations gutted, and tax codes restructured to benefit the rich.

DSA co-chair Megan Romer recently observed: “People are seeing that capitalism is not working for them, that these unchecked, unfettered big businesses—the oil companies getting richer during a war, like they see that, they see it over and over and over again. People my age—I’m about to turn 43—my whole adult life has been this: just less and less, you know, the wages just basically the same and cost of everything going up.”

Everything bad is new again.

Emphasis Mine

The tidal wave of neo-liberalism started by Thatcher and Reagan in the 1970s and 1980s is probably reaching its zenith. Now, instead of morbibund USSR, we have a dynamic Communist society in China that is challenging the USA for world domination. USA has shown the limits of its military against Iran and through its proxy war in Ukraine.

Whether now is the time remains to be seen.

AI Disclosure

Image was generated by Gemini AI.