The Long Detour: The History and Future of the American Left

Rating:
Summary: Informative - too preachy / No solutions
Review: I am a sucker for history - the good, bad and ugly. First of all, this is a well-written, well-documented story roughly divided into equal parts history and agitprop. The author says he is a "former" communist. This combination seems to be a requisite these days with NPR featuring a whole phalanx of commentators calling themselves "progressive" who just happened to be former Reds - you get the pic.

The author attempts to give a definitive history of Leftist politics in this nation. That is - and this ia a big "That is" - if you assign to a variety of historical national impulses the term "left". The author stresses that Socialism is not an alien movement but is as patriotic as Old Glory and in one sense he is right. American Socialism has never advocated the type of authoritarianism found elsewhere when Socialism was imposed - whether in the USSR, Africa, Asia or Cuba. If they had, they would have become more irrelevant than they already are.

Western Socialists refused to address the major dilemma - someone must persuade citizens who do not want the "benefits" of Socialism to accept and this must be done through the use of force. The book is best in the historical sagas, worst in its ideological cant: good reading / bad pleading.

Socialism may have been a native movement but it ran against the grain of this nation's historical preference of tradition and experience over theory. For a while it seemed that a genuine movement was eminent but, according to Weinstein, events always intervened and set back the movement. Socialism was unsuccessful in America for four reasons that the author discusses in varying degrees of detail:
(1) Its adherants were permanently temporary. The poor got wealth, students alienated the middle class, farmers hated state control and unions rejected the idea leaving academia - the one place that still takes Socialism seriously.
(2) Socialism was morally discredited due to its fervent support of Stalin and other dicatatorships. We hear again about how the the USSR didn't practice "true" Socialism.
(3) Socialism became synonymous with poverty because, well, all Socialist states remained poor and that is not a vision to which Americans aspire.
(4) Socialism never offered a viable alternative that insured wealth, choice, opportunity and a positive vision of the future. Its negative agenda (looting and redistributing wealth, control of production, implementation of social engineering schemes) were rejected out of hand.

As a former philosophy professor used to say, you may have a lot of answers without a solution. To counter capitalism's argument that you can work and gain wealth, Socialism offers the appeal of an egalitarian society - where some are more equal than others. It did not work in the past and will probably not work in the future

Rating:
Summary: a sad effort
Review: I am a sucker for history - the good, bad and ugly. First of all, this is a well-written, well-documented story that is equal parts history and agitprop. The author, a "former" communist (the prefix is now a requisite), attempts to give a definitive history of Leftist politics in this nation. That is - and this ia a big "That is" - if you assign to a variety of historical national impulses the term "left".

The author stresses that Socialism is not an alien movement but is as patriotic as Old Glory and in one sense he is right. American Socialism never advocated the type of authoritarianism found elsewhere when Socialism was imposed - whether in the USSR, Africa, Asia or Cuba. Western Socialists refused to address the major problem - someone must persuade citizens who do not want the "benefits" of Socialism and this must be done through the use of force. The book is best in the historical sagas, worst in its ideological cant: good reading / bad pleading.

It may have been a native movement but it ran against the grain of America's historical preference of tradition and experience over newness and theory. For a while it seemed that a genuine movement was eminent but, according to Weinstein, events always intervened and set back the movement. Socialism was unsuccessful in America for four reasons that the author discusses in varying degrees of detail:

(1) Socialism's adherants were permanently temporary. The poor got wealth, students alienated the middle class, farmers hated state control and unions rejected the idea leaving academia - the one place that still takes Socialism seriously.
(2) Socialism was morally discredited due to its fervent support of Stalin and other dicatatorships. We hear again about how the the USSR didn't practice "true" Socialism.
(3) Socialism became synonymous with poverty because, well, all Socialist states remained poor and that is not a vision to which Americans aspire.
(4) Socialism never offered a viable alternative that insured wealth, choice, opportunity and a positive vision of the future. Its negative agenda (looting and redistributing wealth, control of production, implementation of social engineering schemes) were rejected out of hand.

As my former professor used to say, you have provided a lot of answers but no solution. To counter capitalism's argument that you can work and gain wealth, Socialism offers the appeal of an egalitarian society - where some are more equal than others. It did not work in the past and will probably not work in the future

Rating:
Summary: clear-eyed, thoughtful
Review: James Weinstein has chosen the hopeful subtitle, "The History and FUTURE (capitals mine) of the American Left", which made my ears perk up when I heard him discussing his work on Cspan BookTalk. I'd like some of my friends on the right to read "The Long Detour" as it would educate them on how reforms like the eight-hour day, the laws banning child labor, the Pure Food and Drug laws, and unemployment insurance, which we all take for granted now, came to be enacted. Socialists at the turn of the 20th century pushed through this legislation, from which all Americans benefit.

Contrary to the belief of some, the left in American politics has had formidable and continuing success, as many of its issues became incorporated into the two major party platforms, and then into law.

Weinstein devotes a portion of the book to a discussion of how the "real existing socialism", which is what the Russians called their Soviet system, was not a fair trial of Karl Marx's socialist economy. Readers may be shocked to read that Marx was not as opposed to capitalism as many believe; he saw it as a phase, a necessary transition. In Russia this phase was lacking, as the Soviet Union struggled to go from pre-capitalist feudalism to industrialized socialism. Vital infrastructures were missing, and corruption and failure were inevitable.

In the last portion of "The Long Detour" Weinstein gives us a clear-eyed vision of how such thorny issues as universal health care, full and meaningful employment, and a downsized military budget, can be implemented. His final sentence reads, "The next step is up to you."

Rating:
Summary: clear-eyed, thoughtful
Review: James Weinstein has chosen the hopeful subtitle, "The History and FUTURE (capitals mine) of the American Left", which made my ears perk up when I heard him discussing his work on Cspan BookTalk. I'd like some of my friends on the right to read "The Long Detour" as it would educate them on how reforms like the eight-hour day, the laws banning child labor, the Pure Food and Drug laws, and unemployment insurance, which we all take for granted now, came to be enacted. Socialists at the turn of the 20th century pushed through this legislation, from which all Americans benefit.

Contrary to the belief of some, the left in American politics has had formidable and continuing success, as many of its issues became incorporated into the two major party platforms, and then into law.

Weinstein devotes a portion of the book to a discussion of how the "real existing socialism", which is what the Russians called their Soviet system, was not a fair trial of Karl Marx's socialist economy. Readers may be shocked to read that Marx was not as opposed to capitalism as many believe; he saw it as a phase, a necessary transition. In Russia this phase was lacking, as the Soviet Union struggled to go from pre-capitalist feudalism to industrialized socialism. Vital infrastructures were missing, and corruption and failure were inevitable.

In the last portion of "The Long Detour" Weinstein gives us a clear-eyed vision of how such thorny issues as universal health care, full and meaningful employment, and a downsized military budget, can be implemented. His final sentence reads, "The next step is up to you."

Rating:
Summary: The Long Detour
Review: James Weinstein, in covering the rise and fall (but not death) of socialism in the U.S., does an excellent job of recounting many momentous (and perhaps forgotten) events, expertly summarized in clear, comprehensible prose. (Reminded me of Howard Zinn in that respect.)

Besides great clarity, he displays a heady mixture of humanitarianism and pragmatism: check out the penultimate chapter with its prescriptions for overcoming the shortcomings of a great nation.

The Long Detour couldn't have come at a more propitious time, considering our disasterous foreign and domestic policies.

One can learn more than a few things from this book. I know I did. (And I'm 75.)

Rating:
Summary: Highlights of U.S. Socialist History
Review: James Weinsteins new book "The Long Detour" situates the problems and potentialities of the American Left within a brief history. From the earliest years of the Left, we see some of the issues which American left-wing activists still address: purity of ideology vs pragmatism, relationship to nationalism, sectarian nit-picking, authoritarianism, foreign models vs a model truly adapted to American conditions, the problem of single issue movements vs. a broader movement against capitalism, centralism vs. decentralism, etc. By providing a panorama of these issues within a historical context, we can see that in general, each generation of U.S. leftists repeats similar mistakes as in the past and often fails to implement strategies that have worked.

The U.S. Left in recent history has thrived on "negative" movements. This is apparent through the names of these movements: anti-war, anti-racism, etc. When these single, negative movements come to an end, so does the whole cycle of struggle. Often, as Weinstein shows, these movements get co-opted by liberal capitalists. At the end of the book, Weinstein attempts to put forward a "positive" program of his own. One might criticize Weinstein's program as one that could be co-opted by a liberal agenda as well: health care and education reform. Certainly these are reforms worth fighting for, but his positive program gives no clue as how to include this program within a broader strategy of moving to a socialist society...it only is a program that would try to revamp the deteriorating welfare system.

Unfortunately Weinstein's history ends more or less at the demise of the New Left. He barely mentions the anti-globalization movement and that is unfortunate. The current anti-globalization movements face novel issues and it would be helpful if Weinstein brought his experience to bear on it. Capital has tended reconstitute itself into global networks. The nation-state is no longer the node in the capitalist nexus that it once was. Vast movements of capital can
take place in the click of a mouse. Weinstein correctly says that the terrain changed with the arrival of post-industrialism, but he does not seem to fully appreciate the novelty and challenges (for the US left) of the mature informational society and globalization . He suggests that the nation-state is still relevant in that the military- to be used as a stick against those who would revolt against the new global order- still reside within the nation-state. That is undoubtedly true, but Weinstein does not address the other forms of control and power-both blatant and insidious- that exist within the global order.

Weinstein's postive program relies mostly on electoral politics; while we should not dismiss the ballot box as a locus of struggle, the author should address the potential pitfalls of restricting a movement to the voting booth. In any case, this books is well worth reading for its summary of problems and traps that the American Left has fallen into historically. It does attempt to promote a positive program, but it fails in this regard. That is an important chapter that has yet to be written.

Rating:
Summary: Highlights of U.S. Socialist History
Review: James Weinsteins new book "The Long Detour" situates the problems and potentialities of the American Left within a brief history. From the earliest years of the Left, we see some of the issues which American left-wing activists still address: purity of ideology vs pragmatism, relationship to nationalism, sectarian nit-picking, authoritarianism, foreign models vs a model truly adapted to American conditions, the problem of single issue movements vs. a broader movement against capitalism, centralism vs. decentralism, etc. By providing a panorama of these issues within a historical context, we can see that in general, each generation of U.S. leftists repeats similar mistakes as in the past and often fails to implement strategies that have worked.

The U.S. Left in recent history has thrived on "negative" movements. This is apparent through the names of these movements: anti-war, anti-racism, etc. When these single, negative movements come to an end, so does the whole cycle of struggle. Often, as Weinstein shows, these movements get co-opted by liberal capitalists. At the end of the book, Weinstein attempts to put forward a "positive" program of his own. One might criticize Weinstein's program as one that could be co-opted by a liberal agenda as well: health care and education reform. Certainly these are reforms worth fighting for, but his positive program gives no clue as how to include this program within a broader strategy of moving to a socialist society...it only is a program that would try to revamp the deteriorating welfare system.

Unfortunately Weinstein's history ends more or less at the demise of the New Left. He barely mentions the anti-globalization movement and that is unfortunate. The current anti-globalization movements face novel issues and it would be helpful if Weinstein brought his experience to bear on it. Capital has tended reconstitute itself into global networks. The nation-state is no longer the node in the capitalist nexus that it once was. Vast movements of capital can
take place in the click of a mouse. Weinstein correctly says that the terrain changed with the arrival of post-industrialism, but he does not seem to fully appreciate the novelty and challenges (for the US left) of the mature informational society and globalization . He suggests that the nation-state is still relevant in that the military- to be used as a stick against those who would revolt against the new global order- still reside within the nation-state. That is undoubtedly true, but Weinstein does not address the other forms of control and power-both blatant and insidious- that exist within the global order.

Weinstein's postive program relies mostly on electoral politics; while we should not dismiss the ballot box as a locus of struggle, the author should address the potential pitfalls of restricting a movement to the voting booth. In any case, this books is well worth reading for its summary of problems and traps that the American Left has fallen into historically. It does attempt to promote a positive program, but it fails in this regard. That is an important chapter that has yet to be written.

Rating:
Summary: socialism, smocialism
Review: The Long Detour: The History And Future Of The American Left by historian and journalist James Weinstein traces evolution of socialism and its principles and legacy in the United States, right up to the modern day and beyond! From the repercussions Russian Communism's fall had on socialist principles in use; to the challenge to adapt socialist ideals with the collapse of international socialism coinciding with the dominance of capitalism as reflected through political and economic international alliances and organizations; to socialism's varied functions in service to a mainstream post-industrial American public, The Long Detour is an involving "must-read" for political theory buffs and a highly recommended addition to Economic Studies collections.