--- title: A History of Socialism in the United States description: As the 2020 election nears, candidates and constituents are grappling with socialism and its role in American governance. canonical: https://time.com/5762312/bernie-sanders-socialism-america/ author: Joey Lautrup article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2020-02-12T17:26:04.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-14T08:53:16.869Z article:section: History og:title: A History of Socialism in the United States og:description: Watch this video to learn more og:url: https://time.com/5762312/bernie-sanders-socialism-america/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt48162aff10b10cc9/698a0a2bdb2987b2b3264f05/Bernie_3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1920 og:image:height: 1080 og:image:alt: Bernie_3 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: A History of Socialism in the United States twitter:description: Watch this video to learn more twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt48162aff10b10cc9/698a0a2bdb2987b2b3264f05/Bernie_3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Bernie Sanders’ New Hampshire Victory Is a Big Deal for Socialism in America. Here's What to Know About the History of the Idea > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Subscription: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923, reporting on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world. A TIME subscription provides full access to that journalism in print and digital, from $20 a year, and can be cancelled at any time. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-sub-2026q3/newsletters?i=3afbef7d-ff16-44f8-9bd6-db729199b5b8&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) * TIME Subscriptions: [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-sub-2026q3/subscribe?i=3afbef7d-ff16-44f8-9bd6-db729199b5b8&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) ## Video: A History of Socialism in America [Watch (HLS stream): A History of Socialism in America](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/lPw5Z50I.m3u8) (9:42)  _Published 2020-02-12. TIME takes a look at America's long and complicated history with socialism, from early utopian settlements to the 2020 election._  by [Joey Lautrup](https://time.com/author/joey-lautrup/)  ## Joey Lautrup Feb 12, 2020 5:26 PM UTC TIME takes a look at America's long and complicated history with socialism, from early utopian settlements to the 2020 election.  by [Joey Lautrup](https://time.com/author/joey-lautrup/)  ## Joey Lautrup Feb 12, 2020 5:26 PM UTC [Bernie Sanders](https://time.com/5782619/bernie-sanders-2020-democratic-frontrunner-new-hampshire/), the sole democratic socialist in the 2020 presidential race, came out on top in the Democratic Party’s [primary in New Hampshire](https://time.com/5781797/new-hampshire-democratic-primary/), winning about 26% of the vote. His victory followed a neck and neck race with former South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg in the Iowa caucuses. The Vermont senator’s primary success is the latest development in a long and bumpy history of political socialism in the United States. The contentious political philosophy has had a presence in the U.S. since the 19th century. Early utopian communal experiments beginning in the 1830s laid the groundwork for a golden era of political socialism in the early 20th century, a period punctuated by Eugene Debs’ historic presidential run and the elections of socialist candidates across the nation. A series of factors, including the political persecution of socialists, an unsavory global image of socialist revolutionaries, and the rise of Communism combined to push socialism to the political fringe in the early 1900s, where it remained for almost a century. In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, politicians identifying as socialist enjoyed a groundswell of renewed support. In the 2018 midterm elections, dozens of members of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) were elected to state and local offices, and Reps. [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez](https://time.com/longform/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-profile/) and Rashida Tlaib were elected to the U.S. House. While Sanders is not a member of DSA, he has long identified as a democratic socialist, a philosophy that he describes as part and parcel to his support for large, taxpayer-funded programs, like [Medicare for All](https://time.com/5709017/medicare-for-all-doctor-activists/). Sanders’ success in both Iowa and New Hampshire may signal that a version of American socialism is again on the rise. Watch the video to learn more about America’s nuanced history with socialism. ## Transcript [00:01] This is looking backward. [00:02] By Edward Bellamy. [00:04] It was published in 1888 and was one of the most popular [00:07] books in America in the 19th century. [00:10] In the book, a man named Julian West falls asleep and wakes up. [00:14] Over 100 years later, in the year 2000, he finds himself in a futuristic [00:19] socialist society where industries are nationalized and workers retire at 45. [00:24] The book had a significant impact on American thinking at the time. [00:28] Across the country, 165 [00:30] Bellamy Clubs formed to promote its ideas. [00:34] So what would happen if Julian West woke up in the 21st century as we know it? [00:38] America will never be a socialist country. [00:42] When I talk about democratic socialism. [00:44] Socialism is not the answer. [00:46] West wouldn't be waking up to a socialist utopia, but [00:49] he would find an America that had a long and complicated history with socialism. [00:54] Looking at herself on television, it ain't Bernie. [00:57] It is, you. It must be you. [01:05] The definition of [01:06] socialism can really depend on who you ask. [01:10] The dictionary will tell you that socialism is a political [01:12] and economic theory of social organization which advocates [01:15] that the means of production, distribution [01:17] and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole. [01:21] To many voters today, socialism means expanding [01:24] social safety nets like universal health care. [01:27] We asked Maurice Esterman, an expert on American socialism, [01:30] to provide us with some context. [01:32] For some Americans, especially those of a certain age who remember the Cold War. [01:37] Socialism represents a totalitarian dictatorship [01:41] where the state controls [01:43] all of the what Marxists would call the means of production socialism [01:48] and much of the rest of the world is understood [01:51] as a system that [01:54] seeks to maximize the benefits for all people. [02:00] Some of the first attempts at collective ownership in America [02:03] were utopian settlements [02:04] that sprung up across the country throughout the 19th century. [02:08] One of the most famous of these was New Harmony, Indiana, [02:10] formed by social reformer Robert Owen in 1825 [02:15] and New Harmony. [02:16] Labor was divided, inequality was prioritized. [02:19] And like many of the utopian settlements at the time, it was founded as a place [02:23] where bright minds [02:23] could pursue their studies without interference from capitalist life. [02:27] But New Harmony was, in large part, a failure, [02:30] with infighting over governance and religion leading to its collapse. [02:34] After just four years, the community had split apart [02:37] and Owen lost most of his money. [02:40] Despite limited success, communities like this laid [02:43] the groundwork for socialism to develop politically in America. [02:48] And as capitalism in America picked up steam. [02:53] Socialism as a political force took shape. [02:57] Many industrial laborers grew unhappy with the status quo, [03:00] while the countries owning class just grew richer. [03:02] And the people in their own lives had seen enormous transformation. [03:07] Going on in the economy. [03:09] And they didn't take it just as well. [03:11] That's the way it is. [03:12] They still thought of society as something that was evolving. [03:16] Workers around the country began to protest, and one of the largest actions [03:20] was the Pullman Railroad strike outside of Chicago. [03:23] The strike resulted in the disruption of Midwestern rail lines [03:26] and a violent face off between strikers and federal troops [03:30] as the strike came to a close. [03:32] Its leaders were arrested, including this man, Eugene Debs. [03:37] While in jail, Debs became a socialist. [03:39] And in 1900, [03:42] a number of disparate socialist groups in the United States United and formed [03:47] what became the Socialist Party of the United States. [03:51] Davis became the Socialist Party's go to presidential candidate, [03:55] running five times between 1919 20. [03:58] And in 1912, he won a million votes. [04:01] 6% of the total. [04:03] That's the most a socialist candidate has ever won [04:06] in an American presidential election. [04:09] And he wasn't alone during that period. [04:11] Socialist had managed to elect more than 1000 officials nationwide, [04:15] including two members to Congress. [04:19] But this golden era for socialists didn't last long as a range of forces [04:22] from anti-immigration sentiment to looming World War [04:26] made them a target of attacks. [04:29] Eugene Debs was arrested again in 1918, [04:32] this time for violating the Espionage Act, [04:35] a newly enacted law that made it illegal to speak out against the U.S. [04:38] involvement in World War One. [04:40] His arrest was part of a wider government [04:42] crackdown against socialist following Russia's Bolshevik Revolution. [04:46] The US government and many of its citizens feared that radical groups intended [04:50] to challenge America's democratic values or even overthrow the government. [04:55] At the same time, the composition of the American left was changing. [05:00] Communism, which was more focused on revolution than socialism, was, [05:04] became popular among American leftists, somewhat displacing [05:08] socialism as a popular ideology. [05:11] An organization that, on the eve of the First World War, [05:15] was capable of gaining 6% of the vote. [05:18] A million votes and 100,000 members was reduced to a skeleton of itself. [05:25] By the early 1920s. [05:31] When Democratic [05:32] President Franklin Delano Roosevelt introduced New Deal reforms [05:35] such as Social Security and unemployment insurance in the 1930s, [05:39] his opponents said he was carrying out a socialist agenda. [05:42] But for Americans socialist like party leader Norman Thomas, [05:45] the New Deal was actually seen as a blow to their mission. [05:49] Norman Thomas cracked that he's carrying out the socialist platform [05:53] on a stretcher [05:54] because, you know, he's basically killed socialism by taking some of the more [05:58] appealing of its reform proposals and leaving [06:01] no room for a socialist party. [06:04] This tension between socialists and Democrats [06:07] continued to hurt socialist power politically for the next several decades. [06:12] During the Cold War, Socialism's reputation in America [06:15] was further damaged by its perceived association with communism, [06:19] which had been represented by totalitarian regimes abroad. [06:23] In 1962, socialist writer Michael Harrington gained notoriety for publishing [06:27] the other America, a book that argued that 25% of the country [06:30] lived in poverty. [06:34] Some believe it partially inspired [06:35] the government's war on poverty programs. [06:39] Harrington went on to become a pivotal figure in the socialist movement, [06:43] Harrington said. [06:43] Let's work within the Democratic Party to push through a progressive agenda. [06:48] And his phrase was, We should be the left wing of the possible. [06:52] So in 1982, he founded the Democratic Socialists of America, or the DSA, [06:57] whose candidates ran for office not as socialists, but as Democrats. [07:01] The DSA remained relatively small for the rest of the 20th century. [07:10] Now it's official We are in a recession. [07:13] In 2008, America was hit by the worst economic crisis [07:16] since the Great Depression, and it disproportionately affected [07:20] the middle and working classes. [07:24] A few years later, the Occupy movement [07:26] formed in reaction to growing inequality, but without specific demands. [07:30] It didn't have much tangible impact. [07:34] It's like the bee who stings and then dies. [07:37] So Occupy died, but the sting remained. [07:42] And the 2016 presidential campaign. [07:45] Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders [07:46] emerged as a popular candidate for the Democratic Party of America. [07:50] Sanders had been inspired by the work of Eugene Debs, and he had even made [07:53] a documentary about him in 1979. [07:56] He wasn't a member of the DSA, but he did call himself a democratic socialist. [08:01] The only socialist on the democratic stage, [08:04] Sanders lost the Democratic nomination. [08:06] But like the Occupy movement, his impact remained. [08:10] Two years later, the [08:11] DSA rose to greater prominence when member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez [08:15] became the youngest woman ever elected to Congress [08:18] and an overnight political celebrity. [08:22] On top of her win, DSA candidates won dozens of local and state elections [08:25] across the country, and membership rose from 6000 in 2015 to 50000 in 2018. [08:32] That said, DSA members still represented a very small number of American voters. [08:37] It reflects important demographic changes and important shift in political values [08:43] and beliefs, especially on the part of younger Americans. [08:48] According to Gallup polling, young Americans [08:51] views of capitalism have soured over the last decade. [08:54] In 2019, they viewed socialism almost as positively as they did capitalism. [08:59] And with the presidential election looming. [09:01] This could signal a significant shift in America's politics. [09:05] Republicans have continued to use socialist as an insult. [09:09] To Democrats. Be the party of socialism. [09:11] Hitler was the Socialists, [09:12] and Democrats have debated if and how socialism fits into their agenda. [09:16] I am a capitalist. [09:18] Come on. [09:19] When I talk about democratic socialism, what I talk about are human rights. [09:24] Will socialism continue [09:25] to remain on the fringe in America as it has for over a century? [09:29] Or will society start to look more like the fictional one Julian West [09:33] found in looking backward? ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5762312/bernie-sanders-socialism-america/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5762312/bernie-sanders-socialism-america/"},"headline":"Bernie Sanders’ New Hampshire Victory Is a Big Deal for Socialism in America. 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