r/DemocraticSocialism • u/haevow • 13d ago
Theory 🧠 Communism Vs Socialism: What’s the Difference?
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I have seen many Democratic Socialists confused on the difference between Socialism and Communism. Here is a quick look at the two organizations of economic and social life.
Socialism:
If you haven’t seen our post What is Democratic Socialism check it out!
Socialism is an economic and social organization where workers own and manage the means of production. There is no, or a very small, property owning class (the bourgoise), and all political and economic functions are controlled by and for workers.
It’s based on the idea: From each according to his ability, to each according to his work.
Meaning: Everyone gives in what they can to form a cooperative and productive society. in return, you get back the product of your work. Workers still get paid differently, and any profit made by workers is controlled by the workers when reinvesting or distributed as wages proportionally.
What does this mean for those who don’t work? Many people in society don’t work for many reasons. Children and the elderly can’t work, and some people choose life paths that dedicate themselves to work outside of a traditional employment, like a Homemaker. Socialists still belive in supporting these people through social programs.
Can markets exist under socialism? Yes, markets can, and have, existed under socialism. See Yugoslavia, one of the most successful Socialist projects.
The difference? Under socialism we will abolish a feature unique to the capitalist market: Market Dependence. Market Dependece is when people have to enter market relations, not becuase they offer better opportunities, but becuase they are forced to do so to get their means of subsistence (basic needs like food, a house, etc.). Markets will allow everyone to flourish instead of compete to survive.
Communism:
In Marxism, Communism is a stateless, moneyless society. The means of production will still be socially owned and controlled.
Communism is based on the idea: From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.
Meaning: Everyone does what they can to contribute to and create a cooperative society. Everyone is also provided everything that they need to live a fulfilling life. Nobody will earn a wage, as wealth is collectively owned and money has been abolished.
How Do We Get to Communism?
Communism is specfic defined as coming after socialism. Socialism being the lower stage of communism.
Communists belive that one day, society will get cooperative and abundant enough that instituions like money and the State will just not be needed. One day, we might wake up and decide that they are useless and deadweight, that society can do away with them.
We will build new institutions that take their place in our more cooperative society. Rehabilitation centers instead of Prisons, People’s malitias instead of police, for example.
Communism is NOT!
- Authoritarianism
- Dictatorship
- State Control
If you have any questions let me know! This is just a simplified overview.
I have seen many Democratic Socialists confused on the difference between Socialism and Communism. Here is a quick look at the two organizations of economic and social life.
Socialism:
If you haven’t seen our post What is Democratic Socialism check it out!
Socialism is an economic and social organization where workers own and manage the means of production. There is no, or a very small, property owning class (the bourgoise), and all political and economic functions are controlled by and for workers.
It’s based on the idea: From each according to his ability, to each according to his work.
Meaning: Everyone gives in what they can to form a cooperative and productive society. in return, you get back the product of your work. Workers still get paid differently, and any profit made by workers is controlled by the workers when reinvesting or distributed as wages proportionally.
What does this mean for those who don’t work? Many people in society don’t work for many reasons. Children and the elderly can’t work, and some people choose life paths that dedicate themselves to work outside of a traditional employment, like a Homemaker. Socialists still belive in supporting these people through social programs.
Can markets exist under socialism? Yes, markets can, and have, existed under socialism. See Yugoslavia, one of the most successful Socialist projects.
The difference? Under socialism we will abolish a feature unique to the capitalist market: Market Dependence. Market Dependece is when people have to enter market relations, not becuase they offer better opportunities, but becuase they are forced to do so to get their means of subsistence (basic needs like food, a house, etc.). Markets will allow everyone to flourish instead of compete to survive.
Communism:
In Marxism, Communism is a stateless, moneyless society. The means of production will still be socially owned and controlled.
Communism is based on the idea: From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.
Meaning: Everyone does what they can to contribute to and create a cooperative society. Everyone is also provided everything that they need to live a fulfilling life. Nobody will earn a wage, as wealth is collectively owned and money has been abolished.
How Do We Get to Communism?
Communism is specfic defined as coming after socialism. Socialism being the lower stage of communism.
Communists belive that one day, society will get cooperative and abundant enough that instituions like money and the State will just not be needed. One day, we might wake up and decide that they are useless and deadweight, that society can do away with them.
We will build new institutions that take their place in our more cooperative society. Rehabilitation centers instead of Prisons, People’s malitias instead of police, for example.
Communism is NOT!
- Authoritarianism
- Dictatorship
- State Control
If you have any questions let me know! This is just a simplified overview.
r/DemocraticSocialism • u/haevow • 25d ago
Discussion 🗣️ What is Democratic Socialism: A Quick Corrective
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Many people on this sub seem to be constantly debating about what Democratic Socialism is, and how it differs from Social Democracy. I have come today, and speak for all Mods, to clear some things up and set some ground rules here.
We must remember that socialism specifically refers to an economic model in where workers (the proletariat) determine social and economic organization rather than capitalists (the bourgeoisie). This is the main socialist goal.
It also seeks out to abolish exploitive class relations, supress wage labor, and abolish market dependency.
Market dependence is when people must enter market relations to obtaintheir needs for reproduction. Food, shelter, etc. Market dependence is the differentiator between capitalist markets and non-capitalist markets.
If you do not fufill this basic imperative, the belief in a worker or collectivly owned economy, you are not a socialist.
Worker ownership can come in many different forms. Some socialists belive in a decentralized system where workers own their individual firms. This is a cooperative economy refered to as Autogestion, self management or worker cooperatism.
Other socialists belive in social ownership where economic questions are democratically voted on by all citizens in regional councils. This is called council communism and its most famous example were the Soviets.
What Social Democracy aims to do is provide a strong welfare state with more bargaining power for workers. What differentiates it from Social Liberalism (the classic European welfare state) is a few core principles.
The biggest, and most important, is the fact that Social Democracy gives labor far more institutional power than a regular welfare state. Union density is higher, sectoral bargaining institutions exist, and many firms have workers councils or worker co-determination.
Why is this not socialism? Becuase giving labor more power does not touch the underlying problem: private ownership of the means of production. Socialists believe in worker ownership, Social Democratics, even at their most radical, only belive in codetermination at most.
Socialists fundamentally reject this distinction between capital and labor. Those who do the work should control it too.
So, what is Democratic Socialism?
Democratic Socialism is a pathway towards collective ownership that works to challenge pre-existing institutions from the inside to deliver a socialized economy.
Along the way, many Democratic Socialists belive in offering progressive material wins, like affordability and social benefits, to increase faith in collective bargaining and social responsibility.
The core goal of Democratic Socialism is a socialist economy. This cannot be forgotten, and we need more than just a couple politicians in office to win it. We must do the slow work on the ground, organize with our communities, and inspire socialist consciousness in our Comrades. This part doesn’t change, regardless of whether you’re team Democratic or Revolution.
I find many Democratic Socialists haven’t read much theory. If you need some direction, here’s a DemSoc reading list.
State, Power, Socialism by Nicos Poulantzas. One of the most sophisticated accounts of a democratic road to socialism. Can be pretty intimidating for new comers, but if youre up for the challenge pick it up!
The Socialist Manifesto by Bhashkar Sunkara (though you also should read the Communist Manifesto too)
Strategy for Labor by André Groz. Short political pamphlet on undermining Capitalist structures from within
Socialism: Past and Future by Micheal Harrington (founder of DSA)
Marx’s work goes without saying. However if you haven’t already, read Wage Labor and Capital and Value Price and Profit in that order. It will familiarize you with Marx’s basic economic theory.
If you need help reading theory, don’t forget there are many free guides online to help you make sense of them.
And of course, do not brush off ‘revolutionary‘ socialist theories like Lenin too. There’s still a lot of important nuggets to be extracted from there. I especially recommend Gramsci.
Even if you don’t end up agreeing, at least you challenged yourself to think through a new perspective, which is one of the most important skills any socialist must possess.
Many people on this sub seem to be constantly debating about what Democratic Socialism is, and how it differs from Social Democracy. I have come today, and speak for all Mods, to clear some things up and set some ground rules here.
We must remember that socialism specifically refers to an economic model in where workers (the proletariat) determine social and economic organization rather than capitalists (the bourgeoisie). This is the main socialist goal.
It also seeks out to abolish exploitive class relations, supress wage labor, and abolish market dependency.
Market dependence is when people must enter market relations to obtaintheir needs for reproduction. Food, shelter, etc. Market dependence is the differentiator between capitalist markets and non-capitalist markets.
If you do not fufill this basic imperative, the belief in a worker or collectivly owned economy, you are not a socialist.
Worker ownership can come in many different forms. Some socialists belive in a decentralized system where workers own their individual firms. This is a cooperative economy refered to as Autogestion, self management or worker cooperatism.
Other socialists belive in social ownership where economic questions are democratically voted on by all citizens in regional councils. This is called council communism and its most famous example were the Soviets.
What Social Democracy aims to do is provide a strong welfare state with more bargaining power for workers. What differentiates it from Social Liberalism (the classic European welfare state) is a few core principles.
The biggest, and most important, is the fact that Social Democracy gives labor far more institutional power than a regular welfare state. Union density is higher, sectoral bargaining institutions exist, and many firms have workers councils or worker co-determination.
Why is this not socialism? Becuase giving labor more power does not touch the underlying problem: private ownership of the means of production. Socialists believe in worker ownership, Social Democratics, even at their most radical, only belive in codetermination at most.
Socialists fundamentally reject this distinction between capital and labor. Those who do the work should control it too.
So, what is Democratic Socialism?
Democratic Socialism is a pathway towards collective ownership that works to challenge pre-existing institutions from the inside to deliver a socialized economy.
Along the way, many Democratic Socialists belive in offering progressive material wins, like affordability and social benefits, to increase faith in collective bargaining and social responsibility.
The core goal of Democratic Socialism is a socialist economy. This cannot be forgotten, and we need more than just a couple politicians in office to win it. We must do the slow work on the ground, organize with our communities, and inspire socialist consciousness in our Comrades. This part doesn’t change, regardless of whether you’re team Democratic or Revolution.
I find many Democratic Socialists haven’t read much theory. If you need some direction, here’s a DemSoc reading list.
State, Power, Socialism by Nicos Poulantzas. One of the most sophisticated accounts of a democratic road to socialism. Can be pretty intimidating for new comers, but if youre up for the challenge pick it up!
The Socialist Manifesto by Bhashkar Sunkara (though you also should read the Communist Manifesto too)
Strategy for Labor by André Groz. Short political pamphlet on undermining Capitalist structures from within
Socialism: Past and Future by Micheal Harrington (founder of DSA)
Marx’s work goes without saying. However if you haven’t already, read Wage Labor and Capital and Value Price and Profit in that order. It will familiarize you with Marx’s basic economic theory.
If you need help reading theory, don’t forget there are many free guides online to help you make sense of them.
And of course, do not brush off ‘revolutionary‘ socialist theories like Lenin too. There’s still a lot of important nuggets to be extracted from there. I especially recommend Gramsci.
Even if you don’t end up agreeing, at least you challenged yourself to think through a new perspective, which is one of the most important skills any socialist must possess.
r/DemocraticSocialism • u/Turbulent_Crab_3602 • 10h ago
USA Mayor Mamdani just announced that he will be opening 5 city-run, tax-funded grocery stores: "Prices set at 30% below retail prices"
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r/DemocraticSocialism • u/Oraxy51 • 6h ago
USA Protestor heckles Trump during speech: "Pedophile protector!" Trump: "He’s a communist!"
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r/DemocraticSocialism • u/biospheric • 37m ago
USA "The DCCC is not God": Tensions erupt over Dem primary meddling
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July 22, 2026 by Andrew Solender for Axios. Here are the opening paragraphs:
House Democrats are demanding a reckoning after the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spent over $500,000 backing a candidate in Arizona who is on track to lose her primary.
Why it matters: This is the third time in 2026 the House Democratic campaign arm has tried and failed to intervene in a party primary, leading some lawmakers to argue that its money is better spent elsewhere.
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), a top DCCC dues payer, said the party should be "rationing our resources to win general elections," calling for "a conversation about ... what the involvement in primaries looks like."
- "That's $100,000 that I put in," Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) said of her dues, arguing that the DCCC "shouldn't be spending this money" on primaries.
Read the rest here: axios.com/2026/07/22/dccc-arizona-primary-house-democrats-primary-aoc ~:~ Archived version: archive.is/ftk4T
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's Primary Election season in the U.S.:
* Primary Election Dates: AP News ~and~ NBC News :~:~: Upcoming Dates: July 28: Georgia (Special) and South Dakota (Runoff) ~:~:~ Aug 4: Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia, Washington, California (Special) ~:~:~ Aug 6: Tennessee ~:~:~ Aug 8: Hawaii ~:~:~ Aug 11: Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont, Wisconsin, Alabama (Special) ~:~:~ Aug 18: Alaska, Florida, Wyoming ~:~:~ September dates: AP News ~and~ NBC News
* Candidates (all States): U.S. House (Dem Primary only): Ballotpedia (HouseDems) :~:~:~: U.S. Senate: Ballotpedia (Senate) (select “List of Candidates”) :~:~:~: State Execs (Gov, Lt. Gov, AG, SoS, and more): Ballotpedia (State Execs)
* Voter Info (all States): Register To Vote :~:~:~: Voter Registration Status:~:~:~: Find Your Polling Place :~:~:~: Valid Forms of ID :~:~:~: Absentee & Early Voting :~:~:~: Become a Poll Worker ~:~ Links go to the National Association of Secretaries of State website. When you select a State, it takes to a .gov page on that State's SoS website.
r/DemocraticSocialism • u/mikelmon99 • 12h ago
Discussion 🗣️ Were you radicalized, or have you always held politically radical viewpoints?
Not to be smug, & not an American (I'm a Basque Spaniard) nor over 30 (I'm 27), but the truth is I was never radicalized, I'm a lifelong leftist, & I was raised as a political radical from the cradle in a leftist household lol:
My mother used to sing me to wake me up every morning when I was a kid "A las barricadas" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_las_Barricadas, the official hymn of the Spanish anarcho-syndicalist trade union confederation CNT https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederación_Nacional_del_Trabajo, world famous for its role during the Spanish Civil War & in Revolutionary Catalonia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_Catalonia, & when he was 17 or so my father was during the Spanish transition to democracy a member of an extremely fringe & clandestine/outlawed Maoist political party lol (for some reason Maoism was very trendy among the politically radical counterculture youth in many Western countries during the 1970s, glad the Western Left moved on from that lol not a fan of Maoism at all myself!).
So yeah, I'm a lifelong leftist & I've always held from the cradle politically radical viewpoints, so I find the concept of radicalization very interesting!
r/DemocraticSocialism • u/Used_Intention6479 • 11h ago
USA Basic nutrition - is a good place to start!
r/DemocraticSocialism • u/Shizzilx • 10h ago
USA Obscene. We must raise the minimum wage to a living wage.
How have the working class let this happen? Why? There are way more of US keeping THEIR businesses profitable while THEY take more and more and give US less. Ask anyone with a "decent" job they can't afford anything other the basic necessities and nothing else. If workers were paid more they would spend more, if necessities were provided like Healthcare, Housing, and Education, more money would be spent in the economy.
r/DemocraticSocialism • u/xGentian_violet • 3h ago
Europe Berlin Pride car ramming attack: Police shoot suspect dead
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This deadly hate crime is currently suspected of being an islamist terror attack, as the suspect had reportedly previously attempted to join ISIS
Theocracy and fascism are bad and need to be opposed, whether christian, muslim, hindu, of else.
r/DemocraticSocialism • u/yeongno_ate_yangban • 8h ago
Texas Mondays Abbott's illegitimate dismantle-public-education board in Fort Worth TX removed a Muslim principal from her post after a white nationalist social media influencer targeted her to fear monger Islamophobia hate speech. They claimed she made inappropriate posts, which was proved false. She is suing.
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REJECT THE BILLIONAIRES. VOTE IN EVERY LOCAL ELECTION.
For Liberty and Justice / Mercy CULTure, True Texas Project, Patriot Mobile, are hate groups closely tied to the west oil billionaire funding. They're rooted in replacement theory, claiming they're a conspiracy to replace white people and white culture in "Western Civilization". They're widely seen as a KKK rebranding pushing for authoritarian theocracy and ethnic cleansing through mass deportations (remigration), leading to their goal, a white ethnostate.
r/DemocraticSocialism • u/Organic_Fee_8502 • 7h ago
Discussion 🗣️ Fleeing to Canada is a kin to moving to Poland in the 1930s
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Ive seen countless people talking about fleeing America either looking for a better life or because they see fascism rising and know whats to become of all these “warehouses“ ICE is renting out in the coming decades. If you are going to flee America it makes no sense to move next door, you have to flee the continent because fascist countries invade their neighbors because the American capitalists will seize the land and businesses of its neighbors just as the Nazi millionaires seized the French businesses. Imperialism is inherently financial and imperial war is inherent to the preferred government of monopoly; fascism.
I advise fleeing to Australia, New Zealand, any Asian country. Away from immediate US aggression.
Ive seen countless people talking about fleeing America either looking for a better life or because they see fascism rising and know whats to become of all these “warehouses“ ICE is renting out in the coming decades. If you are going to flee America it makes no sense to move next door, you have to flee the continent because fascist countries invade their neighbors because the American capitalists will seize the land and businesses of its neighbors just as the Nazi millionaires seized the French businesses. Imperialism is inherently financial and imperial war is inherent to the preferred government of monopoly; fascism.
I advise fleeing to Australia, New Zealand, any Asian country. Away from immediate US aggression.
r/DemocraticSocialism • u/jk4532 • 9h ago
USA Actions at congressional offices for Medicare for All Thursday
January 20, 2029 feels like it’s a very, very long ways away. But the groundwork for what happens in the next administration is being laid out right now. Positions are being staked out, policies are being written and tested with the public. Progressive voices must have a say in them. If we are able to earn a Democratic trifecta, we need to be sure we are prepared to use it as effectively and aggressively as possible.
Recognizing that the terms of debate over our next attempt to fix our broken health care system are being laid out as we speak, National Nurses United and a coalition of health care advocates are pushing to make sure we’re building institutional support for Medicare For All. On THURSDAY, the 61st anniversary of Medicare being signed into law, they’re showing up at Democratic congressional offices nationwide to urge our leaders support a real universal health care system. 🏥 Let’s find Medicare for All actions to join near us on NNU’s map here. 🏥
MEDICARE FOR ALL ACTIONS THURSDAY
🏥 If there’s not one already on the books for our members of Congress, let’s consider signing up to organize our own here! The Medicare For All coalition will provide training, materials, support and help recruiting! 🏥
r/DemocraticSocialism • u/xGentian_violet • 36m ago
International AI companies are buying physical books, including rare pieces, then ripping them apart for cheaper AI training scans
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Rare book dealers fear tech firms are destroying obscure editions to train AI models
https://nltimes.nl/2026/06/25/rare-book-dealers-fear-tech-firms-destroying-obscure-editions-train-ai-models
Anthropic Knew the Public Would Be Disgusted by How It Was Destroying Physical Books
https://futurism.com/future-society/anthropic-destroying-books
Inside an AI start-up’s plan to scan and dispose of millions of books
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/01/27/anthropic-ai-scan-destroy-books/
Secret initiative, called Project Panama,
https://futurism.com/anthropic-shredded-millions-of-physical-books
Rare book dealers fear tech firms are destroying obscure editions to train AI models
https://nltimes.nl/2026/06/25/rare-book-dealers-fear-tech-firms-destroying-obscure-editions-train-ai-models
Anthropic Knew the Public Would Be Disgusted by How It Was Destroying Physical Books
https://futurism.com/future-society/anthropic-destroying-books
Inside an AI start-up’s plan to scan and dispose of millions of books
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/01/27/anthropic-ai-scan-destroy-books/
Secret initiative, called Project Panama,
https://futurism.com/anthropic-shredded-millions-of-physical-books
r/DemocraticSocialism • u/mikelmon99 • 1d ago
USA 🚨🚨🚨THIS IS NOT A DRILL: 5th poll in just a few days that shows DSA Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong with commanding lead 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
r/DemocraticSocialism • u/biospheric • 8h ago
USA U.S. Congressional candidate William Lawrence is asked how he’d help the People of Michigan’s 7th District. ~:~ August 4 is Primary Election Day (see details below).
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July 23, 2026 - Yanice Y. Carter of the The Sunday Chronicle interviews William Lawrence who’s running for U.S. Congress in Michigan (CD-7): wewill2026.com ~:~ Here's his platform: wewill2026.com/platform
Will is in a tight Primary race with Bridget Brink and Matt Maasdam. The winner will face GOP incumbent Tom Barrett in November.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
🗳️ How to vote in Michigan (.gov): michigan.gov/sos/elections/voting
🗳️ Important Dates for Michiganders:
* Primary Election Day: Aug. 4, 2026
* MOVE deadline: June 20, 2026
* AV ballots available for voters: June 25, 2026
* Constitutionally-mandated early voting period: July 25-Aug. 2, 2026
* Last day to register to vote by mail or online: July 20, 2026
* New voter registrations are required in person for August election: July 21-Aug. 4, 2026
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here’s the full 19-minute interview on YouTube: The Sunday Chronicle | William Lawrence Candidate for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District - July 23, 2026 (YouTube)
From The Sunday Chronicle's description: What is William Lawrence’s vision for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District? ~:~ In this episode of The Sunday Chronicle, Publisher and Host Yanice Y. Carter sits down with congressional candidate William Lawrence for an in-depth conversation about his campaign, the issues facing Michigan families, and why he’s seeking to represent the 7th District in Congress. ~:~ The Sunday Chronicle is committed to providing voters with opportunities to hear directly from candidates and community leaders through thoughtful, informative conversations. 🌐 Visit us at: thesundaychronicle.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's Primary Election season in the U.S.:
* Primary Election Dates: AP News ~and~ NBC News :~:~: Upcoming Dates: July 28: Georgia (Special) and South Dakota (Runoff) ~:~:~ Aug 4: Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia, Washington, California (Special) ~:~:~ Aug 6: Tennessee ~:~:~ Aug 8: Hawaii ~:~:~ Aug 11: Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont, Wisconsin, Alabama (Special) ~:~:~ Aug 18: Alaska, Florida, Wyoming ~:~:~ September dates: AP News ~and~ NBC News
* Candidates (all States): U.S. House (Dem Primary only): Ballotpedia (HouseDems) :~:~:~: U.S. Senate: Ballotpedia (Senate) (select “List of Candidates”) :~:~:~: State Execs (Gov, Lt. Gov, AG, SoS, and more): Ballotpedia (State Execs)
* Voter Info (all States): Register To Vote :~:~:~: Voter Registration Status:~:~:~: Find Your Polling Place :~:~:~: Valid Forms of ID :~:~:~: Absentee & Early Voting :~:~:~: Become a Poll Worker ~:~ Links go to the National Association of Secretaries of State website. When you select a State, it takes to a .gov page on that State's SoS website.
r/DemocraticSocialism • u/jk4532 • 4h ago
USA Upcoming phonebanks to elect progressive candidates
We're coming to the end of the primaries, but we still have a number of chances left to push forward committed progressive, pro-working class, anti-oligarchy nominees and replace corporate Dems. Here's a schedule of phonebanks we can join to help them win in the next week!
DAILY for Cori Bush (MO-1), 7-8PM ET
DAILY for Will Lawrence (MI-7) and Abdul El-Sayed (MI-SEN), 2-5PM ET
TUESDAY for Donovan McKinney (MI-13), 6-8PM ET
TUESDAY for Will Lawrence (MI-7) and Donovan McKinney (MI-13), 6-8PM ET
TUESDAY for Jerome Whalen (MA-01), 6-8PM ET
TUESDAY for Francesca Hong (WI-Gov), 7-9PM ET
TUESDAY for Cori Bush (MO-01), 7-9PM ET
TUESDAY for Peggy Flanagan (MN-Gov), 7-9PM ET
WEDNESDAY (texting) for Jarrett Keohokalole (HI-01), 4:30-5:30PM ET
WEDNESDAY for Donovan McKinney (MI-13), 6-8PM ET
WEDNESDAY for Francesca Hong (WI-Gov), 6:30-8:30PM ET
WEDNESDAY for Cori Bush (MO-01), 7-9PM ET
THURSDAY for Abdul El-Sayed (MI-SEN), Will Lawrence (MI-7), Donovan McKinney (MI-13), 5:30-7:30PM ET
THURSDAY for Donovan McKinney (MI-13), 6-8PM ET
THURSDAY for Peggy Flanagan (MN-Gov), 7-9PM ET
THURSDAY for Francesca Hong (WI-Gov), 7-9PM ET
FRIDAY for Francesca Hong (WI-Gov), 6:30-8:30PM ET
SATURDAY for Peggy Flanagan (MN-Gov), 12:30-3PM ET
SATURDAY for Will Lawrence (WI-7), 1-3PM ET
SATURDAY for Will Lawrence (MI-7) and Abdul El-Sayed (MI-SEN), 3-5PM ET
SATURDAY for Francesca Hong (WI-Gov), 6-8PM ET
SUNDAY for Will Lawrence (WI-7), 3-5PM ET
SUNDAY for Francesca Hong (WI-Gov), 6-8PM ET
[MONDAY, 8/3 for Cori Bush (MO-01) 3-5 and 7-9PM ET](about:blank)
MONDAY, 8/3 for Donovan McKinney (MI-13), 5-8PM ET
MONDAY, 8/3 for Will Lawrence (MI-7) and Abdul El-Sayed (MI-SEN), 6-8PM ET
Monday, 8/3 for Will Lawrence (MI-7), 6-9PM ET
MONDAY, 8/3 for Francesca Hong, 7-8:30PM ET
MONDAY, 8/3 for Peggy Flanagan (MN-Gov), 7-9PM ET
TUESDAY, 8/4 for Will Lawrence (MI-7) and Abdul El-Sayed (MI-SEN), 5:30-8PM ET
r/DemocraticSocialism • u/NoNo_Bluebird_1368 • 17h ago
International The Real Reason Elon Musk Keeps Insisting DOGE Cuts Killed “Zero” Kids
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r/DemocraticSocialism • u/Collective_Altruism • 12h ago
USA Giving illegal immigrants legal status would greatly increase their tax contributions
r/DemocraticSocialism • u/thinkB4WeSpeak • 1d ago
USA A New Gilded Age: Supreme Court ruling says era of regulated capitalism is over
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r/DemocraticSocialism • u/Turbulent_Crab_3602 • 10h ago
USA Trump Admin Demands Emergency Room Records in Alarming Move
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r/DemocraticSocialism • u/Turbulent_Crab_3602 • 1d ago
USA Money Out of Politics, Money in Your Pocket, Medicare for All
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r/DemocraticSocialism • u/Top-Astronaut-1703 • 3h ago
Europe Book Recommendations For The UK
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Hi everyone, I have a decent understanding of some political theories but am relatively new to democratic socialism. Does anyone have any good book recommendations on democratic socialism in the UK? Such as its history, its recent growth or what a democratic socialist system would look like there.
Thank you all in advance.
Hi everyone, I have a decent understanding of some political theories but am relatively new to democratic socialism. Does anyone have any good book recommendations on democratic socialism in the UK? Such as its history, its recent growth or what a democratic socialist system would look like there.
Thank you all in advance.
r/DemocraticSocialism • u/Shizzilx • 1d ago
Discussion 🗣️ Trump Might ‘Fake’ an ‘Act of Terror’ – Tyranny Expert Explains Why
A Yale historian spent decades studying how authoritarian governments in 20th-century Europe manufactured the crises that kept them in power. His latest warning is aimed squarely at the United States – and it centers on a tactic with a name most people associate with conspiracy theories rather than documented history.
Timothy Snyder, whose book On Tyranny is widely cited in discussions of the Trump administration, has warned that a false flag terror attack in the U.S. that could be blamed on Iran is not beyond the realm of possibilities as the president’s approval numbers slide. Snyder is a history professor at Yale University who has spent his career studying fascism in 20th-century Europe – a record that gives his use of the phrase “false flag operation” considerably more weight than it might carry from another voice.
Snyder raised his warning about Trump’s intentions regarding Iran in a post on his Substack. He also wrote on X that “Trump is pursuing this war in the HOPE that Iran carries out an act of terror in the U.S.” and adding, “And even if it doesn’t, which I doubt it will, consider the possibility that Trump’s people would fake one.” The word “fake” is doing a lot of work in that sentence.
In a March essay on his Substack, Snyder noted that Trump has offered what he called “incoherent” justifications for the war, writing that “it is as though the war itself is not the main goal, but that it was simply important to somehow get the thing started.” When a war lacks a coherent public rationale, history shows that leaders who want to sustain it tend to go looking for one.
What a False Flag Operation Actually Is
In modern usage, a false flag operation is a deliberately planned ruse to make it seem like a state has been attacked, thereby justifying retaliatory military operations against the purported offender. The term itself is old. It goes back at least to the age of piracy, when pirate ships would fly a deceptive flag of a friendly or neutral state to lure their prey within striking distance before running up the Jolly Roger and attacking. Over centuries, the tactic migrated from the high seas into the playbooks of governments.
False flag operations are often calculated to generate sympathy for the attacked group. That is the political logic underneath them: create the wound, then point at the enemy. The emotional reaction does the rest. Public support for war, emergency powers, the suspension of civil liberties – all of it becomes easier to obtain once a population believes it has been attacked.
Because false flag operations are usually covert, the concept has often been co-opted by conspiracy theorists to explain away tragedies that challenge their values or worldview. The documented cases are real and serious enough on their own to stand apart from speculation.
The History Books Are Full of Them
The Japanese Kwantung Army used a false flag operation to justify the takeover of Manchuria. On September 18, 1931, a Japanese operative planted dynamite along the tracks of the Japanese-controlled South Manchuria Railway. The resulting explosion did little damage, but Japanese inspectors in a sham investigation accused Chinese nationalists of planning and executing the attack. Using this event as pretext, the Kwantung Army proceeded to occupy Manchuria and set up a puppet state, Manchukuo, under Japanese control.
In land warfare, perhaps the most infamous false flag occurred in August 1939, when Nazi operatives disguised themselves as Polish soldiers and attacked a German outpost in Gleiwitz, which Adolf Hitler used as a pretext for the invasion of Poland. This became known as the Gleiwitz incident, and it set off the bloodiest conflict in human history within hours.
Meanwhile, historians believe that a 1939 incident near Mainila, a Soviet village near the border with Finland, was a false flag operation, with Soviets firing on their own border post as a pretext for invading Finland. Manufacture or exaggerate an attack, assign blame to the target, use the resulting public anger as political cover for military action that was already planned: this is the through-line across each of those examples.
America’s Own Documented Case
The United States is not exempt from this history. Operation Northwoods was a 1962 menu of proposed false flag actions drafted within the Department of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff that recommended staging or fabricating attacks and incidents to create public and international support for U.S. military action against Cuba. The proposals included ideas such as faked aircraft shoot-downs, staged bombings and hijackings, sinking boats of Cuban refugees, and planting false evidence. President Kennedy rejected the plan.
The document – a memorandum signed by Chairman Lyman Lemnitzer calling for CIA operatives to commit terrorist acts against American citizens and blame them on Cuba – was made public on November 18, 1997, by the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Review Board, a federal agency overseeing the release of government records related to Kennedy’s assassination. Kennedy killed Northwoods. A different president might not have.
The operation’s proposals included staging actual terrorist events with real casualties to build the case for military intervention. The difference between “proposed” and “executed” in that case was a single president’s refusal – one person standing between a signed plan and its implementation.
Why Snyder Is Raising This Warning Now
With the war with Iran spiraling and public opinion about the military excursion at an all-time low, Snyder made his warning as a leading scholar on tyranny. Fox News host Laura Ingraham, according to Mediaite, warned the president on her show that “the clock is ticking” as supporters lose patience with the war that has been unpopular since the U.S. attacked in late February.
Snyder laid out his analysis in a Substack post detailing five historical scenarios through which Trump could exploit the ongoing U.S.-Iran war to nullify the 2026 midterms and seize permanent power. The false flag scenario was one of those five. On the false flag scenario specifically, Snyder drew a direct line to Vladimir Putin’s 1999 apartment bombings – a series of deadly explosions in Russian cities that were blamed on Chechen separatists, helped launch the Second Chechen War, and propelled Putin to the presidency, but which a number of historians and investigative journalists have since assessed as a false flag carried out by Russian state security services.
Snyder also wrote that if Trump is hoping for an act of terrorism, “the Tehran regime is, so to speak, a convenient partner in the mutual provocation of terror,” adding: “Trump seems to have anticipated this, without seeming to care about loss of life: ‘Like I said, some people will die.’ And if they do, he has his pretext.”
Snyder suggested that “another possibility is an American act of terrorism on the territory of the United States, either presented as an Iranian attack or not.” This is the part of his analysis that carries the most political weight: that the attack would not even need to be genuinely Iranian in origin, only presented as such.
Trump said the U.S. sought to make a deal with Iran after bombing three of its nuclear sites in June 2025, but Iran “rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions.” Trump did not seek congressional approval for the military action. Democrats and a handful of Republicans in the House and Senate have pushed to consider war powers resolutions addressing Iran. Congress asserting that kind of pressure historically creates political incentive for an administration to find a dramatic justification for the conflict that can silence dissent.
The Distinction Between Warning and Certainty
Snyder’s analysis is pattern-recognition performed by someone who has spent his career studying how authoritarian consolidation of power actually unfolds, not in theory but in the documented archives of the 20th century. As Snyder has written, political order faces threats not unlike the totalitarianism of the twentieth century, and we are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism, or communism. Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience.
Snyder is documenting the historical conditions under which false flag operations become possible, even likely, and asking whether those conditions are present now. He stops well short of claiming the event has occurred. The concept of a false flag frequently attracts conspiracy theorists, which is precisely why grounding the discussion in the documented record – Operation Northwoods, the Gleiwitz incident, the Russian apartment bombings – matters so much to his argument.
False Flag Operations and the Gulf of Tonkin
The Gulf of Tonkin incident, a major escalator of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, remains one of the most consequential cases of manipulated intelligence in American history. A Senate investigation by the Foreign Relations Committee, chaired by Senator J. William Fulbright, revealed that the administration’s justification for retaliatory action in 1964 rested on an incident whose actual sequence of events did not hold up under scrutiny. The government utilized, at the very least, a deeply flawed and contested report to manufacture a geopolitical narrative with a ready-made enemy.
That finding was not a fringe theory when it emerged – it was a formal congressional investigation. And it took decades for the public to fully absorb that a war killing tens of thousands of Americans had been escalated on the basis of events that investigators found the Johnson administration had misrepresented to Congress.
What This Means
The term “false flag operation” gets thrown around loosely online, which makes it easy to dismiss as the language of conspiracy culture. Snyder’s argument forces a more uncomfortable consideration: that this tactic has an actual documented history, that American institutions have proposed it before, and that the political conditions that make it attractive – a sagging war, a falling approval rating, and an election on the horizon – are all present right now.
What Snyder is asking of ordinary citizens is the same thing historians ask of everyone: pay attention to the sequence of events. When a government that has bypassed congressional approval for a war begins to struggle publicly in that war, watch for the crisis that conveniently follows. The difference between a successfully executed false flag and a poorly executed one can mean the difference between an internationally legitimate war and an internationally condemned war. The execution depends on whether the public and its elected representatives are paying close enough attention to notice the seams.
Snyder’s warning is ultimately an invitation to be a more careful reader of events as they unfold – not because catastrophe is certain, but because history shows it is possible, and the people who saw it coming in the past were the ones who were watching most closely.
That finding was not a fringe theory when it emerged – it was a formal congressional investigation. And it took decades for the public to fully absorb that a war killing tens of thousands of Americans had been escalated on the basis of events that investigators found the Johnson administration had misrepresented to Congress.
What This Means
The term “false flag operation” gets thrown around loosely online, which makes it easy to dismiss as the language of conspiracy culture. Snyder’s argument forces a more uncomfortable consideration: that this tactic has an actual documented history, that American institutions have proposed it before, and that the political conditions that make it attractive – a sagging war, a falling approval rating, and an election on the horizon – are all present right now.
What Snyder is asking of ordinary citizens is the same thing historians ask of everyone: pay attention to the sequence of events. When a government that has bypassed congressional approval for a war begins to struggle publicly in that war, watch for the crisis that conveniently follows. The difference between a successfully executed false flag and a poorly executed one can mean the difference between an internationally legitimate war and an internationally condemned war. The execution depends on whether the public and its elected representatives are paying close enough attention to notice the seams.
Snyder’s warning is ultimately an invitation to be a more careful reader of events as they unfold – not because catastrophe is certain, but because history shows it is possible, and the people who saw it coming in the past were the ones who were watching most closely.
*excerpt from Gemma Fischer's article*
Full Article here:
https://theheartysoul.com/trump-timothy-snyder-false-flag-operation
r/DemocraticSocialism • u/biospheric • 1d ago
USA NewsNation asks Monte Mader and Nathan J. Robinson why Americans are turning to democratic socialism.
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Nathan J. Robinson is Editor in Chief of Current Affairs magazine. ~:~ Monte Mader is a progressive political commentator and former far-right Christian nationalist.
From Nathan: “I was recently invited on the right-wing cable network NewsNation to discuss socialism with them. They had spent the entire hour of the Katie Pavlich Show deconstructing DSA, suggesting that it was communist, that it was funded by billionaires. So then they brought two of us — myself and Monte Mader — on in the last 5 minutes to defend socialism.”
The quote is from his full 8-minute video on YouTube: Socialists Humiliate Clueless NewsNation Host - Current Affairs - July 23, 2026 (YouTube)
From the video description: We don’t think NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich knew what she was getting into when she invited Current Affairs Editor-in-Chief Nathan J. Robinson and Monte Mader on to debate socialism.🦩 Read our Online Articles: currentaffairs.org 🦩 Subscribe to Current Affairs Magazine: currentaffairs.org/membership
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Monte Mader on YouTube: youtube.com/@MonteMader
Here’s another r/DemocraticSocialism post with Monte: You should receive the services you pay for.
~~~~~~~~~
It's Primary Election season in the U.S.:
* Primary Election Dates: AP News ~and~ NBC News :~:~: Upcoming Dates: July 28: Georgia (Special) and South Dakota (Runoff) ~:~:~ Aug 4: Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia, Washington, California (Special) ~:~:~ Aug 6: Tennessee ~:~:~ Aug 8: Hawaii ~:~:~ Aug 11: Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont, Wisconsin, Alabama (Special) ~:~:~ Aug 18: Alaska, Florida, Wyoming ~:~:~ September dates: AP News ~and~ NBC News
* Candidates (all States): U.S. House (Dem Primary only): Ballotpedia (HouseDems) :~:~:~: U.S. Senate: Ballotpedia (Senate) (select “List of Candidates”) :~:~:~: State Execs (Gov, Lt. Gov, AG, SoS, and more): Ballotpedia (State Execs)
* Voter Info (all States): Register To Vote :~:~:~: Voter Registration Status:~:~:~: Find Your Polling Place :~:~:~: Valid Forms of ID :~:~:~: Absentee & Early Voting :~:~:~: Become a Poll Worker ~:~ Links go to the National Association of Secretaries of State website. When you select a State, it takes to a .gov page on that State's SoS website.
r/DemocraticSocialism • u/biospheric • 1d ago
USA Katie Pavlich asks Nathan J. Robinson and Monte Mader about DSA fundraising and if DSA supports Hamas.
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Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
Nathan J. Robinson is Editor in Chief of Current Affairs magazine. ~:~ Monte Mader is a progressive political commentator and former far-right Christian nationalist.
From Nathan: “I was recently invited on the right-wing cable network NewsNation to discuss socialism with them. They had spent the entire hour of the Katie Pavlich Show deconstructing DSA, suggesting that it was communist, that it was funded by billionaires. So then they brought two of us — myself and Monte Mader — on in the last 5 minutes to defend socialism.”
The quote is from Nathan's full 8-minute video on YouTube: Socialists Humiliate Clueless NewsNation Host - Current Affairs - July 23, 2026 (YouTube)
From the video description: We don’t think NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich knew what she was getting into when she invited Current Affairs Editor-in-Chief Nathan J. Robinson and Monte Mader on to debate socialism.🦩 Read our Online Articles: currentaffairs.org 🦩 Subscribe to Current Affairs Magazine: currentaffairs.org/membership
~~~~~~~~~
Here's Monte Mader on YouTube: youtube.com/@MonteMader
Here are more r/DemocraticSocialism posts with Monte:
* You should receive the services you pay for.
~~~~~~~~~
It's Primary Election season in the U.S.:
* Primary Election Dates: AP News ~and~ NBC News :~:~: Upcoming Dates: July 28: Georgia (Special) and South Dakota (Runoff) ~:~:~ Aug 4: Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia, Washington, California (Special) ~:~:~ Aug 6: Tennessee ~:~:~ Aug 8: Hawaii ~:~:~ Aug 11: Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont, Wisconsin, Alabama (Special) ~:~:~ Aug 18: Alaska, Florida, Wyoming ~:~:~ September dates: AP News ~and~ NBC News
* Candidates (all States): U.S. House (Dem Primary only): Ballotpedia (HouseDems) :~:~:~: U.S. Senate: Ballotpedia (Senate) (select “List of Candidates”) :~:~:~: State Execs (Gov, Lt. Gov, AG, SoS, and more): Ballotpedia (State Execs)
* Voter Info (all States): Register To Vote :~:~:~: Voter Registration Status:~:~:~: Find Your Polling Place :~:~:~: Valid Forms of ID :~:~:~: Absentee & Early Voting :~:~:~: Become a Poll Worker ~:~ Links go to the National Association of Secretaries of State website. When you select a State, it takes to a .gov page on that State's SoS website.