The Decline of Socialism in America , 1 published in late 1967, may perhaps be considered the conclusion of James Weinstein's long - standing research into the history of the socialist movement in the United States in 1912-1925. Weinstein is already familiar to the Soviet reader 2 . Born in New York City in 1925, he studied history at Cornell and Columbia Universities, then worked for liberal and radical publications. Since 1960, he has been one of the editors of Novy Zev's journal Studies on the Left. Weinstein is a well-known publicist, an active participant in the political struggle in the United States. According to his views, he adheres to one of the currents included in the movement of the "new left". It was this circumstance that largely determined his interest in the history of American socialism. The New Left movement emerged in America in the late 50s and early 60s. Its participants spoke out against the Vietnam War, for the freedom and equality of the Black population, against reaction, militarism and the policy of military adventures. The New Left exposed the falsity and hypocrisy of American democracy, and criticized bourgeois ideology, culture, and morals. But energetic in their practical activities, the new Left turned out to be ideologically and theoretically weak and divided. They do not have a clear class position, which is expressed in the absence of a common positive ideal, a constructive program and a stable social orientation. Among the ideologists and leaders of the movement, incorrect, theoretically immature judgments are common (denial of the antagonistic contradictions inherent in capitalism, lack of understanding of the objective nature of the historical movement towards socialism, declaring the working class to be an integral part of the capitalist structure and hence disbelief in its ability to fight for its overthrow). The new Left sees the main revolutionary force in the "poor", Negroes, students, radical intelligentsia, etc. Some of t ... Read more