Driss El-Hassan
In the aftermath of McCarthyism and the devastating losses incurred by the American communist movement throughout the 20th century, socialism (and more generally anti-capitalism) is becoming an integral part of the political tendencies of American youth, irrespective of racial demographics or the state in which they reside.
Contrary to the Trump Administration’s analysis, this leftward shift is not the byproduct of foreign interference or disinformation campaigns, but is the culmination of decades of monopoly capital forcing American society into a downward spiral of perpetual destitution.
The failure to address stagnating wages, sharp rises in tuition and housing costs, inadequate healthcare services, job-market uncertainty, the climate crisis, and a lack of institutional support for the financial, mental, and physical well-being of young people are all contributing factors.
In the midst of Bernie Sanders’ failed bid for Democratic nominee for the 2020 Presidential Election, interest in socialism reached an all-time high amongst millennials and Gen-Z Americans, with a newfound popularity towards progressive organizations, socialist and communist formations, and organized labor. The largest beneficiary of this trend, the Democratic Socialists of America, witnessed a major surge in membership and income. Now, socialism in Trump’s 2nd term no longer has the same spotlight as it did six years ago. Despite this, there are some noteworthy conclusions from the Harvard Youth Poll that give us a clearer picture of the political landscape of America’s youth:
• Only 13% say the U.S. is generally headed in the right direction, while 57% say things are off on the wrong track; 28% are unsure.
• 43% of young Americans say they are struggling or getting by with limited financial security — and this strain is especially pronounced among Black and Hispanic young people and those without a college degree. More than half of Hispanic (51%) and Black (50%) respondents report financial hardship, compared with 39% of white peers.
• Only 30% believe they will be better off financially than their parents, with college students (34%) and graduates (35%) slightly more optimistic than those not in college and without a degree (28%).
• Housing registers consistently across political parties, with similar levels among Democrats (11%), Republicans (12%), and independents (12%) citing this as the issue they would most like government to prioritize.
• A generation facing economic and technological uncertainty does not see national leaders as responsive or capable.
Despite the wave of municipal elections that have gotten democratic socialists in office across the country, from New York to DC, from Chicago to Seattle, democratic socialism continues to struggle to become a political tendency decoupled from the platform of the Democratic Party. The majority of America’s youth, as ideologically diverse as they may be, appear to be united on one particular line: that neither of the two parties fairly represent us and our interests, and the current developments under the Trump regime must be frustrated at every level.
In between the escalations of imperialist interventions abroad, the decline of American standards of living, and the creeping threat of fascism felt in every aspect of American society, political engagement of the youth-both students and workers alike-must come from a contingent of the youth ideologically prepared to face such threats and defend the integrity of the American working-class movement. This task belongs to us, the American communists, who participate in all social movements of the people to become faithful leaders to a cohesive fightback against monopoly capital across the whole country.
In the words of comrade Lenin, “You are faced with the task of construction, and you can accomplish that task only by assimilating all modern knowledge, only if you can transform communism from cut-and-dried and memorized formulas, counsels, recipes, prescriptions and programs into that living reality which gives unity to your immediate work, and only if you can make communism a guide in all your practical work.
That is the task you should pursue in educating, training and rousing the entire younger generation. You must be foremost among the millions of builders of a communist society in whose ranks every young man and young woman should be. You will not build a communist society unless you enlist the mass of young workers and peasants in the work of building communism.”
History is never linear. The experiences of the Occupy Wall Street movement, of the BLM protests, of MeToo and the March for Our Lives, were not pointless ventures against the powers that be, but crucial experiences garnered by a new generation of the masses who wish to have agency over their own future. It is out of this context that our struggle within the belly of the beast of US imperialism is not just necessary, but the victory of this resistance and its subsequent role in building a better world is inevitable.
