The Socialist Manifesto, Bhaskar Sunkara
The Socialist Manifesto, Bhaskar Sunkara
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The Socialist Manifesto
The Case for Radical Politics in an Era of Extreme Inequality

Author: Bhaskar Sunkara

Narrator: Benjamin Isaac

Unabridged: 9 hr 39 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Basic Books

Published: 04/30/2019

Synopsis

A "razor-sharp" introduction to this political and economic ideology makes a galvanizing argument for modern socialism (Naomi Klein) -- and explains how its core tenets could effect positive change in America and worldwide.
In The Socialist Manifesto, Bhaskar Sunkara explores socialism's history since the mid-1800s and presents a realistic vision for its future. With the stunning popularity of Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Americans are embracing the class politics of socialism. But what, exactly, is socialism? And what would a socialist system in America look like? The editor of Jacobin magazine, Sunkara shows that socialism, though often seen primarily as an economic system, in fact offers the means to fight all forms of oppression, including racism and sexism. The ultimate goal is not Soviet-style planning, but to win rights to healthcare, education, and housing, and to create new democratic institutions in workplaces and communities. A primer on socialism for the 21st century, this is a book for anyone seeking an end to the vast inequities of our age.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Kevin on September 19, 2023

The Half-hearted Manifesto, "Capitalist Realism" and "Crisis Realism"... Preamble: --Sept. 2023 update: in short, my main critique of this book is it seems to assume the perpetuation of the status quo Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative?, which reached its heights with the collapse of the USSR......more

Goodreads review by Gerhard on April 10, 2022

Anyone with a passing interest in science fiction will (should?) automatically be interested in social democracy. Or is it democratic socialism? This is one of the confusing aspects of the book that Bhaskar Sunkara does not spell out, and neither does he elaborate on socialism’s beef with neoliberal......more

Goodreads review by Barbara on April 22, 2019

This is an excellent introduction to socialist history and to the current democratic socialist agenda. Sunkara points to where repressive communist regimes went wrong while creating a hopeful narrative of socialism's successes and humanitarian potential. Those who wish for more in-depth analysis of......more

Goodreads review by Julesreads on December 03, 2020

The Socialist Manifesto isn’t a manifesto. So, right there, it fails on its title’s intention. Streamlining an incredible amount of history (the coverage of socialism’s/communism’s failures in Germany, Russia, and China takes up most of the book) into an easy narrative, and keeping the book under 25......more

Goodreads review by Doug on June 03, 2019

This is a useful, enjoyable, and oddly misnamed book that succeeds on many levels but fails to deliver on its stated promise. I suppose Mr. Sunkara named it “The Socialist Manifesto” to show his Marxist bona fides and possibly lay claim to Marxism for the Millennial socialist movement in America. Bu......more

Quotes

"An exciting and accessible text for young socialists attempting to forge a new political path into the 21st Century...With millions of youth flocking to socialist ideas and with politicians such as Bernie Sanders, Jeremy Corbyn, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez leading the charge, Bhaskar Sunkara makes a convincing case that this time around we just might get it right."—In These Times

"An essential read for anyone curious about how the resurgent American left thinks."—Commonweal

"What Sunkara wants is a truly democratic, inclusive, egalitarian socialism...[He] is asking us to try to squeeze through the cracks of existing yet inadequate alternatives and dare to imagine something new...Even for those who harbor some doubts, Sunkara's point of view has many virtues."—Democracy Journal

"To read The Socialist Manifesto or any other major works of the modern left is to be immersed in a movement sure of its own moral worth, clear on what it believes in and willing to fight for it...This is what American liberals need to learn from."—Vox

"[Sunkara] puts his faith in a disciplined political movement advocating reforms that improve people's lives in the here-and-now while laying a foundation for ever-more aggressive challenges to capital...Rejecting the choice between a counterproductive politics of purity and a deflating acceptance of the status quo...he insists that socialists can be more than junior partners in a coalition dominated by liberals."—Dissent

"When it comes to the growth and appeal of socialism in the United States, Bhaskar Sunkara has played a tremendously important role...The Socialist Manifesto is important reading for our tumultuous and transformative present."—Pop Matters

"Smart...A bright, energetic, and politically sophisticated millennial, Sunkara clearly believes that now is the time for such a book...The Socialist Manifesto helps to explain...resurgent socialism, and this is a good thing."—Los Angeles Review ofBooks

"Sunkara's arguments are anchored in sturdy common sense...American political culture could certainly use more popularizations like The Socialist Manifesto."—The Progressive

"The book speaks to the reader in a straightforward, down-to-earth fashion...Impressive."—New Politics

"A smartly composed overture to non-socialists, illuminating both the movement's history and potential for those who may doubt, worry about, or even hate what they understand as 'socialism.'...Sunkara's vision is thrillingly non-utopian...He writes with clarity and light-heartedness...emphasis[ing] how socialism enables greater choice, leaves markets intact, is about participation and democracy, is created through reform, and is ultimately about freedom."—New Statesman

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