Reflections on the DSA Meeting
I stepped into my first Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) meeting, curious about one pressing issue: how do today’s Marxists confront the dark history of communism and its associated atrocities?
Recently, videos of DSA leaders praising countries like Cuba and China have made the rounds on social media. Some socialists, such as Hasan Piker, have expressed admiration for historical figures like Lenin and Stalin, even sharing moments of themselves reading works like “What Is to Be Done?” while sporting expensive brands.
Here’s an interesting thought: power isn’t just money or property; it’s also about determining which narratives are preserved in collective memory and which ones fade into obscurity.
20th-century communist regimes were responsible for the deaths of millions. So, when I attended a DSA introductory workshop where I was dubbed a comrade, I was eager to learn how they addressed this grim history.
What I encountered was a striking example of historical revisionism.
The DSA has forged a coalition that encompasses various marginalized groups—transgender individuals, racial minorities, immigrants, women, and those frustrated by healthcare costs—depicting them as victims of exploitation by the capitalist elite. Inside that gathering, optimism about the American dream was scarce, whereas resentment towards the capitalist class was palpable.
This perspective extends beyond national borders. As one facilitator of my DSA 101 session expressed, “A socialist approach is grounded in international solidarity and support. Socialists are internationalists.” This explains the organization’s focus on regions like Cuba, Venezuela, and Palestine, often described as casualties of American dominance.
However, it’s essential to recognize that many regimes the DSA supports have also suffered under Marxist leadership.
Take the Soviet Union, for example. During the Great Terror, around 700,000 people faced execution, with millions more perishing due to forced relocations, the gulags, famine, and other state-enforced policies. Some estimates suggest the death toll may be around 20 million.
Surprisingly, during the entire two-hour DSA session, the Soviet Union was mentioned only once. The instructor highlighted feminist advancements born from the October Revolution but skipped entirely over the mass killings. It was fascinating, in a concerning way. The horrific losses seemed to vanish, overshadowed by progressive narratives.
China was similarly glossed over. While discussing its planned economy, the instructor lauded its blend of market strategies with planning to address human needs. Yet, the death toll under Mao’s regime, which has been estimated to reach 70 million due to famines and other Marxist policies, was notably absent from the conversation.
Cuba fared no better in this reframing. The instructor pointed fingers at blockades, embargoes, and sanctions for denying Cubans their shot at prosperity, all the while applauding the government’s resistance against perceived oppressive American influences. However, historians like R.J. Rummel have attributed as many as 141,000 deaths to Castro’s regime.
It became increasingly evident that, under the DSA’s view, Marxist nations were not seen as failures but rather as works in progress. Their social achievements were highlighted, while their tragedies remained on the sidelines. When they fell short, explanations typically defaulted to capitalism, American imperialism, or political corruption.
”The general sentiment of socialism, as traced back to Marx and Lenin,” the instructor declared, “is that blame should be cast mainly on the political class.” Discussions included the Pentagon and American power as core contributors to violence and decay, while the deaths caused by Marxist regimes were overlooked, as if there were nothing noteworthy to discuss.
The DSA didn’t outright deny the terrible aspects of 20th-century communism. Instead, they chose to teach them sparingly, filtering history through a lens that casts socialists as champions for the downtrodden and capitalism as the primary antagonist.
The facilitator stated, “The aim of the DSA is to redistribute power and wealth from the capitalist class to the working class.”
Power, therefore, encompasses more than just economic dominance; it also involves the ability to shape historical narratives, deciding what will be memorialized and what will be relegated to footnotes.
If young people primarily learn about communist regimes through their aspirational goals and celebrated outcomes—while the horrific consequences are excised from the curriculum—are they truly being educated about communism’s past? Or are they simply being taught to forget it?
