When the Cochran-Braverman group split from the Socialist Workers Party in 1953, it did not attempt to set up another ‘vanguard’ formation. Instead the organization they formed, called The Socialist Union, was a conscious attempt to pursue a different model. In combination with their monthly magazine, The American Socialist, they attempted to start a new Marxist current that would dispense with the sectarian habits of the past. Although the magazine was published for only six years, from 1954 through 1959, it is still very relevant for today’s activists who are trying to construct new revolutionary organizations that are free of dogmatism and sectarianism.
This website is devoted to publicizing the magazine and the efforts of the Socialist Union. The American Socialist articles were scanned by Louis Proyect, who is the moderator of the Marxism mailing list at www.marxmail.org. A. Lehrer also played an important role in transferring the files from the late Sol Dollinger’s Socialist Union website to this location.
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The young Bert Cochran |
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Premier issue of the American Socialist (Jan. 1954) |
