Failure of Vision, A: Michael Harrington and the Limits of Democratic Socialism

Doug Greene takes an in-depth and critical look at the life and ideas of Michael Harrington, one of America’s most important democratic socialists. A Failure of Vision discusses one of the most important champions for democratic socialism in the United States. Michael Harrington (1928-1989) is widely recognized for writing The Other America, a seminal expose of poverty in the United States that inspired the War on Poverty. He was also the founder of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), which is currently the largest socialist organization in the United States. Michael Harrington hoped to transform democratic socialism from a marginal view into a major political force in the United States. To accomplish this, he advocated that socialists act as the left-wing of the possible inside of the Democratic Party in order to transform it into one that truly represented the people. In the end, Realignment proved to be a dead end to advance socialist politics. The questions proposed by Michael Harrington continue to be sharply debated by socialists. With an engaging style and critical approach to Michael Harrington’s shortcomings, this book is essential reading to understand contemporary debates on the American left.