Socialist Mayors in the United States

“In Socialist Mayors in the United States: Governing in an Era of Municipal Reform, 1900–1920, David R. Berman places these mayors in a larger context of Progressive governmental reform that focused on chief executives as change agents who could provide more efficient, honest, and trustworthy administrations. His study covers the entire process of running for election, the coalitions that brought Socialist mayors to victory, and a thorough analysis of their governing abilities along with the challenges they faced in being able to live up to their goals as Socialists when in office. Berman’s book is a much-needed study of US democratic Socialism at the grassroots level that clearly demonstrates that Socialism was not a foreign import but a truly American political movement.”—Greg Hall, author of Writing Labor’s Emancipation: The Anarchist Life and Times of Jay Fox

“For far too long scholars and readers have been without a volume that traces on-the-ground municipal Socialism during its Progressive Era high point. David Berman has carefully chronicled the country’s Socialist mayors during this important radical period. Those interested in the history of the US Left broadly and American Socialism specifically will no doubt be grateful to have Berman’s excellent and sweeping volume at hand.”—Jeffrey Johnson, author of “They Are All Red Out Here”: Socialist Politics in the Pacific Northwest, 1895–1925 and The 1916 Preparedness Day Bombing: Anarchy and Terrorism in Progressive Era America

“David R. Berman’s fascinating new book directs our attention to Socialists in small-town and small-city America, showing us how they positioned themselves both as ardent critics of capitalism and as people ready to tackle the everyday problems of their communities. We learn about Socialist politics and ideological debates in this deeply researched book, but also about the relationship between Socialism and left-progressive reform as well as how parties and local and municipal government worked. Political historians and scholars of radical politics will find this a valuable study.”—Paula Baker, author of Curbing Campaign Cash: Henry Ford, Truman Newberry, and the Politics of Progressive Reform