ABSTRACT
A new political orthodoxy now unites American liberals and conservatives alike: the Cold War is over; the century-long conflict between capitalism and socialism has finally ended, with capitalism triumphant. US Marxists must seriously rethink their whole approach to electoral politics, and particularly their explicit or implicit faith that the Democratic Party will one day become "humanized", reformed from within, and transformed into a social democratic or anti-capitalist social force. Marxist-Leninists in America were far more successful than social democrats in building progressive movements among the unemployed and workers in the 1930s and 1940s. Communists recognized the critical importance of national liberation struggles in Asia, Latin America, and Africa, and were crucial in mobilizing Americans against apartheid. But these strengths were undermined by the Marxist-Leninist's tendency to devalue the process of democratic decision making, and to rely on authoritarian methods.
