The Rising Appeal of Socialism — and Why It’s a Dangerous Mirage

AP Photo/Richard Drew

Published September 13, 2025

Introduction

Across America, especially among younger generations, socialism is enjoying a revival. Polls show that many between the ages of 18 and 39 now view socialism more favorably than capitalism. Calls for nationalizing health care and energy, capping incomes, and redistributing wealth are no longer fringe proposals—they’re mainstream in certain circles.

But while socialism may sound attractive in theory, history and economics paint a very different picture. Far from solving problems of inequality, socialism creates a new set of crises—threatening liberty, prosperity, and even national survival.

The Historical Record

Socialism is not a new idea. It has been tested repeatedly across different countries and cultures, and while the promises often sound noble—fairness, equality, and shared prosperity—the outcomes have been remarkably consistent: poverty, repression, and decline.

• Soviet Union
  Once hailed as the future of equality, the USSR became a case study in inefficiency and oppression. Central planning led to chronic shortages of food and goods. Long lines for bread became the norm, while dissenters faced prison camps. After seven decades, the system collapsed under its own weight, leaving behind economic ruin and political instability.

• Mao’s China
  The Great Leap Forward (1958–1962) aimed to rapidly industrialize China under socialist policies. Instead, it triggered one of the worst famines in history, with tens of millions of deaths. State control over agriculture destroyed productivity and stripped peasants of incentives to work.

• Cuba
  The Castro regime promised equality and health care for all. In practice, Cubans have faced persistent shortages, rationing, and lack of opportunity. Many risked—and still risk—their lives fleeing to capitalist countries like the United States in search of freedom and prosperity.

• Venezuela
  Once one of the wealthiest nations in Latin America, Venezuela adopted socialist policies under Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro. Industries were nationalized, wealth was redistributed, and promises of equality filled the air. Within years, inflation skyrocketed, food and medicine became scarce, and millions of citizens fled the country.

By contrast, countries that embraced free-market principles have seen economic growth, innovation, and higher living standards. The United States, despite challenges, has produced the world’s largest economy and technological breakthroughs that transformed daily life.

Even mixed economies in Europe highlight the contrast. Nordic countries like Sweden and Denmark are often mislabeled as socialist, yet their leaders openly reject the term. These nations rely on robust free markets to generate wealth, which then funds social programs. Their success comes not from socialism, but from a combination of capitalism and carefully managed welfare policies.

The lesson is clear: socialism, when fully implemented, does not uplift societies—it cripples them.

Why the Shift Toward Socialism?

1. If socialism has such a poor track record, why are more young Americans gravitating toward it today? The answer lies in a mix of economic realities, cultural influences, and generational experiences.

   1. Economic Pressures on the Young

   • Rising Costs of Living: Housing prices have soared, especially in major cities. For many young workers, homeownership feels out of reach.

   • Student Debt Crisis: With trillions in outstanding student loans, younger generations feel burdened before they even begin their careers.

   • Wage Stagnation: While corporate profits and executive pay climb, many workers feel their own wages have not kept pace with inflation. This creates resentment toward the system as inherently unfair.

   These pressures make socialist promises of debt forgiveness, rent control, and wealth redistribution appealing.

   2. Education and the Narrative Gap

   • Idealized Teaching: Schools and universities often present socialism as a noble pursuit of equality, without emphasizing the catastrophic failures of its real-world application.

   • Lack of Historical Context: Many students learn about capitalism’s flaws—colonialism, inequality, exploitation—but hear little about the gulags, famines, and authoritarianism tied to socialism.

   • Professorial Influence: Academia, often leaning left, has played a role in shaping young minds to see socialism as modern and moral, and capitalism as outdated or corrupt.

   3. Cultural and Media Messaging

   • Media Portrayals: Popular culture frequently paints corporations as villains and celebrates collectivist or redistributionist themes. Movies, shows, and social media influencers amplify the idea that profit-driven systems are greedy or exploitative.

   • Social Media Echo Chambers: Platforms like TikTok and Instagram simplify complex issues into digestible, emotionally appealing clips that glamorize socialism while demonizing capitalism.

   • Activist Momentum: Figures like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have popularized “democratic socialism,” framing it not as authoritarian but as compassionate and progressive.

   4. A Generational Desire for “Fairness”

   • Equality vs. Opportunity: Young Americans often equate fairness with equal outcomes rather than equal opportunity. Socialism, with its promises of wealth redistribution, appears to level the playing field in ways capitalism does not.

   • Distrust in Institutions: Banks, Wall Street, and even government are widely distrusted after events like the 2008 financial crisis and pandemic mismanagement. Socialism is marketed as a clean break from “corrupt capitalism.”

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   Put together, these forces make socialism emotionally appealing, even if the historical record suggests it is practically disastrous. For many young people, socialism isn’t about replicating the USSR or Venezuela—it’s about finding relief from crushing debt, unaffordable housing, and a sense that the current system is stacked against them.

Socialism Is the Problem, Not the Solution

Socialism often gains traction by promising fairness, equality, and relief from hardship. But when we move beyond slogans and examine evidence, socialism proves to be not a solution but a generator of new, often worse, problems.

1. Economic Collapse and Scarcity

• Venezuela: Once the richest country in Latin America, Venezuela nationalized industries, capped prices, and redistributed wealth under Hugo Chávez. The result? By 2019, inflation reached 10 million percent, grocery stores were empty, and citizens resorted to crossing borders to find food and medicine.

• Soviet Union: Central planning created chronic shortages—citizens waited in line for hours for basic goods. By the late 1980s, the USSR’s GDP per capita was one-fifth that of the United States, leading to its collapse in 1991.

Proof: When the state controls production and pricing, supply-and-demand signals are distorted, leading to inefficiency and shortages.

2. Human Suffering and Repression

• Mao’s China (Great Leap Forward, 1958–1962): Collectivized farming and forced industrial projects led to famine, killing an estimated 30–45 million people.

• Cambodia (Khmer Rouge, 1975–1979): In the name of creating a socialist utopia, millions were forced out of cities; nearly 2 million died from starvation, execution, and forced labor.

Proof: Socialism, when enforced on a large scale, often requires authoritarian control to suppress dissent and force compliance, leading to mass suffering.

3. Innovation and Productivity Stagnation

• In socialist economies, incentives to innovate are stifled. If extra effort or risk-taking is not rewarded, individuals have little motivation to create or improve.

• Contrast: Under capitalism, individuals like Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and countless entrepreneurs developed world-changing technologies (iPhones, electric cars, medical innovations) precisely because they were free to profit from their ideas.

Proof: Capitalist competition fuels progress; socialism levels incentives downward.

4. The “Nordic Myth”

• Socialists often point to countries like Sweden or Denmark as success stories. But leaders of those countries reject the label.

  • Former Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen: “Denmark is far from a socialist planned economy. Denmark is a market economy.”

• These countries thrive because of capitalist wealth creation, which funds social programs—not because of socialism.

Proof: Prosperous welfare states depend on the free market’s success, not on socialist economics.

5. Moral and Cultural Breakdown

• Socialism rewards dependency, not responsibility. When wealth is redistributed regardless of effort, personal initiative declines.

• History shows socialism fosters envy and resentment, pitting groups against each other based on class, wealth, or status.

• By contrast, capitalism harnesses ambition, rewarding hard work and creativity while giving people the dignity of ownership.

Proof: Systems that discourage personal responsibility weaken the social fabric and erode freedom.

 Implications

The evidence against socialism leads to several important implications for America’s present and future:

1. 1. 1. A Warning to Younger Generations
         The growing embrace of socialism among young Americans is not a harmless trend—it signals a potential ideological shift that could alter U.S. policy and weaken the free-market foundations that built national prosperity.

      2. Freedom Is on the Line
         Socialism isn’t just another economic theory; it concentrates power in the hands of the state. History shows this often leads to censorship, repression, and the erosion of basic liberties. Defending capitalism is therefore not only about economics but about safeguarding freedom itself.

      3. Education Reform Is Urgent
         Schools and universities must be held accountable for presenting socialism honestly—not as a dream of equality, but as a system with a track record of failure. A failure to teach history truthfully risks repeating the disasters of the past.

      4. Moral Clarity Matters
         Conservatives argue that rejecting socialism is not just practical but moral. Rewarding hard work, preserving private property, and protecting individual dignity are values worth defending. Accepting socialism means abandoning these values.

      5. Capitalism Must Be Defended and Improved
         While socialism should be rejected, capitalism must also be strengthened. Addressing concerns about inequality, debt, and affordability through market-based reforms can undercut the emotional appeal of socialism while preserving liberty.

 Overall Takeaway:

Socialism may sound appealing to a generation burdened by debt, high living costs, and distrust in institutions. Its promises of equality and fairness are simple and seductive. But history tells a different story: wherever socialism has been implemented, it has produced poverty, repression, and stagnation. Rather than leveling society upward, it drags everyone down.

Capitalism, though imperfect, remains the only system proven to generate prosperity, reward innovation, and preserve freedom. The challenge for America is not to abandon capitalism in favor of failed socialist experiments, but to improve it—ensuring opportunity, fairness, and upward mobility while protecting liberty.

The lesson is clear: socialism is not the solution—it is the problem.

SOURCES: REDSTATE – Socialism Is the Problem, Not the Solution