Radicals in Power

Reviews / Votes

This book argues persuasively that the New Left did not end when SNCC, SDS, and the Black Panthers crashed and burned. Radicalism continued in electoral form in locations like Berkeley, Madison, Ann Arbor, and the State of Vermont, achieving significant reforms. What held these efforts together, Davin proposes, was a political culture left of liberalism but not quite socialism that he calls Left Populism, and compares to the rhetoric and music of the 1930s. Overall, he contrasts electoral New Leftism with the historic practice of Left parties in the United States to run local candidates solely for 'educational' purposes, hence to be unprepared to govern when their candidates win. -- Staughton Lynd, author of "Stepping Stones: Memoir of a Life Together" Focusing on a wide variety of leftists who have been elected to office, Eric Davin's Radicals in Power challenges the predominant view that the New Left disintegrated after the 1960s. His work should provoke a reconsideration of the New Left's legacy and the possibilities for a locally-based populist movement today. -- Peter B. Levy, York College Davin (Univ. of Pittsburgh) argues that historians have overlooked 1960s-70s radicals' forays into electoral politics, where he sees both traction and meaningful political change for the Left. He largely focuses on college towns and the election of student radicals to a variety of city councils, particularly analyzing left-leaning third parties such as the Peace and Freedom Party (California) and the Human Rights Party (Michigan) and their members' transition from opposition to incorporation into the Democratic Party. Davin demonstrates the importance, possibilities, and limitations of local politics. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, faculty. * Choice Reviews * Davin has been interested in this topic for forty years, and during the 1970's and 1980's he interviewed most of the people who won the races that are covered in the book. A great deal of the book consists of the interviews. If he hadn't conducted those interviews in the past, the book could not have been written, because many of the key figures are no longer living. It would be a blessing if legislators and judges would read this book, because they might learn how much harm is done when people are blocked from electoral activity. Unfortunately, the publisher has put a price of $80 on the book. If enough libraries buy the book, the publisher will create a paperback, which will be considerably cheaper. Please ask your local library to buy the book. * Ballot Access News * In Radicals in Power Davin introduces us to New Left activists using electoral politics to create radical change. Davin calls this the Electoral New Left. . . . His work is a welcome addition to the argument that the New Left lasted longer and was more diverse than first accounts suggest. . . . The book's case-study approach works well. . . . Davin is the first to provide sustained and comparative analysis of New Left electoral work. * Essays in History *