https://iclfi.org/pubs/wvtv/2026-uci-progressivism
On January 17 2026, the 2026 West Coast Regional Conference of the Platypus Affiliated Society hosted a panel titled "Progressivism and the Left"
Prompt:
In his victory speech, Zohran Mamdani harkened back to two figures of the 20th Century, Socialist Party of American Presidential (SPA) candidate Eugene Debs and NYC mayor Fiorello La Guardia. Although both might be understood as figures of what has been termed the Progressive Era they come from different periods; Debs and the SPA coincided with the Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt and the Second International, whereas La Guardia was a figure of the New Deal and the collapse of the SPA. Significantly, these periods straddle WWI, the Russian Revolution and the emergence of the Third International. We ask panelists:
- How do you view the relation between progressivism and socialism from the Progressive Era to the present?
- How do you view the Progressive Era against the broader legacy of the American Revolution?
- Was this period revolutionary, and if so, in what way?
Panelists:
- Bert Mason (Spartacist League)
- Nelson Lichtenstein (History prof. from UC Santa Barbara)
- Marcello (American Communist Party)
