A Brief Book Summary from Books At a Glance
By Benjamin J. Montoya
About the Author
Dinesh D’Souza has had a prominent career as a writer, scholar, public intellectual, and filmmaker. Born in India, D’Souza came to the U.S. as an exchange student at the age of 17 and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College. The author of many bestselling books―Illiberal Education, Obama’s America, America and The Big Lie―he is also the creator of three of the top ten highest-grossing political documentaries ever made.
Introduction
There is a clear push towards socialism in the US, such that D’Souza refers to the United States of Socialism in his title. What exactly is this movement about? D’Souza labels the effort in the US as identity socialism. These are socialists who have some diversity among themselves, but they want to springboard from the capitalistic society they live in, enjoy the fruits of this society firsthand, especially as some of their lavish lifestyles demonstrate, but then they argue for a socialist position. In this book, D’Souza plans to debunk socialism for the failure that it always is and reaffirm capitalism. Consider this summary to learn more!
Table of Contents
Preface: The Specter of Socialism
Introduction: Identity Socialism
Chapter 1 The Invention of Invention: America and the Ideal of the Self-Made Man
Chapter 2 The Dream and the Nightmare: How Socialism Came to America
Chapter 3 Alien Nation: Why Socialists Abandoned the Working Class
Chapter 4 Venezuela, SI; Sweden, No: Socialism and the Scandinavian Illusion
Chapter 5 Just Deserts: The Moral Basis of Entrepreneurial Capitalism
Chapter 6 The Art of War: Battle Plan to Defeat the Socialists
Chapter 1: The Invention of Invention: America and the Ideal of the Self-Made Man
American was founded on ideals that are exactly opposite of those of socialism. This point can be considered from several angles, and this chapter will focus primarily on three. First, the founders themselves were extremely ambitious men who sought to be self-made men who constantly improved themselves. Benjamin Franklin was a perfect example of that. He had all kinds of skills and endeavors outside of politics, such that even modern men would be shocked by all that he did. Modern socialists like Bernie Sanders, however, are not. He came to wealth by marriage and has only ever worked in politics.
There are different kinds of American socialists with different stories, but they all advocate for socialism in which the government controls the means of production. Many modern-day socialists sell their position on freebies—free education, free healthcare, free basic income, etc. But are these freebies truly possible? Historically, countries that have tried this system creating similar problems have always failed. Yet, American socialists still want to press forward toward a system that has been destructive.
Second, America itself was founded and structured against influences like socialism. Although America is a democracy, it has several safeguards in place to prevent it from becoming a mob-rule that a 100% democracy can create. Even in Greece that had an entirely democratic government, only a 1,000 or so people would show up to vote. America, however, has a constitution, bill of rights, division of power, and checks and balances to ensure that no one party or person can take over.
Third, the concept of the self-made man is a truly American concept that has repeatedly proven profitable whereas socialistic efforts have failed. When it came to building railroads across the US, there were some companies that accepted government funding and others that did not. Guess what happened? The company that did not accept government funding and sought to create railroads across beautiful scenic routes were successful whereas those who accepted government funding failed. This is just one picture of the self-made man, one of the concepts upon which America was founded. People need motivation to be successful, and there are countless examples of how that motivation has helped people become successful in ways that socialism will never permit.
Chapter 2: The Dream and the Nightmare: How Socialism Came to America
Clearly the United States of America was not founded upon socialism, so from where did it come? The answer is one that is clear from history, though some progressives want to deny it. Socialism began in America with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR). Socialists and progressives argue over the historicity of this matter, but the socialists are correct. They are simply wanting to extend FDR’s New Deal in other areas, even using lingo like “The Green New Deal” to show their continuation.
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