Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee

Democratic Socialist
Organizing Committee
Founded1973; 51 years ago (1973)
Dissolved1982; 42 years ago (1982)
Split fromSocial Democrats, USA
Preceded bySocialist Party of America
Merged intoDemocratic Socialists of America
IdeologyDemocratic socialism
Eco-socialism
Political positionLeft-wing
International affiliationSocialist International
Colors  Red

The Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee (DSOC, /ˈdsɒk/ DEE-sok) was a democratic socialist organization in the United States.

The DSOC was founded in 1973 by Michael Harrington, who had led a minority caucus in the Socialist Party of America and disagreed with its transformation into Social Democrats, USA. Harrington's caucus supported George McGovern's call for a cease-fire and immediate withdrawal from Vietnam. In contrast to the traditional emphasis on strengthening the working class by organizing labor unions, Harrington reduced the emphasis on labor of previous socialist organizations. While continuing to work with unionists, Harrington instead placed more emphasis on middle-class political activists, especially those drawn to activism through the McGovern campaign. Developing a "realignment" strategy common to socialists since the 1960s, the DSOC tried to help to build a "democratic left" movement from the political movements participating in the Democratic Party. DSOC joined the Socialist International in 1976.[1]

In 1982, the DSOC merged with the New American Movement to form the Democratic Socialists of America.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference LD19 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).