History As It Happens – "When Socialists Ran American Cities"

Host: Martin Di Caro
Guest: Shelton Stromquist, Professor Emeritus, University of Iowa
Date: October 21, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode explores the surprising and largely forgotten history of socialism in American municipal government, focusing on the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Host Martin Di Caro and historian Shelton Stromquist examine how socialist mayors and city councils addressed urban crises—like housing, sanitation, and public health—long before socialism became a politically toxic term in the United States. The discussion draws connections between this history and resurgent democratic socialism in today’s cities, as seen in the rise of figures like Zorhan Mamdani in New York City.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Roots of Municipal Socialism in America

• Industrialization and Urban Crisis (10:35)

  • Rapid city growth led to cramped living conditions, labor conflicts, and sanitation crises.
  • Socialists emerged to address these pressing needs through policy and reform.
  • “Cities were growing very rapidly, and the concentration of population and new migrants into cities was producing two kinds of social crises, really… A crisis of working conditions and horrible employer suffocation of any attempts of workers to organize; and, also, horrendous living conditions.” (Shelton Stromquist, 10:35)

• European Influences and American Context (13:17)

  • Many socialist ideas arrived with immigrants, especially Germans and Jews, but developed unique American traits.
  • “There was cross fertilization. Certainly it was neither purely an import nor purely homegrown.” (Stromquist, 13:17)

The Socialist Tradition: Democratic, Not Soviet

• Compatibility with Democracy (15:29, 20:45)

  • Early 20th-century American socialism emphasized democracy and reform, not revolutionary overthrow or violence.
  • “We’re talking about social Democrats committed to the idea of democracy, but to socializing democracy, to ensuring fairness and equity in people’s lives.” (Stromquist, 20:45)

• Major Reforms and Resistance (19:12, 22:13)

  • Socialists advocated for municipal ownership of utilities and improved wages for public workers.
  • Their efforts faced fierce opposition from property-owning elites, especially over property taxes and public sector expansion.
  • “The battle over taxes was a very bitter and brutal one, and that’s of course playing out today.” (Stromquist, 21:40)

Success Stories: Milwaukee and Beyond

• The Milwaukee Model (27:48)

  • Milwaukee maintained socialist mayors almost continuously from 1910 into the 1960s.
  • Major accomplishments included expanding parks, improving sanitation, building affordable housing, and municipalizing key services.
  • “They wanted public markets that would, you know, reminds me of Mamdani’s proposal for municipally owned grocery stores. And they wanted affordable housing. Again, echoes of today.” (Stromquist, 28:44)

• “Sewer Socialists” (32:35)

  • The term, originally derogatory, reflected a focus on practical city governance (e.g., improving sewers and infrastructure).
  • “For urban Milwaukee and other urban dwellers in the late 19th and early 20th century, improving the sewers was a big deal.” (Stromquist, 32:38)

• Civic Innovation and Public Housing (36:14)

  • Milwaukee’s Garden Homes project became America’s first public housing initiative—clean, modest homes for workers, inspired by similar innovations in Red Vienna.
  • “Garden Homes was an example of that. It was a city-funded new housing development... it suggested this could be the norm, the way people ought to be able to live.” (Stromquist, 36:14)

The Decline—and Legacy—of Socialist Governance

• Backlash and Red Scare (39:50)

  • Post-World War I repression and anti-communist hysteria (Red Scare, Palmer Raids) crippled the Socialist Party and municipal socialist movements.
  • Despite the decline, many reforms continued, folded into “progressive” or mainstream city government.

• Lasting Impact (41:38)

  • “We have clean water and we have sewage and we have garbage collection... a whole range of public services that are the inheritance that we enjoy from that period.” (Stromquist, 41:38)

Labor Unions and Political Power

• Labor as the Backbone (41:38, 42:42)
  • Union density and strength in cities like Milwaukee underpinned socialist electoral success.
  • “The trajectory of the decline in union membership parallels the increase in income inequality in this country.” (Stromquist, 42:42)

Contemporary Resonance: Mamdani and the “New Municipalism”

• Modern Parallels in New York and Other Cities (03:19, 46:21, 50:18)

  • Zorhan Mamdani’s campaign for New York mayor echoes early 20th-century municipal socialism.
  • New waves of progressive city leaders—some openly socialist, others simply left-leaning—are reviving the idea that local government can be a force for equity and public welfare.
  • “There is a movement afoot. If you Google the ‘new municipalism,’ you will find an array of cities … where this kind of movement is underway and is enjoying some success.” (Stromquist, 50:18)

• The Challenge of Home Rule (47:29)

  • State-level “preemption” laws limit what cities can do, a barrier facing both historic and contemporary municipal reformers.
  • “The fight over home rule is going to be a real one if Mamdani’s program is to be fully realized…” (Stromquist, 48:58)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It always seems impossible until it is done.” (Zorhan Mamdani, quoting Mandela, 01:35)
• “He’s only 34 years old. Democratic Socialist Zoran Mamdani is the favorite to be elected mayor of New York City next month, a remarkable possibility considering his limited political experience … socialist politicians once ran American cities at a time when cities were beset by terrible problems. The socialists succeeded.” (Martin Di Caro, 01:51)
• “If you think that the problem in this city is that my rent is too low, vote for him. If you know the problem in this city is that your rent is too high, vote for me.” (Mamdani, echoing earlier socialist rhetoric, 02:30)
• “The phenomenon, particularly in the United States, isn’t limited to cities that were technically governed by socialists. There was a much broader slice because maybe they were winning the argument but not the election.” (Di Caro & Stromquist, 25:02)
• “The major initiative during the 1920s, like the garden Homes, was to build public housing that was decent and affordable and would provide access to better living conditions. And that Viennese model in so called Red Vienna continues until today.” (Stromquist, 36:58)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:29 — Introduction to Zorhan Mamdani and democratic socialism's resurgence
• 03:19 — List of US cities with socialist leadership; roots of socialist municipal reform
• 10:35 — Causes of urban crisis and opportunities for socialists in the 19th century
• 13:17 — European influence vs. homegrown socialism
• 15:29, 20:45 — Debates on socialism, democracy, and public fear of socialism
• 27:48 — Milwaukee under socialist mayors: accomplishments and challenges
• 32:35 — "Sewer Socialists” and the pragmatic tradition of municipal socialism
• 36:14 — The first public housing: Milwaukee’s Garden Homes and its legacy
• 39:50 — Red Scare backlash and the waning of the socialist project
• 41:38 — Enduring legacies: public services, unions, and reform
• 46:21 — Modern critiques of Democratic city leadership and lessons from the past
• 47:29 — The ongoing fight for city autonomy (home rule)
• 50:18 — “New Municipalism” and today’s progressive city leadership

Conclusion: Episode Takeaways

• Municipal socialism in America had real, lasting impacts—expanding public services, improving conditions for working people, and pioneering reforms we now take for granted.
• The episode draws strong lines between historical and contemporary fights for urban reform, stressing the continuing potential (and obstacles) for ambitious, left-leaning city governance.
• While political movements ebb and flow, the argument is that practical solutions to urban crises—no matter their ideological label—resonate generation after generation.

Notable Closing Quote

“A city where they can do more than just struggle. One where those who toil in the night can enjoy the fruits of their labor in the day, where hard work is repaid with a stable life, where eight hours on the factory floor or behind the wheel of a cab is enough to pay the mortgage… and to govern our city as a model for the Democratic Party.”
—Zorhan Mamdani, 51:31

This summary covers the substantive, thought-provoking discussion about the legacy and relevance of socialism in American cities—past, present, and future.