The Young People's Socialist League (YPSL), founded in 1989, was the official youth arm of the Socialist Party USA. The group comprised party members under the age of 30. It shared the same name as the Young People's Socialist League, which was affiliated with the Socialist Party of America.

Organizational history

Socialist Party of America renamed as Social Democrats, USA

In its 1972 Convention, the majority of delegates voted to change the name of the Socialist Party of America name to "Social Democrats, USA" by a vote of 73 to 34. The change of name was supported by the two Co-Chairmen, Bayard Rustin and Charles S. Zimmerman (of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, ILGWU), and by the First National Vice Chairman, James S. Glaser; these three were re-elected by acclamation. who also had opposed the name change.

After their defeat at the Convention, some members of the minority caucuses left: at most 200 members of the Coalition Caucus led by Michael Harrington went on to form the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee (later becoming the Democratic Socialists of America), some former members of the Debs Caucus led the formation of the "Socialist Party of the United States of America".

National convention of 1974

The official YPSL continued its existence as the youth section of Social Democrats, USA. The group held a six-day-long "National School" in conjunction with its 1974 Convention, held from December 26 to 31 at Malibu, California. A bevy of prominent speakers addressed the gathering, which was coordinated by National Secretary Paul Landsbergis, with lecturers including Sidney Hook, Tom Kahn, SDUSA Executive Director Carl Gershman, professors Seymour Martin Lipset and Robert Scalapino, and representatives of the A. Philip Randolph Institute and the American Federation of Teachers.

YPSL's traditional symbol is the "Three Arrows", which has been interpreted differently over the course of the emblem's existence. The arrows are today meant to symbolize the three ways in which humanity works for a better society. They are:

  • Education - YPSL publishes pamphlets and magazines and holds educational forum meetings
  • Direct Action - YPSL engages in protests, non-violent demonstrations and engages in strike support
  • Elections - Through its parent organization, the Socialist Party USA, YPSL supports candidates for public office

American use of the "Three Arrows" logo originated in the fall of 1933 with the organization of a uniformed "Socialist Vanguard" in New York City, in which about 40 squads of eight members, each squad headed by a "captain" were formed. The Vanguard wore distinctive royal blue shirts and bore a new organizational logo, which was described in the official monthly newspaper of the YPSL:

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Three arrows enclosed in a circle is the emblem of the Vanguard, borrowed from the now-destroyed Iron Front in Germany. The arrows stand for the slogan of the Young People's Socialist League: "Organization, education, solidarity." The circular logo was designed so as to be able to easily cover Nazi swastikas.

The three arrows originally stood for the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) opposition to three enemies of democracy: communism, monarchism, and fascism (in Germany: Nazism).

Footnotes

  • Official Website