This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "American Marxism" by Mark R. Levin. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
Like this article? Sign up for a free trial here.
Is Marxism on the rise in the U.S.? What’s the agenda? What can be done about it?
According to Mark Levin, American Marxism must be stopped. His book purports to be an exposé on the rise of Marxism in the U.S. He discusses the ideologies that comprise American Marxism, how American Marxists are indoctrinating the public with these theories, and what Americans can do to keep their freedom.
Keep reading for an overview of Levin’s book.
Mark Levin: American Marxism
According to Mark Levin, American Marxism is a growing threat to the country. In his book American Marxism, he argues that Democrats and leftist organizations are fueling a Marxist revolution against American culture and society. They’re indoctrinating the public with radical Marxist ideologies like Critical Race Theory through public education, reinforcing these ideas through the media, and censoring opposition with “cancel culture.” Levin claims that, if American patriots fail to expose this left-wing brainwashing, leftists will gain dominion over the American government and society. They’ll ultimately create a totalitarian regime in which American values like freedom of speech, free-market capitalism, and private property rights are non-existent.
Levin is an American lawyer, author, and conservative radio and television personality. He hosts the Fox News show Life, Liberty, and Levin and The Mark Levin Show on the radio. Levin was also a member of the Reagan administration and the chief of staff for Attorney General Edwin Meese. He’s widely known for his strongly conservative views and incendiary comments regarding Democrats and other leftist organizations.
Marxism in America
Levin argues that leftists and the Democratic party, whom he refers to as “American Marxists,” are encouraging Marxist movements and ideologies that will lead to an eventual overthrow of American society. Levin claims that, when this happens, the Democrats will take control of the government and create a leftist totalitarian society.
Social Justice Movements Encourage Revolution
Levin claims that social justice movements and organizations are promoting Marxist ideologies that encourage the overthrow of American society. The underlying ideology of these movements is that society is made of oppressors and the oppressed. Levin explains that this ideology is inaccurate when applied to American society because America is the global leader in tolerance and equality. He adds that these movements actually seek to take away the American values that made these successes possible, like freedom of speech.
Black Lives Matter and Critical Race Theory
Levin says that the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement is a prime example of a dangerous, anti-American social justice movement. He defines BLM as the fusion of Marxism and Critical Race Theory (CRT) and explains that the movement polarizes Americans and incites violent rebellions.
Levin explains that Critical Race Theory is an offshoot of Critical Theory (CT), a Marxist social theory. CT contends that societal beliefs, values, and culture reflect the interests of the most powerful members of society and consequently benefit this group while disadvantaging the lower classes. CRT builds on CT by putting race at the center of this societal view.
Levin explains that the BLM movement promotes CRT as fact and consequently poses numerous threats to American society.
Levin argues that BLM and CRT pose many threats to American society, but emphasizes three main threats. First, Black Lives Matter pits Blacks and other minorities against whites and incites deep-seated anger and resentment toward American society that could easily lead to revolution.
Second, BLM and CRT encourage censorship and speech regulation—anyone who speaks against the BLM movement or contradicts CRT’s ideas is labeled a “racist” and denounced by society. Levin says that this is a step toward the eradication of freedom of speech.
Third, CRT has provided Democrats with an excuse to infringe on citizens’ privacy and provide minority demographics with unfair advantages. He explains that President Biden has created a new agency to gather federal datasets on race, ethnicity, gender, disability, income, and other demographic variables, invading Americans’ privacy by gathering their personal data to “ensure equitable outcomes.” Levin claims that these “equitable outcomes” will give minorities an unfair advantage over majority demographics rather than “equal opportunity and treatment.”
Ultimately, Levin claims that the effects that Black Lives Matter and other Marxist movements have on American beliefs and policies are pushing American society toward collapse and totalitarianism.
Environmental Justice Movements Threaten American Prosperity
The second major ideological movement of American Marxism is environmental justice. Levin claims that environmental justice (EJ) movements attack the systems that make America great and will thrust the nation into economic ruin if they succeed. In particular, Levin says that these movements oppose free-market capitalism—the system that has made America the greatest country in the world—as well as economic growth itself.
Levin says that their goals are outlandish and impossible to accomplish because they undermine American free-market capitalism and private property rights, and they’re astronomically expensive, costing up to $93 trillion over 10 years. This would be yet another step toward Marxist totalitarianism.
The Science Behind the Environmental Justice Movement Is Faulty
Levin continues to argue that the “climate science” that EJ movements are based on isn’t real science, but rather is political ideology framed as science. Levin argues this point by seeking to debase the two most prominent arguments that point to human-induced climate change—the depletion of natural resources and increasing carbon dioxide emissions.
Regarding the depletion of resources, Levin argues that humans haven’t even scratched the surface of the natural resources available on the earth. Regarding carbon dioxide emissions, Levin argues that carbon dioxide isn’t a pollutant and that the science linking it to global warming isn’t credible because scientists start with a predetermined conclusion and ignore contradictory evidence to prove their claim.
Ultimately, Levin says that the entire climate emergency and environmental movement is a ruse meant to sway the public toward the political left, sow discontent, and ultimately overthrow American society as we know it.
The Indoctrination Machine
Social justice and environmental justice movements are pushing Marxist ideas into mainstream culture and politics, but Levin claims that indoctrination is taking place on an individual level as well. He argues that leftists have created a well-oiled indoctrination machine in the US that teaches young Americans to hate the nation and rebel to achieve justice.
Indoctrination Step #1: Public Education
Levin argues that the first step of Marxist indoctrination in America involves the education system. These institutions are led by leftist professors who encourage students to engage in mass movements and rebellions against America.
Levin explains that many of the lessons currently taught in schools center around leftist ideologies and perspectives that are framed as moral truths, like Critical Theory and Social Movement Theory. He believes that these ideologies are dangerous because they encourage discontentment with the American government, society, economy, and overall way of life. They teach students that American society and history are inherently unjust and evil and that social activism and rebellion are the only remedies.
Marxist Theory #1: Critical Theories
Levin argues that, because Critical Theory and its offshoots like CRT are being taught in schools as facts rather than ideologies, American youths are taught to believe that their nation is a structurally unjust and racist society. Levin specifically references The 1619 Project curriculum. Levin claims that the curriculum is shameless Marxist indoctrination—it’s based on false scholarship by left-wing Marxists, and it’s a ploy to disguise CRT as history.
Ultimately, Levin argues that teaching Critical Theory and its offshoots in schools is disastrous because (1) it gives youths an inaccurate and negative outlook on the world, and (2) it adds to the list of reasons why youths should rebel, eradicate society, and transform the country.
Marxist Theory #2: Social Movement Theory
Social movement theory explores why social movements form, how they develop, and their effects on society, culture, and politics. However, Levin claims that the theory is more actionable and incentivizing than it is educational—it paints mass movements and revolutions as an honorable and virtuous response to “oppressive” societies.
Levin claims that the theory encourages and teaches students how to rise up against the wealthy elite in protest and revolution. The theory presents revolution as a righteous means to weaken and eventually abolish the structures of political and social domination that are to blame for inequality and injustice.
Indoctrination Step #2: Media Propaganda
Levin argues that the news media reinforces the Marxist indoctrination that’s taught in schools through propagandized reporting. He explains that major American news outlets—such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, MSNBC, and CNN—use leftist ideologies such as CRT as a factual standpoint to analyze and report on situations. Rather than giving the public an unbiased report of events and letting them decide for themselves what’s right and wrong, they strategically frame the news with rhetoric and selective reporting to support their leftist perspective.
Indoctrination Step #3: Censorship and Cancel Culture
Not only does the media reinforce Marxist indoctrination, but it’s also beginning to silence opposition through censorship and cancel culture.
Levin explains that leftist media has begun to endorse and practice the social media trend of “cancel culture” that has taken off over the last few years. Big Tech companies such as Google and Twitter are censoring and banning people of their own will. Social media posts are now becoming streamlined into a single leftist voice.
How to Save America
To close, Levin calls American patriots to action, explaining that the only way to combat the rise of Marxism in America is by boycotting, speaking up, and taking legal and administrative action.
Strategy #1: Stop Marxist “Social Justice” Movements
Levin says that social justice movements like Antifa and BLM are dangerous Marxist groups that incite violent riots and must be held accountable. To combat these groups, patriots can urge lawmakers to pass laws that make the punishment for violent protests more severe. Citizens can also sue organizations and individuals that took part in riots for damages.
Strategy #2: Fight Degrowth, Save Capitalism
Levin argues that the environmental justice movement is an attack on capitalism, property rights, liberty, and the American way of life. Levin says that you must know your rights and use anti-Marxist state attorneys general to file lawsuits, when appropriate, against organizations that interfere with your use of your property or the value of your property—for example, new “green” policies that may prevent the development or free use of private land.
Strategy #3: Fix the Education System
Levin explains that patriots must fight against Marxist indoctrination in the education system by (1) educating their children on American values, and (2) getting involved in school curricula and the Board of Education. Urge legislators and governors to enact laws that protect against indoctrination in schools. Get local lawyers or attorneys involved if necessary.
Strategy #4: Fight Marxist Corporations
Levin argues that patriots should fight Marxist corporations like Google or Amazon and support nonpartisan and local companies instead. There are three ways in which he recommends doing this:
- Stop supporting large corporations that engage in Marxist indoctrination.
- Start campaigns to encourage banks, religious institutions, corporations, governments, pensions funds, and so on to withdraw investments and financial support from Marxist organizations and movements.
- Campaign for local and state governments to (1) end their support, like taxpayer subsidies, for institutions that are linked to Marxist ideologies or movements; and (2) ban Marxist indoctrination, like teaching CRT, in public schools.
———End of Preview———
Like what you just read? Read the rest of the world's best book summary and analysis of Mark R. Levin's "American Marxism" at Shortform.
Here's what you'll find in our full American Marxism summary:
- Why Mark Levin thinks leftist organizations are fueling a Marxist revolution
- Who the American Marxists are and what ideologies they’re pushing
- What American patriots can do to maintain their freedom
