Third Camp Socialism collects Phyllis and Julius Jacobson’s major writings on civil rights, Stalinism, the Cold War, and the New York Intellectuals.
The Jacobsons advanced a militant, small-d democratic perspective on the landmark events of their era, from the New Deal and World War II to sixties protests and the War on Terror. Today, they are best remembered for founding New Politics and defending a third camp perspective that resists capitalism as well as all varieties of “progressive” authoritarianism. This volume makes a powerful case for revisiting the Jacobsons’ contributions to socialist thought.
Phyllis Jacobson (1922–2010) joined the Trotskyist movement as a high school student during the Depression. She and her husband Julius were active in the Workers Party (1940–1949) and its successor, the Independent Socialist League (1949–1958). They cofounded New Politics in 1961.
Paul Heideman is a PhD student in sociology at New York University and is a frequent contributor to Jacobin and the Historical Materialism Conference.
Kent Worcester‘s books include C.L.R. James: A Political Biography (1996), Silent Agitators: Cartoon Art From the Pages of New Politics (2009), and A Cultural History of the Punisher: Marvel Comics and the Politics of Vengeance (2023).
Publication date: April 21, 2026
Preface
Part 1 Social Movements
Introduction to Part 1
1 Coalitionism: From Protest to Politicking (1966)
Julius Jacobson
2 Union Conservatism: A Barrier to Racial Equality (1968)
Julius Jacobson
3 In Defense of the Young (1970)
Julius Jacobson
4 The Equal Rights Amendment: Overdue Reform (1972)
Phyllis Jacobson
5 An Exchange on the ERA (1973)
Lois Weiner and Phyllis Jacobson
6 Black Outrage in Los Angeles (1992)
Phyllis Jacobson
Part 2 Left Debates
Introduction to Part 2
7 The Relevance of American Socialism (1961)
Julius Jacobson
8 Isaac Deutscher: The Anatomy of an Apologist (1964 & 1966)
Julius Jacobson
9 Kate Millett and Her Critics (1970)
Phyllis Jacobson
10 The Two Deaths of Max Shachtman (1973)
Julius Jacobson
11 A Time of Assorted Scoundrels (1976)
Phyllis Jacobson
Part 3 The Russian Question
Introduction to Part 3
12 Reflections on Fascism and Communism (1983)
Julius Jacobson
13 The “Americanization” of the Communist Party (1986)
Phyllis Jacobson
14 The Soviet Union is Dead, the “Russian Question” Remains (1996)
Julius Jacobson
15 The “Russian Question” and World War Two (1995)
Julius Jacobson
16 The USSR and the Nature of World WarII (1996)
Julius Jacobson
Part 4 War and Peace
Introduction to Part 4
17 War, Realism, and the “Lesser Evil” (1950)
Julius Jacobson
18 Socialism and Thermonuclear War (1962)
Julius Jacobson
19 Neo-Stalinism: The Achilles’ Heel of the Peace Movement and the American Left (1976)
Julius Jacobson and Laurie Landy
20 Pax Americana: The New World Order (1991)
Julius Jacobson
21 Liberals, the Left, and the US War on Democracy (2002)
Julius Jacobson
Part 5 Students and Teachers
Introduction to Part5
22 Our Editorial Policy (1949)
Julius Jacobson
23 The American Student Movement: A Survey (1949)
Julius Jacobson
24 Do Communists Have the Right to Teach? (1949)
Julius Jacobson
25 CP Youth Licked at Student Conference (1950)
Julius Jacobson
26 Capitalism’s Threat to Democracy (1953)
Julius Jacobson
27 Civil Liberties and the Philosopher of the Cold War (1953)
Julius Jacobson and Gordon Haskell
Appendix: Third Camp Politics: An Interview with Phyllis and Julius Jacobson
Bibliography
Selected Writings
Index
