Despite more than a century of utter devastation and failure, a large majority of young Americans believe that socialism is the only road to equality and prosperity.
This is not hyperbole nor speculation; it is demonstrated consistently among polls showing that most young people want socialism in America.
If you are wondering why so many young Americans desire socialism, look no further than the public education system and current culture, as the poll cited above clearly indicates.
Being a former public high school social studies teacher, I can vouch for the fact that government-run schools are indoctrinating students into believing that socialism is moral, fair, and righteous, and will create widespread prosperity and happiness when it is implemented in the world's wealthiest nation: the United States.
Believe it or not, this is a deep problem that exists in public schools across America. At nearly every public school I shadowed at, student-taught at, substituted at, or worked as a full-time teacher at, it was apparent that socialist/collectivist rhetoric was allowed, if not encouraged, among the social studies department.
I think the hivemind mentality among social studies teachers at least partially stems from the fact that teaching colleges are not preparing teachers to become excellent educators as much as they are preparing them to become fantastic brainwashers. During my two-year master's program in secondary education at a prominent teaching college in Chicago, I cannot emphasize how much pursuing left-wing social justice causes was prioritized over relevant topics like classroom management, curriculum preparation, instructional methods, etc.
Given the present circumstances in which public school social studies departments are generally dominated by socialist sympathizers, what can be done to reverse the tide?
Although I generally oppose mandates, I think the only viable solution to the crisis of public school socialist indoctrination is state laws that address this specific problem.
The best example of a state passing a law to rectify this issue occurred recently in Florida.
In April 2024, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill to "ensure students in Florida are taught the truth about the evils and dangers of Communism."
In November 2025, the Florida Board of Education approved "new History of Communism standards" to equip "students with a truthful, in-depth understanding of how communist ideologies suppress individual freedoms, abuse power, and inflict widespread suffering."
"With the resurgence of communist ideologies across the United States and throughout the world, it is more important than ever for students to understand the catastrophic failures and human suffering caused by communist regimes," Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas said.
"Florida's new History of Communism standards will ensure that students learn the truth about the brutal realities of life under communism and gain a deeper appreciation for the blessings of liberty that define our nation," he added.
Bravo to DeSantis and Florida's education leaders for taking such a bold step.
But when you think about it, it makes perfect sense that the Sunshine State would be the origin of a law such as this.
Florida is home to many refugees who've fled socialist disasters like Cuba and Venezuela. For years, they have warned of "creeping socialism" in America.
Floridians have had a socialist island just 90 miles off their coast for decades, which means many have a clear sense of how wretched and evil socialist governance really is. Moreover, among Floridians, I bet there is a more accurate articulation of the miserable poverty and tyranny that has plagued Cuba since its socialist revolution.
As of now, a few states are considering similar laws. I hope the number continues to grow in the years to come.
While there is a policy solution for the rotten education system that has been pushing socialism for decades, there is no law that can solve the cultural embrace of socialism.
For that problem, it would help to remind people that Adolf Hitler was a proud socialist. The German translation for the "Nazi" Party is National Socialist German Workers' Party.
So were Stalin, Mao, and Castro, who collectively, no pun intended, murdered hundreds of millions of innocent souls in furtherance of socialist dogma.
There have been socialist regimes, like the Khmer Rouge of Cambodia and the Kim family of North Korea, that have committed atrocities similar to the sheer depravity of the Nazi Holocaust.
The common denominator among this hellish behavior is that it was all taken under the name of socialism. It was all justified under the evil equation that the interests of the collective, as determined by a few central planners, matter above all else.
In socialist societies, the ends always justify the means because it is embedded in the system itself.
If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, socialism is the highway to hell.
Chris Talgo (ctalgo@heartland.org) is editorial director at The Heartland Institute.
Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy Townhall’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member