The one I think about most is Red Vienna, and the extraordinary child-centered society it built in the rubble of the First World War. That experiment fell under the boot of fascist force—but the spirit that built metaphorical palaces for children in order to tear down prisons was an enormous success. Democratic socialists organized at every level—from the workplace to the neighborhood to elected office—and enacted policies that were staggeringly popular and effective. The armies of care workers. The free diapers and clothing for babies. The light-filled social housing for workers, much of which still stands today. The parks and the swimming pools. The right to nature. The artistic and creative approaches to children's education. The refusal to write off poor or neurodiverse children. The insistent welcoming of refugees and victims of ethnic hatred. The commitment to providing an alternative to the evils of nationalism that were sweeping the continent.

QUESTION: What specific policies and organizational structures made Red Vienna so effective, and how much of the social housing survives today? SEED: A possible essay angle: what contemporary movements could learn from how democratic socialists organized at every level — workplace, neighborhood, elected office — to build a popular alternative to nationalism.

Naomi Klein, Doppelganger, loc. 1110