Un socialista alla Casa Bianca? Bernie Sanders e la campagna per le primarie del 2016

One of the major features of the 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign was the emergence of Bernie Sanders, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist who proved himself able to contend for victory with Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Party primaries. Based on Bernie Sanders’ biography and political platform, the article analyzes his view of socialism, its contents and its similarities with populism and the progressive tradition belonging to the outer wings of the Democratic Party itself. It is argued that, though Sanders defined himself as a democratic socialist, this might not be the most accurate way to summarize his political proposal.