1.Why didn't the workers succeed in creating the worker's utopia?

There are a number of reasons why the Marxist workers' utopia did not come to life. First of all, not everyone in the working class supported the notion of uniting against the “evil” capitalists. Many saw wage labor as an opportunity for advancement and prosperity. Also, aside from the poor workers, many others had accumulated considerable wealth that they would not readily be willing to give up. This was one of the reasons why the communist revolution in Russia took so many lives. Since there were many differences in income among workers from the start, the workers earning more were not willing to level off with everyone else. It is simply irrational to expect that everyone would support the same idea, especially with preexisting income differences. Also, most people are somewhat afraid of change, and thus it is logical to assume that people simply would not be willing to give up their somewhat stable lifestyles for some bleak and uncertain benefit.
Further along the way, after the world war 2, the idea of the worker's utopia started vanishing in the light of newly emerging capitalist countries. In comparison of the capitalist riches and opportunities to the poverty and degradation in communist states, the Marxist ideas of worker's class communes have lost their appeal. Hence, we may never know what this kind of life would look like, since the worker's utopia never actually took on its intended form and remains just an utopia.

Was the civil rights movement a successful revolution?

The civil rights movement was certainly a successful revolution, as can be seen from history and today. African Americans have achieved greater equality then and are able to enjoy the same treatment as everyone else today. The civil rights movement itself was not a silver bullet that could change everything at once, however, but it greatly contributed to the better lives of blacks in the United States. To get to the level of equality that we have today, it took a lot of time, effort, and dedication from who used to be the most underprivileged minorities in the US. Yet, even today, in some aspects of American social life, African Americans are still disadvantaged. Even around Pittsburgh, racial inequality can be seen in some black communities today. Yet, things are getting better and soon we can expect race to be a concept of low significance. This is perfectly demonstrated by the election of a black president in 2008. Thus, taking all the developments following the civil rights movement, it was successful in greatly advancing the civil rights of African Americans.

1.Is American pop culture similar to political propaganda?

American pop culture is only similar to political propaganda in the way that they're both selling something. In politics, it is the selling of political ideologies and ideas. This propaganda can be big or small. For example, the two big global ideologies during the cold war were communism and democracy, and they were both propagated all around the world. Other political propaganda can be seen on TV every single day, especially during times preceding some sort of elections. Fox news is especially known for propagating republican ideas, for example. The pop culture also has a lot to sell. From new musical genres to cigarettes, the pop culture can sell it. In a way, politics and pop culture are closely intertwined, depending on how one defines pop culture. Right before the presidential elections in 2008, a song by a very popular artist, “Whatever you like” by TI, came on the radios, which is believed by some to be a direct propaganda of the Obama campaign. There are more of these instances that can be found everywhere, especially on the internet. If you think about it, the internet is a part of pop culture that is used for all kinds of propaganda, including, in large part, political.

1.To what degree did Pittsburgh rebound? and Does Pittsburgh have some important qualities that helped it to rebound?

Pittsburgh, a former steel manufacturing Goliath, has certainly recovered successfully since its steel industry died down. Perhaps it is actually a good thing that Pittsburgh's steel legacy has ended. If you talk to the natives that still remember the steel “glory” days, you'd be surprised to hear that those times were not all that glorious. According to people that remember those times, the city was dirty and dark, which can be explained by pollution from the steel mills and the overpopulation. However, a fact that can't be denied is that the city thrived on steel. Nearly half a century later, the city is thriving once again and has even been called the most liveable city in the US. Even without the advantages that many coastal cities enjoy, Pittsburgh attracts people from all over the country and the world, which boosts the city's economy. The numerous universities make Pittsburgh one of the top destinations for those pursuing higher education in any field of study one could think of. The Pittsburgh health care industry has also become gigantic, especially UPMC. The qualities that helped Pittsburgh rebound are numerous. First of all, Pittsburgh has a bottomless pool of educated professionals. This is largely due to the academic culture of the city. The innovative minds of the pittsburghers are the other big reason for such success. Over time, Pittsburgh has moved from prosperity by means of natural resources to prosperity by thought, which is why even during the time of economic crisis, Pittsburgh is still advancing forward.

What is the future of democracy?

It seems to me that the future of democracy has only been uncertain immediately following the World War 2. After the cold war, democracy emerged as the leading political regime, especially with the success that the newly emerging democracies were having. Years later, today, democracies are still uncontested by any other regimes. Of course there's the communist China, where the economy is growing, but the quality of life is still lagging behind. Overall, the leaders in the world system today are mainly democracies. As far as the future is concerned, the world will keep on democratizing. The current non-democracies will become more democratic. This is inevitable because people in the world today are much more aware of what is going on in the world. The advancing technology is now harder than ever for the governments to control, and people are able to see how others live and compare it to their own lives. The countries that are already democratic, such as the US, will only grow more prosperous, something that Marx would argue with, but I can't imagine that the regime itself will change much. Freedom and choice are no longer the main concern, it seems. Democracies around the world today can be characterized by profit making and I feel that the existing democracies will only adapt to fit more efficient profit making models. This is not necessarily bad. This is just assuming that that the modern day democracies are not likely to get any more “democratic”.