Global InformationDemocratic socialism information
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Democratic socialism is a left-wing[1] set of political philosophies that supports political democracy and some form of a socially owned economy,[2] with a particular emphasis on economic democracy, workplace democracy, and workers' self-management[3] within a market socialist, decentralised planned, or democratic centrally planned socialist economy.[4] Democratic socialists argue that capitalism is inherently incompatible with the values of freedom, equality, and solidarity and that these ideals can only be achieved through the realisation of a socialist society.[5] Although most democratic socialists seek a gradual transition to socialism,[6] democratic socialism can support revolutionary or reformist politics to establish socialism.[7] Democratic socialism was popularised by socialists who opposed the backsliding towards a one-party state in the Soviet Union and other nations during the 20th century.[8]
The history of democratic socialism can be traced back to 19th-century socialist thinkers across Europe and the Chartist movement in Britain, which somewhat differed in their goals but shared a common demand for democratic decision-making and public ownership of the means of production and viewed these as fundamental characteristics of the society they advocated for. From the late 19th to the early 20th century, democratic socialism was heavily influenced by the gradualist form of socialism promoted by the British Fabian Society and Eduard Bernstein's evolutionary socialism in Germany.[9] Democratic socialism is what most socialists understand by the concept of socialism;[10] the term may be used broadly (such as all forms of socialism which reject a one-party Marxist–Leninist state)[11] or more narrowly.[12] As a broad movement, it includes forms of libertarian socialism,[13] market socialism,[14] reformist socialism,[5] revolutionary socialism,[15] ethical socialism,[16] liberal socialism,[17] social democracy,[18] state socialism,[19] left populism,[20] Trotskyism,[19] left communism,[19] utopian socialism,[21] and Eurocommunism[22] all of which share a commitment to democracy.[11]
Democratic socialism is contrasted with Marxism–Leninism, whose opponents often perceive as being authoritarian, bureaucratic, and undemocratic in practice.[23] Democratic socialists oppose the Stalinist political system and the Marxist–Leninist economic planning system, rejecting as their form of governance the administrative-command model formed in the Soviet Union and other Marxist–Leninist states during the 20th century.[24] Democratic socialism is also distinguished from Third Way social democracy[25][nb 1] because democratic socialists are committed to the systemic transformation of the economy from capitalism to socialism,[nb 2] while social democrats use capitalism to create a strong welfare state, leaving many businesses under private ownership.[31] However, many democratic socialists also advocate for state regulations and welfare programs in order to reduce the perceived harms of capitalism and slowly transform the economic system.[31]
While having socialism as a long-term goal,[32] some moderate democratic socialists are more concerned about curbing capitalism's excesses and are supportive of progressive reforms to humanise it in the present day.[33] In contrast, other democratic socialists believe that economic interventionism and similar policy reforms aimed at addressing social inequalities and suppressing capitalism's economic contradictions can simply exacerbate them[34] or cause them to emerge under a different guise.[35] Those democratic socialists believe that the fundamental issues with capitalism can only be resolved by revolutionary means of replacing the capitalist mode of production with the socialist mode of production through a replacement of private ownership with collective ownership of the means of production and extending democracy to the economic sphere in the form of workplace democracy or industrial democracy.[36] The main criticism of democratic socialism from the perspective of liberal democrats is focused on the compatibility of democracy and socialism,[37] while Marxist–Leninist criticisms are focused on the feasibility of achieving a socialist or communist society through democratic means or without suppressing counter-revolutionary forces.[38] Several academics, political commentators, and scholars have noted that some Western countries, such as France, Sweden and the United Kingdom, have been governed by socialist parties or have social democratic mixed economies sometimes referred to as "democratic socialist".[39][40] However, following the end of the Cold War, many of these countries have moved away from socialism as a neoliberal consensus replaced the social democratic consensus in the advanced capitalist world.[40][41][42][43][disputed (for: Socialist parties still routinely come in and out of power in these countries.) ]
- ^ Tsakalotos 2001, p. 26: "... most left-wing approaches (social democratic, democratic socialist, and so on) to how the market economy works."); Brandal, Bratberg & Thorsen 2013, Introduction: "In Scandinavia, as in the rest of the world, 'social democracy' and 'democratic socialism' have often been used interchangeably to define the part of the left pursuing gradual reform through democratic means."
- ^ Sinclair 1918; Busky 2000, p. 7; Abjorensen 2019, p. 115.
- ^ Edelstein 1993.
- ^ Anderson & Herr 2007, p. 448.
- ^ a b Alt et al. 2010, p. 401.
- ^ Busky 2000, p. 10.
- ^ Alt et al. 2010, p. 401; Abjorensen 2019, p. 115.
- ^ Williams 1985, p. 289; Foley 1994, p. 23; Eatwell & Wright 1999, p. 80; Busky 2000, pp. 7–8.
- ^ Bernstein 1907; Cole 1961; Steger 1997.
- ^ Sinclair 1918; Busky 2000, pp. 7–8.
- ^ a b Busky 2000, pp. 7–8; Prychitko 2002, p. 72.
- ^ Hamilton 1989; Pierson 2005; Page 2007.
- ^ Draper 1966, pp. 57–84; Hain 1995; Hain 2000, p. 118.
- ^ Hain 1995; Anderson & Herr 2007, p. 448.
- ^ Draper 1966, "The "Revisionist" Facade", "The 100% American Scene"; Alt et al. 2010, p. 401.
- ^ Dearlove & Saunders 2000; Gaus & Kukathas 2004, p. 420; Thompson 2006.
- ^ Adams 1999, p. 127; Gaus & Kukathas 2004, p. 420.
- ^ Williams 1985, p. 289; Foley 1994, p. 23; Eatwell & Wright 1999, p. 80; Busky 2000, pp. 7–8; Sargent 2008, pp. 117–118.
- ^ a b c Busky 2000, p. 93.
- ^ Möller, Kolja (September 2023). "From Jacobin flaws to transformative populism: Left populism and the legacy of European social democracy". Constellations. 30 (3): 309–324. doi:10.1111/1467-8675.12698. ISSN 1351-0487.
- ^ Sargent 2008, p. 118.
- ^ Weber, Henri (1978-08-01). "Eurocommunism, Socialism and Democracy" (PDF). New Left Review (I/110): 3–14.
- ^ Eatwell & Wright 1999, p. 80; Busky 2000, pp. 7–8; Prychitko 2002, p. 72; Volle 2022.
- ^ Prychitko 2002, p. 72.
- ^ Whyman 2005, pp. 1–5, 61, 215.
- ^ March 2008.
- ^ Lewis & Surender 2004, pp. 3–4, 16.
- ^ Barrientos & Powell 2004, pp. 9–26; Cammack 2004, pp. 151–166; Romano 2006; Hinnfors 2006; Lafontaine 2009; Corfe 2010.
- ^ Romano 2007, p. 114.
- ^ Adams 1999, p. 127.
- ^ a b Volle 2022.
- ^ Roemer 1994, pp. 25–27; Berman 1998, p. 57; Bailey 2009, p. 77; Lamb 2015, pp. 415–416.
- ^ Eatwell & Wright 1999, p. 80; Alt et al. 2010, p. 401.
- ^ Clarke 1981; Bardhan & Roemer 1992, pp. 101–116; Weisskopf 1994, pp. 297–318.
- ^ Ticktin 1998, pp. 55–80; Hinnfors 2006; Schweickart 2007, p. 447.
- ^ Eatwell & Wright 1999, p. 80; Anderson & Herr 2007, p. 447; Schweickart 2007, p. 448; Alt et al. 2010, p. 401.
- ^ Barrett 1978.
- ^ Malycha, Andreas (2000). Die SED: Geschichte ihrer Stalinisierung 1946–1953 [The SED: The History of its Stalinization] (in German). Schöningh. ISBN 978-3-506-75331-1.
- ^ Barrett 1978; Heilbroner 1991; Kendall 2011, pp. 125–127; Li 2015, pp. 60–69.
- ^ a b Sanandaji, Nima (27 October 2021). "Nordic Countries Aren't Actually Socialist". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ Caulcutt, Clea (13 January 2022). "The end of the French left". Politico. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ Krause-Jackson, Flavia (29 December 2019). "Socialism declining in Europe as populism support grows". The Independent. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ Best et al. 2011, p. xviii.
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