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Line 1: − '''Social Democracy''' is [[socialism]] by [[incrementalism]], rather than sudden swift violent overthrow. + − It is an ideology that emerged in the earlier [[twentieth century]]. Unlike its cousin [[Communism]], which seeks to destroy [[capitalism]] by (violent) revolution and replace it with a different social and economic system, social democracy seeks to put [[healthcare]], manufacturing, and the service sector into the hands of government by compromise with competing political parties and regulate capitalism via [[central planning]]. This gives the government a prominent role to "remedy" the alleged 'deficiencies" of capitalism and the power to manipulate market norms.+ + − Social democracy is sometimes referred to as the [[nanny state]].+ − + − An oft-asked question is "what is the difference between social democracy and democratic socialism?" − A Social Democrat, while being a [[far left]] advocate of [[big government]], and is not entirely respectful of [[private property]] and [[human rights]], nonetheless can function inside a multi-party system, is capable of negotiation, compromise and forging coalitions with non-Marxists. Many non-Marxists view Social Democracy with suspicion as a stepping stone to Democratic Socialism.+ − [[Democratic Socialism]] is entirely intolerant [[single-party]] totalitarianism. Because Marxist doctrine and socialism intrinsically is [[anti-democratic]] and prone to dictatorship and corruption, the [[oxymoron]]ic phrase, "Democratic Socialism" was crafted as an internal reform movement that demanded voting rights exclusively among party members for the "collective leadership" of the "[[revolutionary vanguard|permanent revolution]]."+ − Social Democracy is incremental socialism in a mixed economy; Democratic Socialism is a political [[cult]] that aims at totalitarian control.+ − ==History==+ − − It is generally considered that the international Left split into two distinct camps after the [[Russian Revolution]] of 1917. Members of the more extreme factions around the world, which sought to achieve radical societal change through revolution, became known as ''[[communists]]'', while members of the less extreme factions, which were led by Eduard Bernstein and sought to pursue gradual change through the democratic system, became known as ''social democrats''. Vladimir Lenin, however, while advocating for violent overthrow overall, did nonetheless toy with the idea of referring to his party as Social-Democrats,<ref>[https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1901/witbd/iii.htm What Is To Be Done?] by Vladimir Lenin<br />''"...the Social-Democrat’s [Communist's] ideal should not be the trade union secretary, but the tribune of the people, who is able to react to every manifestation of tyranny and oppression, no matter where it appears, no matter what stratum or class of the people it affects; who is able to generalise all these manifestations and produce a single picture of police violence and capitalist exploitation; who is able to take advantage of every event, however small, in order to set forth before all his socialist convictions and his democratic demands, in order to clarify for all and everyone the world-historic significance of the struggle for the emancipation of the proletariat."''</ref> with what would become the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks originating from a party called the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party from its founding in 1898 up to 1903, with the Bolsheviks openly embracing social democratic ideals.<ref>https://stream.org/lenin-said-christians-socialism/</ref> The roots of these divisions, in fact, long preceded 1917: [[Marxist]]s, for example, had called for violent revolution in the nineteenth century, while more moderate parties such as the [[British]] [[Labour Party]] had never espoused such ideas. In 1920 however, Lenin ordered the [[hostage]] taking and execution of Social Democrats if they did not cooperate with [[forced labor]] demands.<ref><small>'By a decree of the Defense Council of February 15, 1919-apparently with Lenin in the chair - the ''[[Cheka]]'' and the NKVD were ordered to take hostage peasants from those localities where the removal of snow from railroad tracks "was not proceeding satisfactorily," and "if the snow removal did not take place they were to be shot."7 (At the end of 1920, by decree of the Council of People's Commissars, permission was given to take Social Democrats as hostages too.)'</small><br>[[Alexander Solzhenitsyn]], ''[[The Gulag Archipelago]] Vol. I, page 30.</ref> Austrian economist [[Friedrich Hayek]] writing in 1945 observed, "To many who have watched the transition from socialism to [[fascism]] at close quarters the connection between the two systems has become increasingly obvious, but in the democracies the majority of people still believe that socialism and [[freedom]] can be combined. They do not realize that democratic socialism, the great [[utopia]] of the last few generations, is not only unachievable, but that to strive for it produces something utterly different – the very destruction of freedom itself.<ref>[http://www.iea.org.uk/files/upld-publication43pdf?.pdf ''Road to Serfdom'',] Friedrich A. Hayek, Reader's Digest Condensed Version, April 1945, pg. 36.</ref> − ==Social Democracy in Practice==+ − The economic policies of many European countries have been influenced by social democratic principles (the most notable being [[Denmark]], [[Finland]], [[Norway]] and [[Sweden]]). While such countries are often touted as having the highest living standards in the world, they also share very high tax rates and slower growth rates as compared to rest of the world (with the exception of Sweden). [[Germany]] has been ruled three times by the [[SPD]]. The policies of this party have increased the debt. In order to advance their cause, [[democratic socialist]]s will sell Nordic social democracies in promotion of democratic socialism, even though the two are not the same thing.<ref>[https://quillette.com/2018/08/06/democratic-socialism-is-a-scam/ Democratic Socialism is a Scam], by Giancarlo Sopo, Quillette</ref><ref>Nordic socialism has always been very [[nationalist]], with the slogan "We take care of our own," up until very recently.</ref> − Arguably the defining characteristic of all of socialism is a [[big government]] monopoly over the means of production. For this reason, the [[DSA]] has stated that social democracy is "good, but not good enough".<ref>[https://www.dsausa.org/social_democracy_is_good_but_not_good_enough Social Democracy Is Good. But Not Good Enough.]</ref> The Foundation for Economic Education also recognizes that social democracy is not democratic socialism, due to the lack of state-run means of production in the Scandinavian countries.<ref>[https://fee.org/articles/the-myth-of-scandinavian-socialism/ The Myth of Scandinavian Socialism]</ref>+ − Additionally, the wealth that exists in First World Countries leads to lower birth rates, a harmful side effect in a social democratic welfare state.<ref>[https://video.foxnews.com/v/5984288179001/?#sp=show-clips Low European birth rates raise global concerns and lead to a rise in populism]. ''Fox News Video''. December 28, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2018.</ref>+ − ==See also==+ − *[[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]] − ==External links==+ − * [http://www.socialdemocraticpartyofamerica.org Social Democratic Party of America] − ==References==+ − {{reflist}} − + − + + + + + + + + + + +
no edit summary
Social democracy is a [[Political ideology|political ideology]] that, in its current meaning, seeks to merely modify parameters within which [[Capital|capital]] operates with the aim of humanising or taming [[Capitalism|capitalism]]. Social democracy pursues the increasing of [[Welfare|welfare]] of [[Proletariat|working people]] through social programs. However, social democracy has gone through multiple meanings, the oldest of which was revolutionary.
== History ==
=== First Phase: Marxism (circa 1875-1910) ===
In this phase of social democracy it was a [[Marxism|Marxist]] movement advocating the revolutionary overthrow of private ownership in favour of social ownership. It was associated with the Second International that existed between 1889 until 1916. The majority of social-democratic parties backed their national governments when they entered into World War I, an event sometimes referred to as the Great Betrayal.<ref>4th August 1914: The Great Betrayal and Collapse of the Second International. Accessed December 9. http://www.marxist.com/4th-august-1914-the-great-betrayal-and-collapse-of-the-second-international.htm</ref>
==What is the difference between social democracy and democratic socialism?==
=== Second Phase: Revisionism (circa 1910-1945) ===
Revisionism is associated with Eduard Bernstein.
Bernstein disavowed scientific socialism in favour of ethical socialism.
=== Third Phase: From Consensus to Crisis (circa 1945-1970s) ===
After [[World War II]] a consensus developed around social-democracy and Keynesianism. Paternalistic conservative and social-democratic parties built welfare states and nationalised key industries such as telecommunications and public transportation. This period coincided with the post-World War II economic boom.
[[File:Mao Browder and Social Democracy.jpeg|right|350px|thumb|''Mao, Browder, and Social Democracy''. The tract, written by Marxist–Leninist purists, accuses [[Chairman Mao]] and CPUSA general secretary [[Earl Browder]] of [[deviationism|corrupting Socialism]].]]
In this period, the aim of social-democracy was the elimination of poverty, cradle-to-grave welfare provisions, creating full employment, and it upheld values such as class politics and the nation-state.
In the 1970s this period ended when social-democracy and Keynesianism hit a crisis. The 1973-1977 recession [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973%E2%80%9375_recession wp] was the primary catalyst for the transition to neo-liberalism in the 1970s. This was compounded by the fact that inflation and unemployment rose simultaneously, whereas Keynesians had theoretically 'proved' that there was a negative trade off between the two phenomena.
=== Fourth Phase: Neo-revisionism (circa 1970s-present) ===
Globalisation had forced social democracy into crisis and it had to reinvent itself. This produced what is referred to as neo-revisionism and is related to neo-liberalism and the Third Way championed by Clinton, Tony Blair, and Dutch former prime minister Wim Kok.
Socialism, meaning state intervention, was declared dead and class conflict was replaced by a consensus view of society. Key is the concept of a market state, based on social investment in infrastructure and people geared toward global competitiveness.<ref>Andrew Heywood. Political Ideologies. 3rd edition.</ref> Thus, education warrants state investment to create a capable work force for the particular needs of capital of the information age, rather than to enable self-actualisation and cultural enrichment. Many social-democratic parties have, on this basis, supported austerity measures in the aftermath of the 2009-2014 economic crisis.
Full employability has replaced the goal of full employment, and the aim of cradle-to-grave welfare provisions has been replaced by the notion of the concept of welfare-to-work. It upholds values such as meritocracy, equality of opportunity, and globalisation.
[[Category:Political Terms]]
=== Democratic Socialism (1970s-present) ===
[[Category:Marxist Terminology]]
Democratic socialism developed as anti-neoliberal reaction to neo-liberalised social democracy. This current is similarly committed to the aims of the third phase of social democracy, namely full employment, social welfare, nationalisation of key industries, and opposition to deregulation and liberalisation.
Chavismo is considered a form of democratic socialism.
Examples of parties in Europe include the Socialist Party (Netherlands) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialist_Party_(Netherlands) wp] and the Left Party (Sweden) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left_Party_(Sweden) wp].
=== Eurocommunism (1970s-present) ===
Eurocommunism is a reformist deviation from [[Marxism-Leninism]].
Various Marxist-Leninist parties have transformed into Eurocommunist parties, including the Communist Party of Spain, the Japanese Communist Party, and the now defunct Communist Party of the Netherlands and the Mexican Communist Party. Presently, Synaspismós (SYN), which dominates the party SYRIZA [wp], is the largest Eurocommunist party globally. SYRIZA has achieved major electoral success and was backed by famous Marxist Slavoj Zizek. It has moderated its stances since 2014.<ref>Kerin Hope. December 10, 2014 6:00 pm. Greece’s radical left Syriza seeks to soften its sharp edges. Accessed December 11. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/577efe3a-8080-11e4-9907-00144feabdc0.html</ref><ref>Robert Stevens. 2014. Greece’s SYRIZA steps up its overtures to big business. Accessed December 11. http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2014/07/04/gree-j04.html</ref> The party's leader Tsipras "promises Greek businesses tax breaks and reforms that can bolster healthy enterprise and leave back the parasitic, state-funded business model of the past" <ref>George Gilson. 2014 May 29. Tsipras builds bridges with business. Accessed December 11. http://www.enetenglish.gr/?i=news.en.article&id=1980</ref>