Open Mike - Democratic Socialism and Social Democracy, by Rowland | "catch a fire" - 0 views
jonnystar.wordpress.com/...nd-social-democracy-by-rowland
politics political science philosophy society culture socialism democracy
shared by izz aty on 12 May 14
- No Cached
-
they represent very different methods for approaching the issue of socialism
-
Peter Hain, for example, classes democratic socialism, along with libertarian socialism, as a form of anti-authoritarian “socialism from below”
- ...21 more annotations...
-
social democrats aim to reform capitalism democratically through state regulation and the creation of state sponsored programs and organizations which work to ameliorate or remove perceived injustices inflicted by the capitalist market system
-
it is the active participation of the population as a whole, and workers in particular, in the management of economy that characterises democratic socialism
-
nationalisation and economic planning (whether controlled by an elected government or not) are characteristic of state socialism
-
democratic socialists tend to support revolutionary means and methods as opposed to reformist/evolutionary ones
-
For him, this democratic/authoritarian divide is more important than the revolutionary/reformist divide
-
a mainstream leftist party in a state with a market economy and a mostly middle class voting base might be described as a social democratic party
-
a party with a more radical agenda and an intellectual or working class voting base that has a history of involvement with further left movements might be described as a democratic socialist party
-
Now the term social democracy refers to an ideology that is more centrist and supports a broadly capitalist system, with some social reforms (such as the welfare state), intended to make it more equitable and humane
-
Democratic socialism implies an ideology that is more left wing and supportive of a fully socialist system[1], established either by gradually reforming capitalism from within, or by some form of revolutionary transformation.
-
Revolutionary democratic socialists accuse those who favor evolution of supporting socialism from above, which does not abolish the capitalist system
-
Revolutionary democratic socialists believe that the political structures within existing capitalist societies serve as an impediment to full democracy, which they believe can only be achieved by establishing a new political structure built from the bottom up
-
Evolutionary (reformist) democratic socialists and social democrats both typically advocate at least a welfare state
-
some social democrats, being influenced by the Third Way, would be willing to consider other means of delivering a social safety net for the poorest in society.
-
Revolutionary democratic socialists support a welfare state not as a means of achieving socialism, but as a temporary method of relief, and as a means of mobilizing the populace towards revolutionary ideals.
-
Democratic socialists usually support re-distribution of wealth and power, social ownership of major industries, and a planned economy