Democratic socialism
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{{Socialism}}
'''Democratic socialism''' is a term used by various [[socialism|socialist]] movements, tendencies and organisations, imply a democratic character in their political orientation. The term is often used as a euphemism for the term '[[social democracy]]'.
==Definition==
Democratic socialism is difficult to define, and groups of scholars have radically different definitions for the term. Some definitions of democratic socialism simply refers to all forms of socialism that follow an electoral, reformist or [[evolutionary socialism|evolutionary]] path to socialism, rather than a revolutionary one.<ref>This definition is captured in this statement: [[Anthony Crosland]] “argued that the socialisms of the pre-war world (not just that of the Marxists, but of the democratic socialists too) were now increasingly irrelevant.” (Chris Pierson “Lost property: What the Third Way lacks” ’’Journal of Political Ideologies’’ (June 2005), 10(2), 145–163 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13569310500097265). Other texts which use the terms “democratic socialism” in this way include Malcolm Hamilton ’’Democratic Socialism in Britain and Sweden’’ (St Martin’s Press 1989).</ref>
However, for those who use the term in this way, the scope of the term [[socialism]] itself can be very vague, and include forms of socialism compatible with capitalism. For example, Robert M. Page, a Reader in Democratic Socialism and Social Policy at the University of Birmingham, writes about "transformative democratic socialism" to refer to the politics of the [[Clement Atlee]] government (a strong [[welfare state]], fiscal redistribution, some nationalisation) and "revisionist democratic socialism", as developed by [[Anthony Crosland]] and [[Harold Wilson]]: <blockquote>”The most influential revisionist Labour thinker, Anthony Crosland..., contended that a more ‘benevolent’ form of capitalism had emerged since the [Second World War]... According to Crosland, it was now possible to achieve greater equality in society without the need for ‘fundamental’ economic transformation. For Crosland, a more meaningful form of equality could be achieved if the growth dividend derived from effective management of the economy was invested in 'pro-poor' public services rather than through fiscal redistribution.”<ref>Robert M Page “Without a Song in their Heart: New Labour, the Welfare State and the Retreat from Democratic Socialism” ''Jnl Soc. Pol.'', 36, 1, 19–37 2007.</ref></blockquote>
Indeed, some proponents of [[market socialism]] see the latter as a form of democratic socialism.<ref>For example, David Miller ''Market, State, and Community: Theoretical Foundations of Market Socialism'' (Oxford University Press, 1990).</ref>
A variant of this set of definitions is [[Joseph Schumpeter]]’s argument, set out in ''Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy'' (1941) that [[liberal democracies]] were evolving from “liberal capitalism” into democratic socialism, with the growth of workers’ self-management, [[industrial democracy]] and regulatory institutions.<ref>See John Medearis “Schumpeter, the New Deal, and Democracy” ''The American Political Science Review'' 1997</ref>
In contrast, among those definitions of democratic socialism which sharply distinguish it from [[social democracy]], [[Peter Hain]], for example, classes democratic socialism, along with [[libertarian socialism]], as a form of [[anti-authoritarian]] “[[The Two Souls of Socialism|socialism from below]]” (using the term popularised by [[Hal Draper]]), in contrast to [[Stalinism]] and social democracy, variants of [[authoritarian]] [[state socialism]]. For him, this democratic/authoritarian divide is more important than the [[revolutionary socialism|revolutionary]]/[[reformist]] divide.<ref>[[Peter Hain]] ''Ayes to the Left'' Lawrence and Wishart</ref> In this definition, it is the active participation of the population as a whole, and workers in particular, in the management of economy that characterises democratic socialism, while [[nationalisation]] and [[economic planning]] (whether controlled by an elected government or not) are characteristic of state socialism. A similar, but more complex, argument is made by [[Nicos Poulantzas]].<ref>[http://www.newleftreview.org/?page=article&view=1242 Towards a Democratic Socialism ‘’New Left Review’’ I/109, May-June 1978]</ref>
Other definitions fall somewhere between the first and second set, seeing democratic socialism as a specific political tradition closely related to and overlapping with social democracy. For example, Bogdan Denitch, in ''Democratic Socialism'' defines it as proposing a radical reorganization of the socio-economic order through public ownership, [[workers’ control]] of the [[labour process]] and redistributive tax policies. <ref>Bogdan Denitch, ''Democratic Socialism: The Mass Left in Advanced Industrial Societies'' (Allanheld, Osmun, 1981)</ref> Robert G. Picard similarly describes a democratic socialist tradition of thought including [[Eduard Bernstein]], [[Karl Kautsky]], [[Evan Durbin]] and [[Michael Harrington]]<ref>''The Press and the Decline of Democracy: Democratic Socialist Response in Public Policy'' (1985 Praeger/Greenwood)</ref>
The term democratic socialism can be used to refer to a version of the [[Soviet democracy|Soviet model]] that was reformed in a democratic way. For example, [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] described [[perestroika]] as building a “new, humane and democratic socialism”<ref> Paul T. Christensen “Perestroika and the Problem of Socialist Renewal” ''Social Text'' 1990</ref> Consequently, some former [[Communist parties]] have rebranded themselves as democratic socialist, as with the [[The Left Party.PDS|Party of Democratic Socialism]] in Germany.
Justification of democratic socialism can be found in the works of social philosophers like [[Charles Taylor (philosopher)|Charles Taylor]] and [[Axel Honneth]], among others. Honneth has put forward the view that political and economic ideologies have a social basis, that is, they originate from intersubjective communication between members of a society.<ref>{{Citation |last= Honneth|first= Axel|authorlink= Axel Honneth|chapter= The Limits of Liberalism: On the Political-Ethical Discussion Concerning Communitarianism|year= 1995|editor-surname= Honneth|editor-first= Axel|title= The Fragmented World of the Social|publisher= State University of New York Press|location= Albany|isbn= 0-7914-2300-X|pages= 231-247}}</ref> Honneth criticises the liberal state because it assumes that principles of individual liberty and private property are ahistorical and abstract, when in fact they evolved from a specific social discourse on human activity. This suggests that both people's ideas and their well-being may depend on interaction with others, which is undermined by neoliberal policies that emphasise individual rights and private over public property. Democratic socialism, with its emphasis on collectivism and cooperation between members of a society, could be seen as a way of safeguarding people's integrity..
==See also==
*[[Democratic Socialist Party]]
*[[List of democratic socialist parties and organizations]]
*[[Libertarian socialism]]
*[[Luxemburgism]]
*[[Neosocialism]]
*[[Participatory democracy]]
*[[Revolutionary socialism]]
*[[Sewer Socialism]]
*[[Social democracy]]
*[[Soviet democracy]]
*[[Third camp]]
*[[Third way]]
*[[Yellow socialism]]
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==Bibliography==
* Donald F. Busky, ''Democratic Socialism: A Global Survey'' ISBN 0-275-96886-3
==External links==
* [http://www.ydsusa.org/toward_ds.html Joseph Schwartz and Jason Schulman ''Towards Freedom: The Theory and Practice of Democratic Socialism'']
* [http://www.kamat.com/database/content/democratic_socialism/ Democratic Socialism in India] Posters and Press Clips
[[Category:Socialism]]
[[Category:Democratic socialism| ]]
[[Category:Economic ideologies]]
[[cs:Sociální demokracie]]
[[de:Sozialistische Demokratie]]
[[es:Socialismo democrático]]
[[eo:Demokrata Socialismo]]
[[ko:민주사회주의]]
[[it:Socialismo democratico]]
[[lt:Demokratinis socializmas]]
[[mk:Демократски социјализам]]
[[ja:民主社会主義]]
[[no:Demokratisk sosialisme]]
[[nn:Demokratisk sosialisme]]
[[pl:Socjalizm demokratyczny]]
[[ru:Демократический социализм]]
[[sv:Demokratisk socialism]]
[[tr:Demokratik sosyalizm]]
[[zh:民主社会主义]]