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The official symbol of Socialist International, the social democratic central organization.
The official symbol of Socialist International, the social democratic central organization. Socialist International is a worldwide organization of socialist ( social democratic and labour) political parties
Part of the Politics series on
Social democracy
Precursors
The Age of Enlightenment
Utopian socialism
Trade Unionism
The Revolutions of 1848
Orthodox Marxism
Development
Revisionism/Reformism
Third way
Policies
Representative democracy
Labour rights
Civil liberties
Welfare state
Mixed economy
Secularism
Fair trade
Environmental protection
Organizations
Social democratic parties
Socialist International
Party of European Socialists
ITUC
Important figures
Eduard Bernstein
Hjalmar Branting
Friedrich Ebert
Jean Jaurès
Léon Blum
Karl Kautsky
Ignacy Daszyński
Ramsay MacDonald
Clement Attlee
Tony Blair
Tommy Douglas
Politics Portal ·  v • d • e 

Social democracy is a political ideology that emerged in the late 19th century out of the socialist movement. Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions The Age of Enlightenment or The Enlightenment is a term used to describe a phase in Western philosophy and cultural life centered upon the eighteenth century Utopian socialism is a term used to define the first currents of modern socialist thought A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming The European Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Spring of Nations or the Year of Revolution, were a series of political upheavals throughout the European Orthodox Marxism is the term used to describe the version of Marxism which emerged after the death of Karl Marx and acted as the official philosophy of the Socialist Reformism is the belief that gradual democratic changes in a Society can ultimately change a society's fundamental economic relations and political structures The Third Way is a term that has been used to describe a variety of political philosophies of governance that embracing a mix of market and interventionist philosophies Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principles of the people's representatives Labor rights or workers' rights are a group of Legal rights and claimed Human rights having to do with Labor relations between Workers thumb| |Broken Liberty Istanbul Archaeology Museum Civil liberties are freedoms that protect the Individual from the Government. This article refers specifically to the Welfare state of the United Kingdom. A mixed economy is an Economic system that incorporates aspects of more than one economic system Secularism is generally the assertion that governmental practices or institutions should exist separately from Religion or religious beliefs Fair trade is an organized Social movement and market-based approach to empowering developing country producers and promoting sustainability Environmentalism is a broad philosophy and Social movement centered on a concern for the conservation and improvement of the environment. This is a list of parties in the world that consider themselves to be upholding the principles and values of Social democracy. Socialist International is a worldwide organization of socialist ( social democratic and labour) political parties The Party of European Socialists (PES is a European political party comprising of thirty-three socialist, social democratic and labour Inaugural Congress The founding and first congress of the ITUC was held November 1 - 3 2006 in Vienna Eduard Bernstein ( January 6 1850 December 18 1932) was a German social democratic theoretician and ( 23 November 1860 – 24 February 1925) was a Swedish politician Friedrich Ebert ( February 4, 1871 February 28, 1925) was a German Politician ( SPD) who served as Jean Léon Jaurès (full name Auguste Marie Joseph Jean Léon Jaurès; 3 September 1859 31 July 1914) was a French André Léon Blum (9 April 1872 30 March 1950 was a French politician usually identified with the moderate left and three times the Prime Minister of France. Karl Kautsky ( October 16 1854 - October 17 1938) was a leading theoretician of Social democracy. Ignacy Daszyński (1866-1936 was a Polish politician In his youth a founder of the Polish Socialist Party, he suffered extremely impoverished circumstances as James Ramsay MacDonald ( 12 October 1866 &ndash 9 November 1937) was a British politician and twice Prime Minister of the United Clement Richard Attlee 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC ( 3 January 1883 &ndash 8 October 1967 Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to Thomas Clement "Tommy" Douglas, PC, CC, SOM ( October 20, 1904 – February 24, 1986) was a The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution [1] Modern social democracy is unlike socialism in the traditional sense which aims to end the predominance of the capitalist system, or in the Marxist sense which aims to replace it entirely. Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Instead, social democrats aim to reform capitalism democratically through state regulation and the creation of programs and organizations which work to ameliorate or remove injustices they see in the capitalist market system. Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system Social Injustice is a concept relating to the perceived unfairness or injustice of a Society in its divisions of rewards and burdens "Social democracy" is also used to refer to the particular kind of society that social democrats advocate. While some consider social democracy a moderate type of socialism, others, defining socialism in the traditional or Marxist sense, reject that designation.

Social democratic parties initially advocated socialism in the strict sense, achieved by class struggle as defined by the Orthodox Marxists within or affiliated with the Social Democratic Party of Germany: August Bebel, Eduard Bernstein, Friedrich Engels, Karl Kautsky and Wilhelm Liebknecht. Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution Class struggle is the active expression of Class conflict looked at from any kind of socialist perspective Orthodox Marxism is the term used to describe the version of Marxism which emerged after the death of Karl Marx and acted as the official philosophy of the August Ferdinand Bebel ( February 22 1840 &ndash August 13 1913) was a German social democrat and one of the founders of the Eduard Bernstein ( January 6 1850 December 18 1932) was a German social democratic theoretician and Friedrich Engels (28 November 1820 – 5 August 1895 was a German social scientist and philosopher, who Karl Kautsky ( October 16 1854 - October 17 1938) was a leading theoretician of Social democracy. Wilhelm Liebknecht ( March 29, 1826 &ndash August 7, 1900) was a German Social democrat, one of the founders of the [1] Schisms within the party during the early 20th century led to the desertion of the revolutionary socialists, and the primacy of Bernstein's evolutionary or reformist democratic path for social progress within the social democratic movement. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on The term revolutionary socialism refers to Socialist tendencies that advocate the need for fundamental social change through Revolution, as a strategy to achieve a Socialist Reformism is the belief that gradual democratic changes in a Society can ultimately change a society's fundamental economic relations and political structures Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system [1] Throughout Europe, a number of other socialist parties simultaneously rejected revolutionary socialism, and the followers of these movements ultimately came to identify themselves as social democrats or democratic socialists. Democratic socialism is a description used by various socialist movements tendencies and organizations to emphasize the democratic character of their political orientation Consequently, while social democrats share many views with the democratic socialists, they often differ on specific policy issues. While social democracy is currently the strongest current of socialism, having won many elected offices in international politics, followed closely by democratic socialism[2], the two movements often share political parties, such as the British Labour Party in the 1980s, and the Brazilian Workers' Party today. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld The Workers' Party ( Partido dos Trabalhadores, PT is a left-wing Political party in Brazil. [3]

One way to delineate between social democratic parties (or movements) and democratic socialist ones, would be to think of social democracy as moving left from capitalism and democratic socialism as moving right from Marxism: in other words, 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, while 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[4]. In Politics, right-wing, the political right, and the Right are positions that uphold traditional values and/or authorities A market economy is a realized Social system based on the Division of labour in which the prices of Goods and Services are determined in a Ultra-left|Radical left|Radicalism (historical|Hard left Far left and extreme left are terms used to discuss the position a group or person occupies within a Political spectrum However, this is not always the case. The British Labour Party charter identifies the party as a "democratic socialist party,"[5] even though the current and former leader, Gordon Brown[6] and Tony Blair[7], identify themselves as social democrats. WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951 is Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to

The Socialist International (SI), a worldwide organization of social democratic, and labour parties, defines the socialist option as one in which it is "the people of the world who should exercise control by means of a more advanced democracy in all aspects of life: political, social, and economic. Socialist International is a worldwide organization of socialist ( social democratic and labour) political parties " The SI emphasizes the following principles: first, freedom—not only individual liberties, but also freedom from discrimination and freedom from dependence on either the owners of the means of production or the holders of abusive political power; second, equality and social justice—not only before the law but also economic and socio-cultural equality as well, and equal opportunities for all including those with physical, mental, or social disabilities; and, third, solidarity—unity and a sense of compassion for the victims of injustice and inequality. thumb| |Broken Liberty Istanbul Archaeology Museum Civil liberties are freedoms that protect the Individual from the Government. Unlike most discrimination policies discrimination between, which is the discernment of qualities and recognition of the differences focused here discrimination against is Means Of Production is a compilation of Aim 's early 12" and EP releases recorded between 1995 and 1998 Political power ( Imperium in Latin is a type of power held by a group in a Society which allows administration of some or all of Social justice, sometimes called civil justice, refers to the concept of a Society in which Justice is achieved in every aspect of society rather than These ideals are described in further detail in the SI's Declaration of Principles[8].

Social democratic parties originally included both democratic socialists and revolutionary socialists. Democratic socialism is a description used by various socialist movements tendencies and organizations to emphasize the democratic character of their political orientation The term revolutionary socialism refers to Socialist tendencies that advocate the need for fundamental social change through Revolution, as a strategy to achieve a Indeed, the split with the revolutionary socialists, including Rosa Luxemburg and Vladimir Lenin, was spectacularly hostile. Rosa Luxemburg (Róża Luksemburg 5 March 1870 or 1871 15 January 1919 was a Polish-born Jewish German Marxist theorist, socialist After World War I and the Russian Revolution, many leading social democrats, including Eduard Bernstein, were explicitly non-revolutionary. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All See also Russian Revolution (1905 The Russian Revolution of 1916 refers to a series of popular revolutions in Russia, and the events surrounding them In reaction to this, many Bolsheviks and other Marxist-Leninist parties adopted a strategy of publicly denouncing social democrats as "social fascists. The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists ( Большевик Большевист (singular, derived from bolshe, "more" were a faction Marxism-Leninism is a Communist ideological stream that emerged as the mainstream tendency amongst the Communist parties in the 1920s as it was adopted Social fascism was a theory supported by the Communist International (Comintern during the late 1920s and early 1930s which stated that Social democracy was a variant "

Contents

History

Pre-war—social democracy and Marxism

Many parties in the second half of the 19th century described themselves as social democratic, such as the German Allgemeiner Deutscher Arbeiterverein and the Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei (which merged to form the Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands), the British Social Democratic Federation and the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The General German Workers' Association, in German Allgemeiner Deutscher Arbeiterverein, ADAV was founded on 23 May 1863 by Ferdinand Lassalle The Social Democratic Workers' Party of Germany, in German Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei Deutschlands, SDAP was a German left-wing political The Social Democratic Federation (SDF was established as Britain's first organised socialist Political party by H The Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party, or RSDLP ( Росси́йская Социа́л-Демократи́ческая Рабо́чая In most cases these parties were avowedly revolutionary socialist which were not only seeking to introduce socialism, but also to introduce democracy in undemocratic countries. Most of these parties were to some degree influenced by the works of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, who were still actively working to influence European politics from London. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.

The modern social democratic current came into being through a break within the socialist movement in the early 20th century, between two groups holding different views on the ideas of Karl Marx. [1] Many related movements, including pacifism, anarchism, and syndicalism, arose at the same time; these ideologies were often promulgated by individuals who split from the preexisting socialist movement, and held a variety of quite different objections to Marxism. Anarchism is a Political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which support the elimination of all compulsory Government, i Syndicalism is a type of movement which aims to degrade capitalist societies through action by the Working class on the industrial front The social democrats, who had created the largest socialist organizations of that era, did not reject Marxism (and in fact claimed to uphold it), but a number of key individuals wanted to reform Marx's arguments in order to promulgate a less hostile criticism of capitalism. They argued that socialism should be achieved through evolution of society rather than revolution. Such views were strongly opposed by the revolutionary socialists, who argued that any attempt to reform capitalism was doomed to fail, for the reformers would be gradually corrupted and eventually turn into capitalists themselves.

Despite their differences, the reformist and revolutionary branches of socialism remained united through the Second Internationale until the outbreak of World War I. The Second International (1889-1916 was an organization of socialist and labour parties formed in Paris on July 14, 1889. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All A differing view on the legitimacy of the war proved to be the final straw for this tenuous union. The reformist socialists supported their respective national governments in the war, a fact that was seen by the revolutionary socialists as outright treason against the working class; in other words, the revolutionary socialists believed that this stance betrayed the principle that the workers of all nations should unite in overthrowing capitalism, and decried the fact that usually the lowest classes are the ones sent into the war to fight and die. In Law, treason is the Crime that covers some of the more serious acts of disloyalty to one's sovereign or Nation. Working class is a term used in academic Sociology and in ordinary conversation to describe depending on context and speaker those employed in specific fields or types Bitter arguments ensued within socialist parties, as for example between Eduard Bernstein, the leading reformist socialist, and Rosa Luxemburg, one of the leading revolutionary socialists within the SPD in Germany. Eduard Bernstein ( January 6 1850 December 18 1932) was a German social democratic theoretician and Rosa Luxemburg (Róża Luksemburg 5 March 1870 or 1871 15 January 1919 was a Polish-born Jewish German Marxist theorist, socialist Eventually, after the Russian Revolution of 1917, most of the world's socialist parties fractured. See also Russian Revolution (1905 The Russian Revolution of 1916 refers to a series of popular revolutions in Russia, and the events surrounding them The reformist socialists kept the name "Social democrats", while many revolutionary socialists began calling themselves "communists", and soon formed the modern Communist movement. Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based These communist parties soon formed an exclusive Third Internationale known globally as the Comintern. The Comintern ( Com munist Intern ational also known as the Third International) was an international Communist organisation founded in Moscow

By the 1920s, the doctrinal differences between social democrats and communists of all factions (be they Orthodox Marxists, Bolsheviks or Mensheviks) had solidified. The Mensheviks (Minority (Меньшевик) were a faction of the Russian Revolutionary movement that emerged in 1903 after a dispute between Vladimir These differences only became more dramatic as the years passed.

Post war—social democracy and democratic socialism

Following the split between social democrats and communists, another split developed within social democracy, between those who still believed it was necessary to abolish capitalism (without revolution) and replace it with a socialist system through democratic parliamentary means, and those who believed that the capitalist system could be retained but needed dramatic reform, such as the nationalization of large businesses, the implementation of social programs (public education, universal healthcare, and the like) and the partial redistribution of wealth through the permanent establishment of a welfare state based on progressive taxation. Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in American English) is a System of government in which Nationalization, also spelled nationalisation, is the act of taking an industry or assets into the Public ownership of a national government Public education is education mandated for or offered to the children of the general public by the Government, whether national regional or local provided by an institution Universal health care is health care coverage which is extended to all eligible residents of a governmental region This article refers specifically to the Welfare state of the United Kingdom. A progressive tax is a Tax imposed so that the Tax rate increases as the amount subject to taxation increases Eventually, most social democratic parties have come to be dominated by the latter position and, in the post-World War II era, have abandoned any commitment to abolish capitalism. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including For instance, in 1959, the Social Democratic Party of Germany adopted the Godesberg Program which rejected class struggle and Marxism. The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Godesberg Program (Godesberger Programm was the party program outline of the political course of Germany 's social-democratic party the SPD. Class struggle is the active expression of Class conflict looked at from any kind of socialist perspective Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. While "social democrat" and "democratic socialist" continued to be used interchangeably, by the 1990s in the English-speaking world at least the two terms had generally come to signify respectively the latter and former positions.

In Italy, the Italian Social Democratic Party was founded in 1947, and from 1948 on supported the idea of a "centrist alliance". Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Italian Democratic Socialist Party ( Partito Socialista Democratico Italiano, PSDI is a minor social-democratic Italian political party. Since the late 1980s, many other social democratic parties have adopted the "Third Way," either formally or in practice. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. Modern social democrats are generally in favor of a mixed economy, which is in many ways capitalistic, but explicitly defend governmental provision of certain social services. A mixed economy is an Economic system that incorporates aspects of more than one economic system Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where Many social democratic parties have shifted emphasis from their traditional goals of social justice to human rights and environmental issues. Human rights refers to the "basic Rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled Environmentalism is a broad philosophy and Social movement centered on a concern for the conservation and improvement of the environment. In this, they are facing an increasing challenge from Greens, who view ecology as fundamental to peace, require reform of money supply and promote safe trade measures to ensure ecological integrity. Green politics is a Political ideology which places a high importance on ecological and environmental goals and on achieving these goals through broad-based Ecology (from Greek grc οἶκος oikos, "house(hold" and grc -λογία -logia) is the scientific study of In Economics, money supply, or money stock, is the total amount of money available in an Economy at a particular point in time Safe trade is a slogan advocated by Greenpeace in its desire to " green " the World Trade Organisation and the Doha Development In Germany in particular, Greens, Social Democrats, and other left-wing parties have cooperated in so-called Red-Green Alliances. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. In Politics, a red-green alliance is an alliance of "red" socialist or social democratic parties with "green" environmentalist This is also not uncommon in Norway. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional

The Third Way

In recent years, a number of social democratic parties and governments have moved away from some traditional elements of social democracy by supporting both the privatisation of certain state-controlled industries and services and the reduction of certain forms of regulation of the market. These changes have been perceived in the policies of Bob Hawke, Paul Keating, and Kevin Rudd in Australia, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown in the United Kingdom,[7][9] Gerhard Schröder in Germany, Jens Stoltenberg in Norway, Mona Sahlin in Sweden, David Lange, Roger Douglas in New Zealand, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen in Denmark, Wim Kok in the Netherlands and Ricardo Lagos in Chile. Robert James Lee (Bob Hawke, AC (born 9 December 1929 was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia and longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister Paul John Keating (born 18 January 1944 was the 24th Prime Minister of Australia, from 1991 to 1996 Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957 is the 26th and current Prime Minister of Australia and federal leader of the Centre-left Australian Labor For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951 is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located ˌɡeɐ̯haɐ̯t fʁɪʦ kʊɐ̯t ˈʃʁøːdɐ (born 7 April 1944 German politician, was Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005 Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. (born 16 March 1959 is the Prime Minister of Norway. He took office in October of 2005 he was previously Prime Minister from 2000 to 2001 Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional Mona Ingeborg Sahlin ˈmoːna saˈlin (born 9 March 1957) is a Swedish Politician and the current leader of the Swedish Social Democratic "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. David Russell Lange, ONZ, CH (who pronounced his name ˈlɒŋi long-ee) (4 August 1942 – 13 August 2005 served as Prime Minister of New Zealand Sir Roger Owen Douglas (born 5 December 1937) a New Zealand politician formerly served as a senior Cabinet minister New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Poul Nyrup Rasmussen (⁽ˈ⁾pʰʌʊ̯l ny(ːɔb̥ ˈʁɑsmusn̩ informally nyːˀɔb̥ born June 15, 1943) was the Prime Minister of Denmark The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe Willem "Wim" Kok ( (born 29 September 1938 in Bergambacht) is a Dutch Politician. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Ricardo Froilán Lagos Escobar (born March 2, 1938) is a lawyer economist and social democrat politician who served as president of Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the In general, these apparent reversals in policy have encountered significant opposition among party members and core voters: many of the latter, indeed, have claimed that their leaders have betrayed their traditional principles. [9] In other cases, such as the Brazilian administration of Fernando Henrique Cardoso, the Brazilian Social Democracy Party won power by openly pursuing a centre-right coalition designed to keep the more left-wing Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula) of the Workers' Party out of power. Fernando Henrique Cardoso, PC (born June 18, 1931) - also known by his initials FHC - was the President of the Federative Republic of The Brazilian Social Democracy Party ( Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira, PSDB is a Political party in Brazil. The centre-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals political parties or organizations (such as Think tanks whose views Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (pronounced /lu'iz i'nasju 'lulɐ da 'siwvɐ/; born October 27, 1945) known simply as Lula, is the thirty-fifth and [10] Lula ultimately won the presidential election in 2002, only to promote a vision based largely on European social democratic economic policy. General elections were held in Brazil on 6 October 2002 A second round of voting was necessary for the Presidential election and this was held on 27 October [3]

"Modernising" social democrats counter that their Third Way ideals merely represent a necessary or pragmatic adaptation of social democracy to the realities of the modern world: "traditional" social democracy thrived during the prevailing international climate of the post-war Bretton Woods consensus which collapsed in the 1970s. The Third Way is a term that has been used to describe a variety of political philosophies of governance that embracing a mix of market and interventionist philosophies The Bretton Woods system of monetary management established the rules for commercial and financial relations among the world's major industrial states Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. It has, moreover, become difficult for political parties in the developed world to win elections on a distinctively left-wing platform now that electorates are increasingly "middle-class", aspirational and consumeristic. In Britain, where such an electorate rejected the Labour Party four times consecutively between 1979 and 1992, Tony Blair and his colleagues (the New Labour movement) took the strategic decision to overtly disassociate themselves from the previous, strongly democratic socialist incarnations of their party. Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the This challenge alienated many backbenchers, including some who advocated the less militant ideology of social democracy. For other meanings see Backbench A backbencher is a Member of Parliament (MP or a legislator who does not hold governmental

The development of new social democratic policies in this environment is the subject of wide-ranging debate within the centre-left. The centre-left (or center-left) is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals political parties or organizations (such as Think A number of political think-tanks, such as Policy Network and Wiardi Beckman Stichting, have been active in facilitating and promoting this debate. Policy Network is a london-based international Thinktank which is dedicated to promoting progressive policies and the renewal of social democracy The Wiardi Beckman Stichting (The Wiardi Beckman Foundation is a Dutch think tank linked to the left-of-center Labour Party (PvdA.

See also History of Socialism. The history of socialism, sometimes termed 'modern socialism' finds its origins in the French Revolution of 1789 and the changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution

Views of social democrats today

In general, contemporary social democrats support:

Social democrats also tend to support:

Social democratic political parties

Democracy

This series is part of
the Politics and the
Forms of government series

Politics Portal ·  v • d • e 

Social democratic political parties are a feature of many democratic countries, and are found in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and elsewhere. Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions A system of government is a term that refers to the set of political Institutions by which a Government of a State is organized in order to exert its powers Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system Democracy is a political system in which all the members of the society have an equal share of formal political power Here is a partial list of varieties of democracy. The types of Democracy listed here are not mutually exclusive * Democracy, a broad article on democracy especially its application in modernity Anticipatory democracy is a theory of Civics relying on democratic Decision making that takes into account predictions of future events that have some credibility Athenian democracy developed in the Greek City-state of Athens Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian (and often specifically Catholic) principles to public policy Consensus democracy is the application of Consensus decision making to the process of legislation in a Democracy. Deliberative democracy also sometimes called discursive democracy, is a term used by some political theorists to refer to any system of political decisions based Demarchy ("Dem" being short for demos meaning people and " -archy " meaning rule is a hypothetical political system run by randomly selected decision Direct Democracy is a movement within the British Conservative Party dedicated to localism and Constitutional reform as a means of reviving public Grassroots democracy is a tendency towards designing political processes where as much decision-making authority as practical is shifted to the organization's lowest geographic An illiberal democracy is a governing system in which although fairly free elections take place citizens are cut off from real power due to the lack of Civil liberties. Known as Islamic democracy, two kinds of democratic states can be recognized in the Islamic countries The term "liberal" in "liberal democracy" does not imply that the government of such a democracy must follow the political ideology of Messianic democracy is a neologism originally used by Jacob Talmon is his book The Origins of Totalitarian Democracy (1951 to describe Non-partisan democracy (also no-party democracy) is a system of representative government or organization such that universal and periodic Elections Participatory democracy is a process emphasizing the broad Participation (decision making of constituents in the direction and operation of political systems Religious democracy means that the values of Religion play a role in the public arena in a society populated by religious people Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principles of the people's representatives A republican democracy is a Republic which has democratic Forms of government. For the Soviet republics of the Soviet Union see Republics of the Soviet Union. Totalitarian democracy is a term made famous by Israeli historian J A political party is a Political organization that seeks to attain and maintain political power within Government, usually by participating in electoral Over the course of the twentieth century, parties such as the British Labour Party, the German SPD and the Australian Labor Party have stood in elections on political platforms that included policies such as stronger labor laws, the nationalization of major industries, and a strong welfare state. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on Labour law (also known as employment or labor law is the body of Laws administrative rulings and precedents which address the legal rights of and restrictions Most European social democratic parties are members of the Party of European Socialists[11], which is one of the main political parties at the European level[12], and most social democratic parties are members of the Socialist International[13], which is the historical successor to the Second International. The Party of European Socialists (PES is a European political party comprising of thirty-three socialist, social democratic and labour Socialist International is a worldwide organization of socialist ( social democratic and labour) political parties The Second International (1889-1916 was an organization of socialist and labour parties formed in Paris on July 14, 1889. The United States is the only first world nation which does not possess a competitive social democratic or democratic socialist party. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The term " first world " refers to countries that are capitalist, which are technologically advanced and whose

During the latter part of the twentieth century, most social democratic parties distanced themselves from socialist economic policies (i. e. public ownership and a planned economy) and, in the opinion of many if not most democratic socialists, of socialism in general. Many modern social democrats have broadened their objectives to include aspects of environmentalism, feminism, racial equality and multiculturalism. Environmentalism is a broad philosophy and Social movement centered on a concern for the conservation and improvement of the environment. Feminism is a discourse that involves various movements theories, and Philosophies which are concerned with the issue of Gender difference, advocate Desegregation is the process of ending Racial segregation, most commonly used in reference to the United States. The term multiculturalism generally refers to a state of racial, cultural and ethnic diversity within the Demographics of a specified

Since the 1980s, a number of social democratic parties have adopted policies which support a relatively lightly regulated economy and emphasize equality of opportunity rather than equality of outcome as the benchmark for social justice. Equal opportunity is a term which has differing definitions and there is no consensus as to the precise meaning Equality of outcome or equality of condition is a form of Egalitarianism which seeks to reduce or eliminate differences in material condition between individuals or This trend, known as the Third Way, is controversial among some of the left, many of whom argue that Third Way parties (such as New Labour in the United Kingdom[9]) have embraced elements of liberal, neoliberal, and even conservative ideology, and have ceased to be social democratic let alone democratic socialist. Liberalism is a broad array of related ideas and theories of Government that consider individual Liberty to be the most important political goal Originally coined by its critics and opponents " neoliberalism " is a label referring to the recent reemergence of Economic liberalism or Classical liberalism Conservatism is a term used to describe political philosophies that favour Tradition, where tradition refers to various religious cultural or nationally defined New Labour, in particular, disagrees[14].

See also List of social democratic parties. This is a list of parties in the world that consider themselves to be upholding the principles and values of Social democracy.

Examples of social democracy

Hjalmar Branting was the first Social Democratic Prime Minister of Sweden
Hjalmar Branting was the first Social Democratic Prime Minister of Sweden

The prime example of social democracy is Sweden, which prospered considerably under the leadership of Olof Palme[15]. ( 23 November 1860 – 24 February 1925) was a Swedish politician The Swedish Social Democratic Party, (Sveriges socialdemokratiska arbetareparti 'Social Democratic Workers' Party of Sweden' contests elections as 'Workers' Party - Social Democrats' Swedish welfare refers to the Swedish variant of the Mixed economy Welfare state prevalent in much of the industrialized world Sven Olof Joachim Palme ( ( 30 January 1927 – 28 February 1986) was a Swedish politician Sweden has produced a strong economy from sole proprietorships up through to multinationals (e. A sole proprietorship, or simply proprietorship ( Benjamen Clark Multinational corporation ( MNC) or transnational corporation ( TNC) is a Corporation or enterprise that manages Production or delivers g. , Saab, Volvo, Ikea, and Ericsson), while maintaining one of the longest life expectancies in the world, low unemployment, inflation, infant mortality, national debt, and cost of living, all while registering sizable economic growth[16]. Saab AB is an Aerospace and defense company based in Sweden. History "Svenska Aeroplan AB (aktiebolaget" ( Swedish for This article is about Volvo Group - AB Volvo Volvo Cars is the passenger vehicle maker owned by Ford Motor Company, using the Volvo Trademark IKEA is a privately-held international home products retailer that sells flat pack Furniture, accessories bathrooms and kitchens at retail stores around the world Ericsson ( Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson) () one of the largest Swedish companies is a leading provider of telecommunication and data communication systems Life expectancy is the average number of years of life remaining at a given age Unemployment occurs when a person is available to work and currently seeking work but the person is without work. In economics inflation or price inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services over a period of time Infant mortality is defined as the number of deaths of Infants (one year of age or younger per 1000 live births Government debt (also known as public debt or national debt) is Money (or credit) owed by any level of government either Central government Cost of living is the Cost of maintaining a certain Standard of living. Economic growth is the increase in the amount of the goods and services produced by an economy over time

Others also point to Norway as an example of a social democratic nation[17], where the Norwegian Labour Party played a critical role in Norway's recent political history by making social democratic reforms after WWII. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional The Norwegian Labour Party ( Norwegian: Det norske arbeiderparti ( DNA) or Arbeiderpartiet ( AP) is a Social democratic Although sensitive to global Business cycles the economy of Norway has shown robust growth since the start of the industrial era. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including In Norway, progressive taxation was introduced and the public sector greatly increased in size. A progressive tax is a Tax imposed so that the Tax rate increases as the amount subject to taxation increases Recently, Norway's economy has experienced an acceleration in economic growth, aided, in part, by the exploitation of oil deposits.

Another prominent example is the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, which has been politically dominated by the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation and its successor the New Democratic Party since 1944. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Saskatchewan (səˈskætʃəwən) is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of 588276 The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF (French Fédération du commonwealth coopératif, then Parti social démocratique du Canada) was a Canadian Principles policies and electoral achievement The NDP grew from populist, agrarian and democratic socialist roots While in office the CCF and NDP have nationalized major industries, initiated wide ranging public works, and introduced generous social services such as universal health care (later implemented nationally in Canada), as well as the establishment of public automobile insurance. Today, however, while retaining its social democratic philosophy, the Saskatchewan NDP is no longer as far to the left as it once was, in comparison with the federal NDP. The Saskatchewan New Democratic Party (NDP (formerly the Saskatchewan Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) is a Social democratic Political party Principles policies and electoral achievement The NDP grew from populist, agrarian and democratic socialist roots

To a lesser extent, the Canadian Province of Manitoba is viewed as social democratic, with nationalized businesses such as Manitoba Hydro. Manitoba (English ˌmænɨˈtoʊbə French /manitoba/ is a province of Canada, spanning 647797 square kilometres (250116  sq mi of North America Founded in 1961 Manitoba Hydro is the electric power and natural gas utility in the province of Manitoba. However the Manitoba NDP is also more moderate in comparison to the Federal NDP. The New Democratic Party of Manitoba is a social democratic political party in Manitoba, Canada. Generally speaking, the provincial wings of the NDP that are major contenders for government (British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba & Nova Scotia) tend to be more in the modern Third Way mould of social democracy, as opposed to the federal party and smaller provincial wings that still follow the older style of democratic socialism (reminiscent of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation). The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF (French Fédération du commonwealth coopératif, then Parti social démocratique du Canada) was a Canadian

Criticism of social democracy

Social democracy has been criticized both from the right, by economic liberals and conservatives, and from the left, by socialists and communists. The majority of contemporary criticism comes from economic liberals, who advance the following arguments:

Social democrats reply that their policies in fact enhance individual rights by raising the standard of living of the great majority of the population, increasing social mobility, raising the power of workers and consumers in society, keeping production and, therefore, GDP higher, stabilizing economic conditions by providing economic security to individuals, and eliminating the threat of extreme poverty. The standard of living refers to the quality and quantity of goods and services available to people and the way these goods and services are distributed within a population Individual rights are also maintained, as in many places alternative private facilities are also available. It is also argued that, by restricting some economic rights, social democracy makes the market more fair. Social democrats also contend that the conservative administrations in the United States and Britain have been responsible for far larger budget deficits than any social democratic government. Conservatism is a term used to describe political philosophies that favour Tradition, where tradition refers to various religious cultural or nationally defined

There is also criticism of social democracy from the political left. Many social democrats reject the label "socialist" and the goal of achieving Socialism. Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution For their part, socialists regard social democracy as an obstacle to truly radical reform of society. They claim that social democrats can only operate within the constraints of the existing capitalist orientated economic system, limiting many social reforms, and buy into the capitalist system to such an extent that they eventually become indistinguishable from classical economic policies and economic liberalism. Left-wing critics allege that some professed social democrats, such as Tony Blair (UK), Gerhard Schröder (Germany), and to a lesser extent Göran Persson (Sweden) have violated the principles of social justice and equity by implementing tax cuts, cuts in social spending, privatisation of elements of the welfare state and industrial deregulation. ˌɡeɐ̯haɐ̯t fʁɪʦ kʊɐ̯t ˈʃʁøːdɐ (born 7 April 1944 German politician, was Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005 See Jöran Persson for the 16th century Swedish government official

The record and the future of social democracy

Many of the policies espoused by social democrats at the beginning of the twentieth century have since been put into practice by social democratic governments throughout the industrialized world. Large-scale nationalisations have taken place, the role of the state in providing free-to-user or subsidized health care and education has increased greatly.

With the election of Ronald Reagan in the United States and Margaret Thatcher in Britain, it was widely perceived that social democracy was on the retreat in the Western world. Margaret Hilda Thatcher Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925 The resultant adoption of Third Way ideology by many social democrats, and the subsequent electoral success of Third way advocates Clinton and Blair, has proved divisive within the broader social democratic community. In Britain, for example, most of the nationalized industries were sold off in the 1980s and 1990s, and Tony Blair's Labour government, rather than reversing this process, continued it. [18] Inequalities of wealth have also risen in some countries under social democratic governments, including the United Kingdom under Blair. [19] Social Democrats have justified these policies by accepting the claims of many liberal economists that a rise in the gap between rich and poor does not necessarily indicate a lower standard of living for the working class of the country in question.

Many of the reforms made by social democrats in Europe, particularly the establishment of national health care services, have been embraced by liberals and conservatives: in Britain, both the Liberal Democrats[20] and all but the most hard line Thatcherites in the Conservative Party[21] campaign heavily in favor of the protection of the National Health Service established under the post-War Labour government of Clement Attlee. The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a liberal Political party in the United Kingdom, formed in 1988 by merging the The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. The National Health Service is the name commonly used to refer to the four Publicly-funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom collectively or individually (although Clement Richard Attlee 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC ( 3 January 1883 &ndash 8 October 1967 [22] Even in a country with no major social democratic party, such as the United States, there are regulatory programmes, such as public health and environmental protection, and welfare programmes, such as Medicare[23] and Medicaid[24], which remain in place during administrations of all political persuasions. This article refers to Medicare, a United States health insurance program Medicaid is the United States health program for eligible individuals and families with low incomes and resources

List of famous social democrats

See also

Political theory

Social democracy as viewed by critics

Social democracy in practice

Bibliography

External links

International advocacy websites

International organizations

Social democratic literature online

Criticism of social democracy

References

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  24. ^ Brief History of Medicare and Medicaid (United States)
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Dictionary

social democracy

-noun

  1. A moderate political philosophy that aims to achieve socialistic goals within capitalist society such as by means of a strong welfare state and regulation of private industry.
  2. Theory and practice of the transition from capitalism to socialism by democratic means; increasingly replaced in usage by democratic socialism.
  3. Society based on either (1) or (2).
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