[Can thought get any more childish and self-centered?]
What is Democratic Socialism? Q & A
Democratic socialists believe that both the economy and society
should be run democratically—to meet public needs, not to make profits
for a few. To achieve a more just society, many structures of our
government and economy must be radically transformed through greater
economic and social democracy so that ordinary Americans can participate
in the many decisions that affect our lives.
Democracy and socialism go hand in hand. All over the world, wherever the idea of democracy has taken root, the vision of socialism has taken root as well—everywhere but in the United States. Because of this, many false ideas about socialism have developed in the US. With this pamphlet, we hope to answer some of your questions about socialism.
Democracy and socialism go hand in hand. All over the world, wherever the idea of democracy has taken root, the vision of socialism has taken root as well—everywhere but in the United States. Because of this, many false ideas about socialism have developed in the US. With this pamphlet, we hope to answer some of your questions about socialism.
- Doesn't socialism mean that the government will own and run everything?
- Hasn't socialism been discredited by the collapse of Communism in the USSR and Eastern Europe?
- Private corporations seem to be a permanent fixture in the US, so why work towards socialism?
- Won't socialism be impractical because people will lose their incentive to work?
- Why are there no models of democratic socialism?
- But hasn't the European Social Democratic experiment failed?
- Aren't you a party that's in competition with the Democratic Party for votes and support?
- If I am going to devote time to politics, why shouldn't I focus on something more immediate?
- What can young people do to move the US towards socialism?
- If so many people misunderstand socialism, why continue to use the word?
Doesn't socialism mean that the government will own and run everything?
A:
Democratic
socialists do not want to create an all-powerful government bureaucracy.
But we do not want big corporate bureaucracies to control our society
either. Rather, we believe that social and economic decisions should be
made by those whom they most affect.
Today, corporate executives who answer only to themselves and a few wealthy stockholders make basic economic decisions affecting millions of people. Resources are used to make money for capitalists rather than to meet human needs. We believe that the workers and consumers who are affected by economic institutions should own and control them.
Social ownership could take many forms, such as worker-owned cooperatives or publicly owned enterprises managed by workers and consumer representatives. Democratic socialists favor as much decentralization as possible. While the large concentrations of capital in industries such as energy and steel may necessitate some form of state ownership, many consumer-goods industries might be best run as cooperatives.
Democratic socialists have long rejected the belief that the whole economy should be centrally planned. While we believe that democratic planning can shape major social investments like mass transit, housing, and energy, market mechanisms are needed to determine the demand for many consumer goods.
Today, corporate executives who answer only to themselves and a few wealthy stockholders make basic economic decisions affecting millions of people. Resources are used to make money for capitalists rather than to meet human needs. We believe that the workers and consumers who are affected by economic institutions should own and control them.
Social ownership could take many forms, such as worker-owned cooperatives or publicly owned enterprises managed by workers and consumer representatives. Democratic socialists favor as much decentralization as possible. While the large concentrations of capital in industries such as energy and steel may necessitate some form of state ownership, many consumer-goods industries might be best run as cooperatives.
Democratic socialists have long rejected the belief that the whole economy should be centrally planned. While we believe that democratic planning can shape major social investments like mass transit, housing, and energy, market mechanisms are needed to determine the demand for many consumer goods.
Hasn't socialism been discredited by the collapse of Communism in the USSR and Eastern Europe?
A:
Socialists have been among the harshest critics of
authoritarian Communist states. Just because their bureaucratic elites
called them “socialist” did not make it so; they also called their
regimes “democratic.” Democratic socialists always opposed the ruling
party-states of those societies, just as we oppose the ruling classes of
capitalist societies. We applaud the democratic revolutions that have
transformed the former Communist bloc. However, the improvement of
people’s lives requires real democracy without ethnic rivalries and/or
new forms of authoritarianism. Democratic socialists will continue to
play a key role in that struggle throughout the world.
Moreover, the fall of Communism should not blind us to injustices at home. We cannot allow all radicalism to be dismissed as “Communist.” That suppression of dissent and diversity undermines America’s ability to live up to its promise of equality of opportunity, not to mention the freedoms of speech and assembly.
Moreover, the fall of Communism should not blind us to injustices at home. We cannot allow all radicalism to be dismissed as “Communist.” That suppression of dissent and diversity undermines America’s ability to live up to its promise of equality of opportunity, not to mention the freedoms of speech and assembly.
Private corporations seem to be a permanent fixture in the US, so why work towards socialism?
A:
In the short term we can’t eliminate private corporations, but
we can bring them under greater democratic control. The government could
use regulations and tax incentives to encourage companies to act in the
public interest and outlaw destructive activities such as exporting
jobs to low-wage countries and polluting our environment. Public
pressure can also have a critical role to play in the struggle to hold
corporations accountable. Most of all, socialists look to unions to make
private business more accountable.
Won't socialism be impractical because people will lose their incentive to work?
A:
We don’t agree with the capitalist assumption that starvation
or greed are the only reasons people work. People enjoy their work if it
is meaningful and enhances their lives. They work out of a sense of
responsibility to their community and society. Although a long-term goal
of socialism is to eliminate all but the most enjoyable kinds of labor,
we recognize that unappealing jobs will long remain. These tasks would
be spread among as many people as possible rather than distributed on
the basis of class, race, ethnicity, or gender, as they are under
capitalism. And this undesirable work should be among the best, not the
least, rewarded work within the economy. For now, the burden should be
placed on the employer to make work desirable by raising wages, offering
benefits and improving the work environment. In short, we believe that a
combination of social, economic, and moral incentives will motivate
people to work.
Why are there no models of democratic socialism?
A:
Although no country has fully instituted democratic socialism,
the socialist parties and labor movements of other countries have won
many victories for their people. We can learn from the comprehensive
welfare state maintained by the Swedes, from Canada’s national health
care system, France’s nationwide childcare program, and Nicaragua’s
literacy programs. Lastly, we can learn from efforts initiated right
here in the US, such as the community health centers created by the
government in the 1960s. They provided high quality family care, with
community involvement in decision-making.
But hasn't the European Social Democratic experiment failed?
A:
Many northern European countries enjoy tremendous prosperity
and relative economic equality thanks to the policies pursued by social
democratic parties. These nations used their relative wealth to insure a
high standard of living for their citizens—high wages, health care and
subsidized education. Most importantly, social democratic parties
supported strong labor movements that became central players in economic
decision-making. But with the globalization of capitalism, the old
social democratic model becomes ever harder to maintain. Stiff
competition from low-wage labor markets in developing countries and the
constant fear that industry will move to avoid taxes and strong labor
regulations has diminished (but not eliminated) the ability of nations
to launch ambitious economic reform on their own. Social democratic
reform must now happen at the international level. Multinational
corporations must be brought under democratic controls, and workers’
organizing efforts must reach across borders.
Now, more than ever, socialism is an international movement. As socialists have always known, the welfare of working people in Finland or California depends largely on standards in Italy or Indonesia. As a result, we must work towards reforms that can withstand the power of multinationals and global banks, and we must fight for a world order that is not controlled by bankers and bosses.
Now, more than ever, socialism is an international movement. As socialists have always known, the welfare of working people in Finland or California depends largely on standards in Italy or Indonesia. As a result, we must work towards reforms that can withstand the power of multinationals and global banks, and we must fight for a world order that is not controlled by bankers and bosses.
Aren't you a party that's in competition with the Democratic Party for votes and support?
A:
No, we are not a separate party. Like our friends and allies in
the feminist, labor, civil rights, religious, and community organizing
movements, many of us have been active in the Democratic Party. We work
with those movements to strengthen the party’s left wing, represented by
the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
The process and structure of American elections seriously hurts third party efforts. Winner-take-all elections instead of proportional representation, rigorous party qualification requirements that vary from state to state, a presidential instead of a parliamentary system, and the two-party monopoly on political power have doomed third party efforts. We hope that at some point in the future, in coalition with our allies, an alternative national party will be viable. For now, we will continue to support progressives who have a real chance at winning elections, which usually means left-wing Democrats.
The process and structure of American elections seriously hurts third party efforts. Winner-take-all elections instead of proportional representation, rigorous party qualification requirements that vary from state to state, a presidential instead of a parliamentary system, and the two-party monopoly on political power have doomed third party efforts. We hope that at some point in the future, in coalition with our allies, an alternative national party will be viable. For now, we will continue to support progressives who have a real chance at winning elections, which usually means left-wing Democrats.
If I am going to devote time to politics, why shouldn't I focus on something more immediate?
A:
Although capitalism will be with us for a long time, reforms we
win now—raising the minimum wage, securing a national health plan, and
demanding passage of right-to-strike legislation—can bring us closer to
socialism. Many democratic socialists actively work in the single-issue
organizations that advocate for those reforms. We are visible in the
reproductive freedom movement, the fight for student aid, gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgendered organizations, anti-racist groups, and the
labor movement.
It is precisely our socialist vision that informs and inspires our day-to-day activism for social justice. As socialists we bring a sense of the interdependence of all struggles for justice. No single-issue organization can truly challenge the capitalist system or adequately secure its particular demands. In fact, unless we are all collectively working to win a world without oppression, each fight for reforms will be disconnected, maybe even self-defeating.
It is precisely our socialist vision that informs and inspires our day-to-day activism for social justice. As socialists we bring a sense of the interdependence of all struggles for justice. No single-issue organization can truly challenge the capitalist system or adequately secure its particular demands. In fact, unless we are all collectively working to win a world without oppression, each fight for reforms will be disconnected, maybe even self-defeating.
What can young people do to move the US towards socialism?
A:
Since the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s, young people have
played a critical role in American politics. They have been a
tremendous force for both political and cultural change in this country:
in limiting the US’s options in the war in Vietnam, in forcing
corporations to divest from the racist South African regime, in
reforming universities, and in bringing issues of sexual orientation and
gender discrimination to public attention. Though none of these
struggles were fought by young people alone, they all featured youth as
leaders in multi-generational progressive coalitions. Young people are
needed in today’s struggles as well: for universal health care and
stronger unions, against welfare cuts and predatory multinational
corporations.
Schools, colleges and universities are important to American political culture. They are the places where ideas are formulated and policy discussed and developed. Being an active part of that discussion is a critical job for young socialists. We have to work hard to change people’s misconceptions about socialism, to broaden political debate, and to overcome many students’ lack of interest in engaging in political action. Off-campus, too, in our daily cultural lives, young people can be turning the tide against racism, sexism and homophobia, as well as the conservative myth of the virtue of “free” markets.
Join our student section, Youth Democratic Socialists!
Schools, colleges and universities are important to American political culture. They are the places where ideas are formulated and policy discussed and developed. Being an active part of that discussion is a critical job for young socialists. We have to work hard to change people’s misconceptions about socialism, to broaden political debate, and to overcome many students’ lack of interest in engaging in political action. Off-campus, too, in our daily cultural lives, young people can be turning the tide against racism, sexism and homophobia, as well as the conservative myth of the virtue of “free” markets.
Join our student section, Youth Democratic Socialists!
If so many people misunderstand socialism, why continue to use the word?
A:
First, we call ourselves socialists because we are proud of
what we are. Second, no matter what we call ourselves, conservatives
will use it against us. Anti-socialism has been repeatedly used to
attack reforms that shift power to working class people and away from
corporate capital. In 1993, national health insurance was attacked as
“socialized medicine” and defeated. Liberals are routinely denounced as
socialists in order to discredit reform. Until we face, and beat, the
stigma attached to the “S word,” politics in America will continue to be
stifled and our options limited. We also call ourselves socialists
because we are proud of the traditions upon which we are based, of the
heritage of the Socialist Party of Eugene Debs and Norman Thomas, and of
other struggles for change that have made America more democratic and
just. Finally, we call ourselves socialists to remind everyone that we
have a vision of a better world.
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