Critical Essay on Revisionist Socialism

What is Social Democracy?

Social democracy is a political ideology that originally advocated a peaceful evolutionary transition of society from capitalism to socialism using established political processes. In the second half of the 20th century, there emerged a more moderate version of the doctrine, which generally espoused state regulation, rather than state ownership, of the means of production and extensive social welfare programs. Based on 19th-century socialism and the tenets of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, social democracy shares common ideological roots with communism but eschews its militancy and totalitarianism. Social democracy was originally known as revisionism or revisionist socialism because it represented a change in basic Marxist doctrine, in traditional Marxist theory the use of revolution was used to establish a socialist society.

History

The social democratic movement grew out of the efforts of August Bebel, who with Wilhelm Liebknecht co-founded the Social Democratic Workers’ Party in 1869 and then effected the merger of their party with the General German Workers’ Union in 1875 to form what came to be called the Social Democratic Party of Germany (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands). Bebel imbued social democracy with the belief that socialism must be installed through lawful means rather than by force. After the election of two Social Democrats to the Reichstag in 1871, the party grew in political strength until in 1912 it became the largest single party in voting strength, with 110 out of 397 seats in the Reichstag. The success of the Social Democratic Party in Germany encouraged the spread of social democracy to other countries in Europe.

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The growth of German social democracy owed much to the influence of the German political theorist Eduard Bernstein. In his Die Voraussetzungen des Sozialismus und die Aufgaben der Sozialdemokratie (1899; “The Preconditions of Socialism and the Tasks of Social Democracy”; Eng. trans. Evolutionary Socialism), Bernstein challenged the Marxist orthodoxy that capitalism was doomed, pointing out that capitalism was overcoming many of its weaknesses, such as unemployment, overproduction, and the inequitable distribution of wealth. Ownership of industry was becoming more widely diffused, rather than more concentrated in the hands of a few. Whereas Marx had declared that the subjugation of the working class would inevitably culminate in the socialist revolution, Bernstein argued that the success of socialism depended not on the continued and intensifying misery of the working class but rather on eliminating that misery. He further noted that social conditions were improving and that with universal suffrage the working class could establish socialism by electing socialist representatives. The violence of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and its aftermath precipitated the final schism between the social democratic parties and the communist parties.

After World War II, social democratic parties came to power in several nations of Western Europe—e.g., West Germany, Sweden, and Great Britain (in the Labour Party)—and laid the foundations for modern European social welfare programs. With its ascendancy, social democracy changed gradually, most notably in West Germany. These changes generally reflected a moderation of the 19th-century socialist doctrine of wholesale nationalization of business and industry. Although the principles of the various social democratic parties began to diverge somewhat, certain common fundamental principles emerged. In addition to abandoning violence and revolution as tools of social change, social democracy took a stand in opposition to totalitarianism. The Marxist view of democracy as a “bourgeois” facade for the class rule was abandoned, and democracy was proclaimed essential for socialist ideals. Increasingly, social democracy adopted the goal of state regulation of business and industry as sufficient to further economic growth and equitable income.

Pros and Cons of Social Democracy Policy

1. Economy

• a. Government will intervene to ensure social justice (redistributive income taxes, strong labor laws, state investment) but within a capitalist system, working with the profit motive. A relatively large state (to provide a high standard of public services) means a relatively high rate of taxation.
• b. Pros
  • i. Similar to liberalism depends on where the line is drawn, but moderation of full-blooded capitalism can lead to more economic stability and a more equal society
• c. Cons
  • i. If too much intervention / high taxes, economic performance can be hampered

2. Health

• a. State provision to ensure all of society has access to a high standard of healthcare.
• b. Pros
  • i. Everyone has access to a high standard of care
• c. Cons
  • i. High running costs funded by the relatively high rate of taxation

3. Education

• a. State provision to ensure all of society has access to a high standard of education.
• b. Pros
  • i. Everyone has access to a high standard of education
• c. Cons
  • i. High running costs funded by the relatively high rate of taxation

4. Welfare

• a. State provision of a high level of welfare to those out of work or unable to work
• b. Pros
  • i. Very limited number of people living in extreme poverty
  • ii. Safety net of state provision, allows entrepreneurs to take risks
• c. Cons
  • i. Can lead to resentment of those in work supporting (via state benefits) those not in work

5. Jobs

• a. Strong labor laws and opposition to discrimination
• b. Pros
  • i. Benefit from a diverse workforce, harnessing skills of all those in society based on merit
• c. Cons
  • i. High levels of bureaucracy
  • ii. Difficult to fire people can mean companies are reluctant to expand their workforce

6. Housing

• a. Strong regulation of the private market and state-provided social housing
• b. Pros
  • i. Everyone has access to decent housing
• c. Cons
  • i. High costs

7. Defence

• a. Generally low emphasis on military power
• b. Pros
  • i. Less likely to be involved in international conflict
• c. Cons
  • i. Weak military defense

8. The Environment

• a. Generally associated with high care for the environment and efforts to tackle climate change. This is generally pursued through legislation to protect the environment and using market forces to encourage environmental behavior (e.g. carbon taxes, investment in green technologies)
• b. Pros
  • i. Working with, not against, the economy so no sudden shock
• c. Cons
  • i. Limited direct action can result in the long lead-in times

9. Foreign policy

• a. Generally internationalist, caring for the rights of all people
• b. Pros
  • i. In favor of migration, creating a diverse society
  • ii. Positive engagement with other countries
• c. Cons
  • i. Can lead to tensions within the country itself, if society feels its interests are coming second to those of people in other countries