Democratic Socialism
Divya Chugh*
Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur Chhattisgarh
ABSTRACT:
Democratic socialism prefers evolutionary or democratic method. The supporters of democratic socialism pay equal importance to democracy and socialism. They believe that the goals of democracy and socialism are not separable from each other, both stands for the amelioration of the ordinary man. In effect, democratic socialism signifies use of the democratic method for achieving the socialist goal. It is a description used by various socialist movements and organizations, to emphasize the democratic character of their political orientation. Democratic socialists have normally defended the role of the public sector, particularly as regards the provision of key services such as health care, education, utilities, mass transit, and sometimes also banking, mining, and fuel extraction. In India, democratic socialists have to varying degrees seen the traditional village-based peasant economy as a model to be supported and enhanced. Social Democracy was most fully developed in the early post-1945 period, during which enthusiasm for social-democratic ideas and theories extended well beyond its socialist homeland, creating, in many western states, a social-democratic consensus. However, since the 1970s and 1980s social democracy has struggled to retain its political relevance in the face of the advance of neo liberalism and changed economic and social circumstances.
KEY WORDS: Democracy, Socialism, evolutionary, political orientation, neo-liberalism
INTRODUCTION:
Democratic socialism is a broad political movement propagating the ideals of socialism within the context of a democratic system. In many cases, its adherents promote the ideal of socialism as an evolutionary process resulting from legislation enacted by a parliamentary democracy. It is a description used by various socialist movements and organizations, to emphasize the democratic character of their political orientation. The term is sometimes used synonymously with ‘social democracy', but many self-identified democratic socialists oppose contemporary social democracy because social democracy retains the capitalist mode of production .Democratic socialists may be revolutionary or reformist in their strategy. Social democracy therefore came to stand for a broad balance between the market economy, on the one hand, and state intervention, on the other. The fact that one specific movement is called Democratic Socialism does not mean that other branches of socialism must be any less democratic. However, the term is often used by those who wish to contrast this form of socialism with Communism or other ideologies that Democratic Socialists consider dictatorial ideologies in practice that, in theory, also claim to be socialist. The terms "Democratic Socialism" and "Social Democracy" have often been used interchangeably, and, indeed, many have considered them synonymous until recently. Today, however, they usually denote two different things: Social Democracy is more centrist and supports a broadly capitalist system, with only some social reforms (such as the welfare state), intended to make it more equitable and humane. Meanwhile, Democratic Socialism is more left-wing and it supports a fully socialist system, seeking to establish that socialist system, either by gradually reforming capitalism from within, or via some form of revolutionary transformation.
Thus, Democratic Socialism can be either an evolutionary socialist movement or a revolutionary movement.
Principles of Democratic Socialism
Democratic Socialism implies certain other values in human conduct:
· No person should exploit any other person. This principle of opposition to exploitation is especially important in labor relations.
· Natural resources should not be exploited or wasted.
· Changes in society and its governments should be made by free and open elections. Thus, democratic socialism ought to be achieved through the ballot box.
Widespread and full public education is essential to guarantee the equality of people. People must have information and be allowed to communicate their ideas.
Public enterprise in some economic activities is necessary to help people attain economic and social equality. The government should undertake to do for them what people cannot do well for themselves.
Democratic Socialists support the principles of democratic collective ownership of the basic means of production and the principle of democratic management. Therefore, democratic socialists support not only public ownership, but cooperative ownership of economic functions. Democratic Socialists support the idea of democratic public control of those activities which are described as "the commanding heights" of the economy, but do not support the idea of state ownership of every human enterprise.
Features of Democratic Socialism
The major features of the social-democratic stance are the following:
1. Social Democracy endorses liberal-democratic principles and accepts that political change can and should be brought about peacefully and constitutionally.
2. Capitalism is accepted as the only reliable means of generating wealth; socialism, therefore, is not qualitatively different from capitalism.
3. Capitalism is nevertheless viewed as morally defective, particularly as a means for disturbing wealth; capitalism is associated with structural inequality and poverty.
4. The defects of the capitalist system can be rectified by the state through a process of economic and social engineering; the state is the custodian of public or common interest.
Social Democracy was most fully developed in the early post-1945 period, during which enthusiasm for social-democratic ideas and theories extended well beyond its socialist homeland, creating, in many western states, a social-democratic consensus.
History of Democratic Socialism
Democratic socialism took firm root in European politics after World War I. Socialist democratic parties actively participated in government in Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, and other nations. Socialism also became a powerful force in parts of Latin America, Asia, and Africa. To the Indian leader Jawaharlal Nehru and other leaders of independence movements, it was attractive as an alternative to the systems of private enterprise and exploitation established by their foreign rulers.
After World War II, socialist parties came to power in many nations throughout the world, and much private industry was nationalized. In Africa and Asia where the workers are peasants, not industrial laborers, socialist programs stressed land reform and other agrarian measures. These nations, until recently, have also emphasized government planning for rapid economic development. African socialism has also included the revival of pre colonial values and institutions, while modernizing through the centralized apparatus of the one-party state. Recently, the collapse of Eastern European and Soviet Communist states has led socialists throughout the world to discard much of their doctrines regarding centralized planning and nationalization of enterprises.
During India's freedom movement, many figures on the Left of the Indian National Congress organized themselves as the Congress Socialist Party. Their politics, and those of the early and intermediate periods of JP Narayan's career, combined a commitment to the socialist transformation of society with a principled opposition to the one-party authoritarianism they perceived in the Stalinist revolutionary model. The boundaries of what might be categorized as "democratic socialism" are thus necessarily fluid. On the right, democratic socialism shades seamlessly into social democracy; on the left, it passes into various hybrids and Permutations of Leninism.
Modern Democratic Socialism
Democratic socialism became a prominent movement at the end of the nineteenth century. In the US, Eugene Debs, one of the most famous American socialists, led a movement centered around democratic socialism and made five bids for President, once in 1900 under the Social Democratic Party and then four more times under the Socialist Party of America. The socialist industrial unionism of Daniel De Leon in the United States represented another strain of early democratic socialism in this period. It favoured a form of government based on industrial unions, but which also sought to establish this government after winning at the ballot box
In Britain, the democratic socialist tradition was represented in particular by the William Morris' Socialist League (UK) in the 1880s and by the Independent Labour Party (ILP) founded by Keir Hardie in the 1890s, of which George Orwell would later be a prominent member.
In other parts of Europe, many democratic socialist parties were united in the International Working Union of Socialist Parties (the "Two and a Half International") in the early 1920s and in the London Bureau (the "Three and a Half International") in the 1930s.
In America, a similar tradition continued to flourish in Debs' Socialist Party of America, especially under the leadership of Norman Thomas.
Democratic Socialism of Today
There was a strong current of democratic socialism in the politics of the New Left in much of Europe and North America during the 1960s. The classic Port Huron Statement of the Students for a Democratic Society combined a stringent critique of the Stalinist model with calls for a democratic socialist reconstruction of society. In the early 1980s, the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee merged with the New American Movement, an organization of New Left veterans, forming Democratic Socialists of America. In 2006, Bernie Sanders of Vermont became the first self-described democratic socialist to be elected to the United States Senate. Today in Germany there is a more left wing party called the "Party of Democratic Socialism" which takes the label of democratic socialism, while another more centrist party called the "Social Democratic Party of Germany" is the leading left wing German party that has held government. The British Labour party is a "democratic socialist party" according to its constitution.
In Latin America there has been a dramatic rise in support for democratic socialism since the 1998 election of Hugo Chavez as president of Venezuela. In Venezuela the Bolivarian Revolution was launched with the goal of redistributing wealth from rich to poor and improves living standards for the nations impoverished via the government's numerous widespread Bolivarian Missions. There have been noticeable improvements in areas such as housing, wage levels, literacy, education opportunities and healthcare availability; however, like the rest of Latin America a large gap between a rich minority and an extremely poor majority continues to exist.
Democratic Socialism in India
During India's freedom movement, many leaders on the Left of the Indian National Congress organized themselves as the Congress Socialist Party. Their vision was to bring about a transformation of Indian society and improve the condition of the Indian labour force. Many leaders participated shoulder-to-shoulder with Congressmen in fighting the British.
After India's freedom, the socialists launched Praja Socialist Party (PSP) in 1952, this time opposing the Congress, which was assuming the position as the sole decision making authority of India.
Indira Gandhi manipulated the socialist movement to her advantage - forging alliance when she needed their support and humiliating their agenda when it was inconvenient, leaving the movement weak. During the Emergency months, the socialist movement completely disintegrated as the socialists decided to merge with other non-Communist parties to form the Janata Party with a view to dislodging the ruling Congress from power.
After disintegration of the Janata Party in 1979, the socialist have been a scattered lot. A new socialist political force, Samajvadi Party was formed in 1992 has had scattered success in Indian polls.
CONCLUSION:
Democratic Socialism seeks to provide for democratic rights and civil liberties along with socio-economic rights of citizens-a difficult combination indeed. If this could be achieved, it would serve as an ideal scheme for social justice. But democracy is a matter of procedure; it does not prescribe the goals of state policy. Adoption of the goals of social justice in a democratic state largely depends on two factors:
(1) Prevalence of a strong and discerning public opinion in favour of the goals of socialism so that those committed to these goals win majority in elections and they have a strong political will to implement their programme; and
(2) A strong resource-base for the state which enables it to provide for elaborate public services and social security without resorting to coercion and undue taxation.
If the leadership of a nation is able to motivate the people to work hard to raise production and mobilize resources, democratic socialism will have a good chance. On the other hand, if the leadership resorts to heavy taxation of the relatively well-placed sections, who have improved their standards of living by dint of their talents, efforts, enterprise and frugality, it might mar the incentives and thereby impoverish the resource-base of the nation.
REFERENCES:
O.P Gauba, An Introduction to Political theory, Macmillan Publishers, 5th edition
Robert E.Goodin and Philip Pettit, A Companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy, Blackwell, 7th edition
Heywood Andrew, ‘Politics’ Palgrave Macmillan, 3rd edition
Received on 28.10.2011
Accepted on 12.11.2011
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