What is Democatic 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 U.S. With this booklet, we hope to answer some of your questions about socialism.

Doesn’t socialism mean the government will own and run everything?

Democratic Socialists do not want to create a big 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 democratically.

Today, basic economic decisions affecting millions of people are made by corporate executives who answer only to themselves and a few wealthy stockholders. Resources are used to create profit rather than to make people’s lives better. We believe that the workers and consumers who are affected by economic enterprises should own and control them.

Social ownership could take many forms: worker-owned cooperatives or state 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 public ownership, many consumer-goods industries might be best run as cooperatives.

Democratic socialists have long rejected the belief that economic decisions can be effectively planned by state bureaucrats. While we believe that democratic planning can shape major social investments (ie mass transit, housing, energy), we believe the market is most effective at gauging demand for many consumer goods.

Large corporations seem to be an almost permanent fixture in the US, so what is the point of working towards socialism?

In the short term we can’t eliminate large corporations, but we can bring them under democratic control. 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. Worker ownership of large corporations is another important possibility for democratizing our economy, and one that recently has more and more attainable. Most of all, socialists look to unions to transform our economic institutions.

Won’t socialism be impractical because people will lose their incentive to work?

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 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.

Hasn’t socialism been discredited by the triumph of capitalism and the collapse of communism in the USSR and Eastern Europe?

Socialists have been among the harshest critics of the anti-democratic, highly centralized societies and economies of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Just because the bureaucratic elites called their systems ‘socialist’ did not make it so; they also called their regimes ‘democratic.’ We applaud the authentic democratic revolutions that have transformed the former communist bloc. We also expect that the social democratic parties that are reemerging in Eastern Europe will be essential in the struggle to protect workers rights, to ensure equality for women, and to promote social justice for all. The improvement of people’s lives requires economic growth and 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.

Can half the world be turned upside down while the U.S. continues in the rut of Cold War thinking? We say no; the fall of communism should not blind us to injustices at home. Nor should we allow all reform to be dismissed as ‘communistic.’ That suppression of dissent and diversity undermines America’s ability to prosper in a radically new world, a world in which the most successful countries promote social justice and combine market economies with a strong role for democratic government.

Why are there no models of democratic socialism?

Although no country has fully instituted democratic socialism, the democratic socialist, social democratic, and labor movements of other countries have won many victories we can learn from. We can learn from the comprehensive welfare state maintained by the Swedes, from Canada’s national health care system, France’s nationwide child care program, or Nicaragua’s literacy programs. Lastly, we can learn from efforts initiated right here in the U.S., 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?

For over half a century, the nations of Western Europe have enjoyed both tremendous prosperity and economic equality thanks to the policies pursued by socialist and labor parties. These nations used their relative wealth to insure a high standard of living for their citizens—high wages, health care and subsidized education. More importantly, these states supported strong labor movements which became central players in economic decision-making. But times have changed, and as the world economy becomes more and more internationalized, the old social democratic model becomes harder and 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. European Socialists, like their North American counterparts, have recognized that social democratic reform must happen at the international level -- multinational corporations must be brought under democratic controls, and worker’s organizing efforts must reach across borders.

Now, more than ever, Socialism is an international movement. As we have always known, the welfare of working people in Sweden or California depends largely on standards in Italy or Indonesia. As a result, we must envision reforms which can withstand the power of multinationals and global banks, and we must imagine a world order which is not controlled by bankers and bosses.

How can we afford socialism with the enormous budget deficit?

The vast wealth of this country must be distributed more equitably. Progressive taxation would yield revenue that could be put towards restoring many of the social programs that have been recently slashed— and many more social programs. Furthermore, increased spending on education and infrastructure, as Japan and Germany have proven, will give our economy a much-needed boost. The tax burden in the US unfairly favors the rich, while the middle classes struggle to meet Uncle Sam’s demands. Simply put, we must tax the rich. A return to the moderately progressive tax levels prior to 1981 would restore close to $100 billion a year in tax revenues.

Isn’t DSA a party that’s in competition with the Democratic party for votes and support?

No, DSA is not a separate party. Like our friends and allies in the feminist, labor, civil rights, religious, and community organizing movements, many of us are members of the Democratic party. We work with those movements to push the party in a progressive direction and to advance vital issues of justice, opportunity, and economic democracy.

The process and structure of American elections, however, hurt third party efforts. Winner-take-all elections instead of proportional representation, rigorous party qualification requirements that vary from state to state, the presidential instead of a parliamentary system, and the two-party monopoly on political power have doomed third party attempts from the start. Maybe sometime in the future, in coalition with our allies, an alternative party will be viable. For now, we will continue to work to turn the Democratic party into a fighting force with a mission for change because that is where we can be most effective.

If I am going to devote time to politics, why shouldn’t I focus on something more immediate?

Although capitalism will be with us for a long time, socialism is an attainable goal worth struggling for. Socialism is a series of steps. The first steps —like raising the minimum wage, securing a national health plan, and demanding passage of right-to-strike legislation will all help make life better today. 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 and lesbian 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. And as socialists, we bring a new framework—a sense of the interdependence of our struggles for justice. No one single issue organization will be able to challenge the capitalist system, so alone no single issue organization will ever be able to adequately secure its demands. In fact, unless you have a vision of the broader goal, each short-term step will be disconnected, maybe even self-defeating.

What can young people do to make socialism a reality?

Since the Civil Rights movement in the 1950’s, 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’ 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 multigenarational, progressive coalitions. Young people are needed in today’s struggles, as well—for universal health care and stronger unions; against welfare cuts and irresponsible 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 fight the cynicism and apathy all political groups face on campuses today.

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 greed.

If so many people misunderstand socialism, why continue to use the word?

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 the people and away from corporate capital. In 1993, national health insurance was attacked as ‘socialized medicine’ and defeated. Liberals and progressives 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, namely the Socialist Party of Eugene Debs and Norman Thomas, and the other struggles for change that have made America as democratic and just as it now is. Finally, we call ourselves socialists to remind everyone that we have a vision of a better world.

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