Democratic socialists are seen as residing on the “left” of the political spectrum, while social democrats are usually seen as occupying the “center-left”. Some social democrats argue that the full socialism advocated by democratic socialists is unrealistic, or even undesirable. They often position themselves as the most practical and feasible way of ameliorating the worst effects of capitalism. Supporters of Tony Blair’s brand of social democratic “New Labour”, for example, point to the electoral success of their model — and the improvements in public services and reduced levels of poverty that were brought about as a result.
Democratic socialists, in contrast, argue that social democrats do not go far enough — that they have abandoned their socialist principles, and fatalistically accepted the continuing damage caused by neoliberal policies. Democratic socialists often argue that successive capitalist crises, such as the Great Recession from 2007 onwards, indicate that the capitalist model is unsustainable. With increasingly rampant inequality and widespread discontent among the working class, democratic socialists argue that capitalism needs more radical change — and that supporters of the capitalist status quo are only emboldening the far right, who blame immigration and other aspects of globalization for capitalism’s failures. Supporters of Bernie Sanders, for example, point to his increased popularity — as well as the particular success of other progressive politicians in recent elections, such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
In the long history of socialist thought, many types and subtypes have sprung up — so many, in fact, that it is impossible to unpack them all here. To explore such concepts in more detail, there are a wealth of resources available in Perlego’s Communism, Post-Communism & Socialism section.
Socialism now and in the future
The rise of democratic socialist politicians such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as mentioned above, brings our discussion of socialism right up to the present day. They (and others) have spearheaded a new movement in US politics, bringing legions of new supporters to the ideas of democratic socialism.
With inequality ballooning to unprecedented levels in many countries, along with the harmful environmental effects of capitalism, many socialists argue that the case for socialism becomes even more pressing with each passing year. In Twenty-First Century Socialism (2020), Jeremy Gilbert proposes that “a twenty-first-century socialism is the only reasonable solution to the various crises and problems that the world faces today – from social inequality to climate breakdown.” Gilbert identifies capitalism as the underlying cause of these problems, and makes the case for socialism’s continuing relevance as an urgently needed remedy: