Reflecting the Past, Envisioning the Future: The Journey of ‘Democratic Socialism’

Abstract

This article examines the evolution of socialism as a political ideology, from its primitive origins in past societies to its contemporary incarnations. It opens with an overview of the foundational and universal principles of socialism concerning equality and common welfare, which can be established as the historical vertical of socialism from its inception to the present. The focus then shifts to the Industrial Revolution, with special emphasis on the significant contributions of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, who envisioned a classless society as a product of revolutionary engagement. The 20th century, marked by key events such as the Russian Revolution and the Cold War, witnessed the practical implementation of two versions of socialism: a hybrid one existing as “real-socialism”, a competitive project to Western capitalism, and the other – also hybrid but in a different way – existing within Western capitalism, as part of a concession to dominated classes, in the form of the “welfare state.” As a result of the global strength and desirability of the socialist project, this period was marked by many social and civilizational achievements, in both the West and the East, but also confronted with challenges of authoritarianism, economic crises, and democratic dysfunctionality. On the other hand, by the end of the 20th century, the socialist project – with the fall of the USSR – experienced a complete delegitimization in the West, while in China it was maintained in a perverted form. At the beginning of the 21st century, growing dissatisfaction with economic inequalities and political disillusionment, especially after the financial crisis of 2007/2008, reignited interest in an alternative socialist model, particularly in something vaguely and theoretically underdeveloped called “democratic socialism.” The authors in the text argue that this renewed interest should be transformed into a theoretically and strategic-politically fruitful maneuver, constructing a new, radically democratic socialist project as the only project that emerges as a sustainable alternative to today’s socio-economic-ecological challenges.