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point in mind we can proceed to a brief overview of Bauman’s account of globalisation, since Bauman captures very succinctly TZP3 4/25/2005 54 4:51 PM Page 54 After the new social democracy the kind of social and spatial polarities that are crucial to understanding the security state and so to understanding recent developments in the US and UK. I will be assuming that globalisation is an economic, political and social reality, but one that can accommodate a much wider range of ideological trajectories than those proposed by conservatives and new social
national hatred, insatiable greed and vindictive envy. (Leszek Kołakowski) 1 Having evaluated four worldviews, one remains: social democracy. This position seeks compromise between capitalism and socialism, advocating democratic collective action to achieve political and economic freedoms. In the second half of the nineteenth century, pioneers such as Eduard Bernstein rejected efforts to overthrow capitalism by revolution, arguing for a gradualist approach. 2 Following the end of the Second World War, social-democratic parties assumed power in European countries
7 Losing social democracy: reflections on the erosion of a paradigmatic case of social democracy Jenny Andersson Introduction Swedish social democracy has long since lost its hegemonic position in domestic politics. Depending on how we draw the historical time line, the party has been in trouble since at least 2002, in other words well before the 2006 election, when it lost to the Swedish right, and the 2010 election, when it scored its worst result in parliamentary elections since 1914. In fact the party has not been truly hegemonic in Swedish politics since
12 Democracy and social democracy Tony Wright One of the enduring themes in David Marquand’s work is on the ‘democracy’ bit of social democracy; and that is the theme explored here. This means saying something about how the social democratic tradition has viewed democracy, in Britain in particular, and where matters stand now. It may then be possible to offer some suggestions for the future, both in terms of thought and action. Origins and ideas It was the aim of social democrats to put the ‘social’ into democracy. If equality and citizenship were good enough
8 War and social democracy Undermining the dual-polity ethos of the nineteenth century opened the door to an insidious encroachment of central controls and manipulation of local government services and structure by central government. During the 1930s a general mood of modernisation and streamlining attached to economies of scale pervaded radical thinking in relation to service provision. The major utilities – gas, electricity and water – along with transport such as the rail services were viewed as national rather than local concerns that needed to be supplied
Social democracy has made a political comeback in recent years, especially under the influence of the ‘Third Way’. Not everyone is convinced, however, that ‘Third Way’ social democracy is the best means of reviving the Left's project. This book considers this dissent and offers an alternative approach. Bringing together a range of social and political theories, it engages with some contemporary debates regarding the present direction and future of the Left. Drawing upon egalitarian, feminist and environmental ideas, the book proposes that the social democratic tradition can be renewed but only if the dominance of conservative ideas is challenged more effectively. It explores a number of issues with this aim in mind, including justice, the state, democracy, new technologies, future generations and the advances in genetics.
This book considers the underlying causes of the end of social democracy's golden age. It argues that the cross-national trend in social democratic parties since the 1970s has been towards an accommodation with neo-liberalism and a corresponding dilution of traditional social democratic commitments. The book looks at the impact of the change in economic conditions on social democracy in general, before examining the specific cases of Germany, Sweden and Australia. It examines the ideological crisis that engulfed social democracy. The book also looks at the post-1970 development of social policy, its fiscal implications and economic consequences in three European countries. It considers the evolution of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) from its re-emergence as a significant political force during the 1970s until the present day under José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. The book also examines the evolution of the Swedish model in conjunction with social democratic reformism and the party's relations to the union movement. It explores the latest debate about what the German Social Democratic Party (SPD) stands for. The SPD became the role model for programmatic modernisation for the European centre-left. The book considers how British socialist and social democratic thought from the late nineteenth century to the present has treated the objective of helping people to fulfil their potential, talents and ambitions. It aims to contribute to a broader conversation about the future of social democracy by considering ways in which the political thought of 'third way' social democracy might be radicalised for the twenty-first century.
2 Social democracy and the people Jeremy Nuttall The dilemmas of democracy At the start of the twenty-first century, the British … had plenty of public spirit. Large numbers of them were involved in a wide range of voluntary organizations and informal social networks. They had outgrown political paternalism, … but they were not isolated from their society or from each other. This did not mean that they were itching to transform the political order. The servility and snobbery that Tawney had seen as the most contemptible vices of his fellow countrymen were much
1 The PSOE and social democracy It is important that this book on the Spanish Socialist Party starts with a theoretical discussion of social democracy since the 1970s, when the PSOE went from being a marginal political force to become a viable party of government. The aim is to establish the PSOE’s position and draw lessons from the experience of one of Europe’s most electorally successful social democratic parties over recent decades. Amongst Europe’s oldest social democratic parties, the PSOE was able to establish itself as the most significant political
16 Not just any social democracy: ‘Marquandism’ and the primacy of pluralism and republicanism Hans Schattle and Jeremy Nuttall The myriad essays in this collection have set forth the habits, mindsets and qualities of social democratic citizens as well as the political circumstances and economic conditions necessary for a robust version of social democracy to take hold. Several authors have also explored how the writings of David Marquand throughout the past five decades have offered a distinct interpretation with regard to social democratic as well as civic