Actual socialism has to be viewed as a transitional stage between capitalism and communism. It’s a stage when the working class holds power, but old capitalist relations still persist. It’s not capitalism with social services.
Actual socialism has to be viewed as a transitional stage between capitalism and communism. It’s a stage when the working class holds power, but old capitalist relations still persist. It’s not capitalism with social services.
While it is true that social democracy is not what we all want, it’s certainly a lot better than unregulated capitalism. Here in Germany, where social democracy is a thing, it’s reassuring to have so many safety nets to fall into if something goes really bad. Health endurance, free therapy and Bürgergeld (a way to receive money while searching for a job) are just a few examples. While these systems are certainly being exploited by evil people, they do also make one feel a lot safer.
The problem with social democracy is that it’s fleeting by its very nature. A capitalist society may give some concessions to the working class for a period of time, but those concessions will inevitably be rolled back sooner or later. In fact, this will likely be occurring all across Europe now as austerity measures will be implemented to deal with the unfolding financial crisis.