Socialism in the twentieth century
An historical reflection
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6292803 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Donald Sassoon (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2000 |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 17-34 |
| Publication date | 2000-02-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Political Ideologies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1356-9317 • E-ISSN: 1469-9613 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/135693100112909 |
| OpenAlex | W2164802091 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
Having discarded the ideal-type approach to the definition of socialism, this essay adopts a historical approach, while accepting its limitations. It distinguishes between modernizing socialism (i.e., communism) and socialism as a regulator of capitalist society, and concentrates on the latter, tracing the historical causes for its gradual abandonment of the ideology of the final aim in favour of a permanent co-existence with capitalism-the revisionist position. It follows that there is no rigid demarcation between socialists and non-socialists, the reforms advocated by the former (universal suffrage, the welfare state and the regulation of the labour market) being often also promoted by the latter. The reformist programme of socialists required a strong state - hence the frequent accusation of etatisme - but it also promulgated a vigorous individualism, often more consistent than that of its opponents. The essay concludes by examining the reasons behind the victory of the revisionist position and its chances of surviving in an era of global markets and in a political climate in which the use of the term 'socialism' is seen as politically expedient
Capitalism · Communism · Economics · Ideology · Individualism · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Socialism · Sociology · State (computer science · State socialism · Types of socialism · Victory · Welfare state · Law · Political Economy and Marxism
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,18 |
| Citation span | 2009 - 2017 (9) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |