True, but also as a tactic (IE voting in socialism) its a complete historical failure that should be relegated to the history books. There has not been a single case of a country acheiving socialism through the ballot box.
All the attempts in the late 1800s until now showed that capitalists will not give up state power without violence, and even explicitly socialist parties who acheived some electoral success, end up quickly capitulating to the demands of the capitalists who run the country’s economy, and make a hard turn to the right. Look at the state of the European “socialist” or “labour” parties.
Not to mention all the coups the US carried out even on countries who attempted to tread a “non-violent” socialist path: like Chile in 1970. While the countries who took control of the military and went through a civil war to disempower and nationalize capital are still standing on their own two feet: Cuba, China, Vietnam, DPRK.
“Democratic socialism” is also sometimes used (incorrectly) to refer to capitalist-run states in the imperial core (like the nordic states) with some welfare band-aids, funded on the backs of the world’s workers in the global south.
True, but also as a tactic (IE voting in socialism) its a complete historical failure that should be relegated to the history books. There has not been a single case of a country acheiving socialism through the ballot box.
All the attempts in the late 1800s until now showed that capitalists will not give up state power without violence, and even explicitly socialist parties who acheived some electoral success, end up quickly capitulating to the demands of the capitalists who run the country’s economy, and make a hard turn to the right. Look at the state of the European “socialist” or “labour” parties.
Not to mention all the coups the US carried out even on countries who attempted to tread a “non-violent” socialist path: like Chile in 1970. While the countries who took control of the military and went through a civil war to disempower and nationalize capital are still standing on their own two feet: Cuba, China, Vietnam, DPRK.
“Democratic socialism” is also sometimes used (incorrectly) to refer to capitalist-run states in the imperial core (like the nordic states) with some welfare band-aids, funded on the backs of the world’s workers in the global south.
Absolutely correct. I just find that leaning in to the real history makes smearing it as a sheepdog and as a psyop somewhat more effective