Why do you think some people hear Bernie identify as a democratic socialist and have such a negative reaction? I like having a 5 day work week. I like social security. Universal health care and the ability to go to college tuition free sound like some seriously bad-ass ideas to me.
Socialism is a political ideology and movement that seeks to improve society and social conditions. Central to socialist theory is the view that modern social problems, such as poverty and unemployment, result from economic relationships under capitalism, and that action in some form of control or ownership by society should be taken to address them. Both the means and degree of action required however vary considerably, ranging from minor reforms to abandonment of capitalism altogether.
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While some writers have claimed socialism had earlier precedents, it is generally thought to have arisen in the early 19th century with the development of industrialization. Utopian socialists, such as
Robert Owen in the United Kingdom and
Charles Fourier in the United States established cooperative communities. By mid-century, other forms had emerged, such as
Karl Marx's revolutionary socialism in Europe and and the cautiously reformist Fabian socialism in the United Kingdom.
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The creation of the
First International 1864 brought together socialist parties from throughout the developed world and was followed by the growth of trade unions and socialist party memberships and voters.
[3] Socialism would later split into several distinct forms, including syndicalism, communism and
democratic socialism (or social democracy or simply socialism). Syndicalists saw trade unions as the instruments for achieving change, while communists advocated revolution and democratic socialists advocated limited reforms. Communists achieved power in The Soviet Union in 1917, and subsequently other countries in Eastern Europe and the developing world. Socialists would achieve their greatest success after the Second World War and would form governments, or become major political forces, in most developing nations.
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