Reflecting the Past, Envisioning the Future: The Journey of ‘Democratic Socialism'

Abstract

This article examines the evolution of socialism as a political ideology, from its primitive origins in past societies to its contemporary incarnations. It opens with an overview of the foundational and universal principles of socialism concerning equality and common welfare, which can be established as the historical vertical of socialism from its inception to the present. The focus then shifts to the Industrial Revolution, with special emphasis on the significant contributions of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, who envisioned a classless society as a product of revolutionary engagement. The 20th century, marked by key events such as the Russian Revolution and the Cold War, witnessed the practical implementation of two versions of socialism: a hybrid one existing as “real-socialism”, a competitive project to Western capitalism, and the other – also hybrid but in a different way – existing within Western capitalism, as part of a concession to dominated classes, in the form of the “welfare state.” As a result of the global strength and desirability of the socialist project, this period was marked by many social and civilizational achievements, in both the West and the East, but also confronted with challenges of authoritarianism, economic crises, and democratic dysfunctionality. On the other hand, by the end of the 20th century, the socialist project – with the fall of the USSR – experienced a complete delegitimization in the West, while in China it was maintained in a perverted form. At the beginning of the 21st century, growing dissatisfaction with economic inequalities and political disillusionment, especially after the financial crisis of 2007/2008, reignited interest in an alternative socialist model, particularly in something vaguely and theoretically underdeveloped called “democratic socialism.” The authors in the text argue that this renewed interest should be transformed into a theoretically and strategic-politically fruitful maneuver, constructing a new, radically democratic socialist project as the only project that emerges as a sustainable alternative to today’s socio-economic-ecological challenges.

Ovaj članak razmatra evoluciju socijalizma kao političke ideologije, od njegovih početaka u drevnim društvima do savremenih inkarnacija. U njemu se najpre istražuju polazni i univer zalni principi socijalizma o jednakosti i zajedničkoj dobrobiti, koji se mogu ustanoviti kao istorijska vertikala socijalizma, od njegovog nastanka do danas. Zatim se fokus premešta na Industrijsku revoluciju, s posebnim naglaskom na kapitalan doprinos Karla Marksa i Fridriha Engelsa, koji su zamišljali besklasno društvo kao produkt revolucionarnog angažmana. XX vek, obeležen ključnim događajima poput Ruske revolucije i Hladnog rata, svedočio je prak tičnoj implementaciji dve verzije socijalizma: jedna koja je u vidu real-socijalizma postojala kao konkurentski projekat zapadnom kapitalizmu, i druga – isto tako hibridna, samo na dru gačiji način – koja je postojala u utrobi zapadnog kapitalizma, kao deo koncesije dominiranim klasama, u vidu „države blagostanja“. Zahvaljujući globalnoj snazi i poželjnosti socijalističkog projekta, ovo razdoblje je obeleženo mnogim socijalnim i civilizacijskim dostignućima, i na Zapadu i na Istoku, ali i izazovima autoritarizma, ekonomske krize, demokratske disfunkcio nalnosti. S druge strane, krajem XX, socijalistički projekat je – s padom SSSR-a – doživeo potpunu delegitimaciju na Zapadu, dok je u Kini pro forme održan kao pervertiran režim. Po četkom XXI veku, rastuće nezadovoljstvo ekonomskim nejednakostima i politička deziluzija, posebno nakon finansijske krize 2007/2008. godine, ponovo je rasplamsala interesovanje za alternativni socijalistički model, posebno za nešto što se maglovito i teorijski nedovoljno razvijeno naziva „demokratskim socijalizmom.“ Autori u tekstu brane stav da je potrebno ovu obnovljenu zainteresovanost pretočiti u teorijski i strateško-politički plodan demarš, kon struišući novi, radikalno demokratski socijalistički projekat kao jedini projekat koji se javlja kao održiva alternativa današnjim društveno-ekonomsko-ekološkim izazovima.