Social Democracy Quotes by Anthony Crosland, David Cunliffe, Benjamin Franklin, Louis D. Brandeis, Jean Baudrillard, Henry A. Wallace and many others.
We conceive the function of Tribune to be the expression in popular form, and to as large a public as possible, of the views of the Left and Marxist wing of social democracy in this country. Its policy must be that of those who believe that the present leadership of the Labour Party is not sufficiently Socialist.
Socialisms not a word that I use. I say social democracy because I dont think the government needs to own all the means of production.
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both.
Democracy is the menopause of Western society, the Grand Climacteric of the body social. Fascism is its middle-aged lust.
If we put our trust in the common sense of common men and ‘with malice toward none and charity for all’ go forward on the great adventure of making political, economic and social democracy a practical reality, we shall not fail.
Social democracy seeks and finds the ways, and particular slogans, of the workers’ struggle only in the course of the development of this struggle, and gains directions for the way forward through this struggle alone.
Social democracy.. is only the advance guard of the proletariat, a small piece of the total working masses; blood from their blood, and flesh from their flesh.
A community is democratic only when the humblest and weakest person can enjoy the highest civil, economic, and social rights that the biggest and most powerful possess.
Social democracy does not represent an ideal future; it does not even represent the ideal past.
Call it democracy, or call it democratic socialism, but there must be a better distribution of wealth within this country for all God’s children.
We can’t continue with this social democracy here in Brazil.
Social democracy… is only the advance guard of the proletariat, a small piece of the total working masses; blood from their blood, and flesh from their flesh.
An American parliamentary system with proportional representation wouldn’t immediately or inexorably lead to a flourishing social democracy, but it would at least correct the overrepresentation of an ideological minority and cut down on intentional tactical economic sabotage.
Rosa Luxemburg was – still is for me – a great personal and intellectual heroine. Her analysis of Leninism and capitalism and social democracy are all worth reading. I wouldn’t consider anyone truly politically literate if they hadn’t given her work at least some study.
‘Democratic socialism’ is awful as a slogan and catastrophic as a policy. And ‘social democracy’ – a term that better fits the belief of more ordinary liberals who want, say, Medicare for all – is a politically dying force. Democrats who aren’t yet sick of all their losing should feel free to embrace them both.
Even under the most perfect Social Democracy we should, without Communism, still be living like hogs, except that each hog would get his fair share of grub…. Whilst we are hogs, let us at least be well-fed, healthy, reciprocally useful hogs, instead of–well, instead of the sort we are at present.
Between social reforms and revolution there exists for the social democracy an indissoluble tie. The struggle for reforms is its means; the social revolution, its aim.
Political democracy cannot last unless there lies at the base of it social democracy. What does social democracy mean? It means a way of life which recognizes liberty, equality and fraternity as the principles of life.
People who object to weapons aren’t abolishing violence, they’re begging for rule by brute force, when the biggest, strongest animals among men were always automatically ‘right.’ Guns ended that, and social democracy is a hollow farce without an armed populace to make it work.
I do not think you can push public expenditure significantly above 60 per cent and maintain the values of a plural society with adequate freedom of choice. We are here close to one of the frontiers of social democracy.
In America I think we need to move towards a social democracy, European-style basically, and I think that in Britain we do as well.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.
The more that social democracy develops, grows, and becomes stronger, the more the enlightened masses of workers will take their own destinies, the leadership of their movement, and the determination of its direction into their own hands.
Passive fatalism can never be the role of a revolutionary party, like the Social Democracy.
For German Social Democracy, Europe is vital to the national interest.
Socialism’s not a word that I use. I say ‘social democracy’ because I don’t think the government needs to own all the means of production.
… As long as you continue to tar social democracy with all the crimes of communism, I feel equally entitled to tar the free market with the crimes of slavery, segregation, colonialism and genocide; piss me off and I’ll add fascism and the Nazis.
Social Democracy preached against capitalism for half a century. After the November revolution the Reds had the opportunity to direct capitalism into the proper paths: but nothing happened!
Contemporary social democracy is what I believe is the right concept.
