Criticisms of Democratic Socialism

[Servia]

I was wondering what makes democratic socialism inadequate.

Please also provide a definition of democratic socialism.

Thanks!

[tuwix]

In real terms there is no other socialism than democratic one. But the so-called "democratic socialism" was created in opposition to Lenin's and Stalin's policies that had nothing to do with democracy. But so-called "democratic socialism" has nothing to do with democracy too. Because it cultivates a form of choosing representatives to parliament which in capitalism is just bourgeois rule...

[LeninistIthink]

For a definition of Democratic Socialism I would go here: revleft.com/vb/democratic-socialism-guide-t136681/index.html which is a revleft post explaining the ideology. If we look through it , the first thing I noticed was the view on the state, so I'd say the logic of State and Revolution trumps them there, also some seem to support a parliamentary road to socialism, so I'd read Rosa's reform or revolution too.

TL:DR version:
State= body of class rule therefore no classes leads to no state and you can't just take it over or work through it in the long term.

[ñángara]

... so-called "democratic socialism" has nothing to do with democracy too. Because it cultivates a form of choosing representatives to parliament which in capitalism is just bourgeois rule...
According to Cockshott, any choosing of representatives by elections creates an oligarchy.

[Lacrimi de Chiciură]

'Democratic socialism' has basically come to refer to the notion of a (at best) slightly more robust social democracy, if not being a synonym. (This is the mainstream definition as used by Bernie Sanders who says that being a 'democratic socialist' means looking to the 'Nordic model' of social democracy found in Scandinavian countries.) It doesn't actually seek, or it does but is incapable, to overthrow the capitalist system. Instead it aims to get in a position where it can manage the bourgeois state without implementing democratic measures in the private and public sector ('dictatorship of the proletariat'), which would usurp bourgeois 'democracy', because it plays by their rules.

Since the 1970s neoliberalism has resulted in a situation where state managers are more blatantly held to the interests of the capitalist class, with measures increasingly implemented to move questions of fundamental economic control beyond the realm of democracy and voting...to depoliticize them and bring them under the control of appointed bureaucrats. Politics thus becomes an arena where debate is essentially controlled by capitalists interests, where only relatively cosmetic changes are possible. Witness Allende, Rousseff, Ortega, Tsipras.

[Ocean Seal]

"Democratic Socialism" as in labor party of the 1940's, and other "new deal" esque reformers haven't had much luck in the last 40 years. As Fly Pan Dulce explained they are either coerced, killed, or choose to abandon social democratic policies. Those who have had success in the past like Tony Benn among others have had their policies reversed, because they didn't have a permanent solution.

[OGG]

To me, DS seems to be a rebranding of social democracy, mostly in reaction to European social democratic parties moving to the center.