Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
1-25-2023
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Abstract
Many people consider Marx to be a totalitarian and Soviet Marxism the realization of his thought.1 If one shows them the texts, proves to them that Marx was a radical democrat, they often flip and think him utopian. Totalitarian or utopian-for many those seem to be the alternatives. How might one combat this completely mistaken conception?
What if one could show that European social democracy exemplified Marx's thought far better than did Soviet Marxism?2 If social democracy is closer to being the true heir of Marx, then all claims of totalitarianism evaporate. There is nothing remotely totalitarian about social democracy. It is as democratic as what we have in the United States-and arguably more so. Nor is there anything remotely utopian about social democracy. It exists. It exists all over Western Europe and Britain-as well as elsewhere.
Chapter of
Marx, Revolution, and Social Democracy
Recommended Citation
Kain, P. J. (20230. Introduction to Marx, Revolution, and Social Democracy. In Kain, P. J. Marx, Revolution, and Social Democracy(New York: Oxford University Press, 2023).
Comments
This material was originally published in Marx, Revolution, and Social Democracy by Philip J. Kain, and has been reproduced by permission of Oxford University Press. For permission to reuse this material, please visit http://www.oup.co.uk/academic/rights/permissions.