Pravda: Social Democracy Is Dying
Francisco Münzink | 02.12.2009 19:32 | Globalisation | History | Workers' Movements | Cambridge | Oxford
Social Democracy, Pillar of US Hegemony in Europe, Is Dying .... Now that the Lisbon Treaty will enter into force this week, it may be concluded that the social democrats have completed their handiwork by destroying the last remnants of European Civilization. The first blow was delivered by the governments that pulled their countries into a European Civil War in 1914. The “Great War” almost destroyed Europe. The second blow came from that other adulterated version of socialism, national socialism. By pretending to save Europe, the nazis delivered it another mortal blow, but still Europe recovered. The third and final blow to Europe was given by the social democrats. For the past decades, the social democrats have been betraying their voters while acting like vultures, raking in the crumbs from the collapsing welfare state. The state they had themselves been instrumental in building up.
Social Democracy Is Dying 2010
Since the French Revolution, the core values of European Civilization have been individual and national freedom, equality and fraternity. One by one, all European nations eventually came to adhere to these values, that could be seen as a secularized condensation of the ten commandments. Needless to say, Europe's elites mostly rejected these notions since they threatened their traditional political and economic supremacy. After its initial failures in 1848, Marxian socialism began to gain increasing numbers of adherents among the growing industrial masses of Europe. Some socialist leaders, however, were impatient and resented Marx's postulate that socialists were to refrain from participation in regular politics. In 1875 one of these impatient men, Eduard Bernstein, succeeded in having the German socialists support the creation of a regular political party with the purpose of winning seats in parliament. This was the birth of revisionist socialism, and the social democratic party. But in fact, revisionism was an adulteration and like all adulterations, it only seemingly had a better taste to it. The real thing is always preferable. Who would not prefer butter over margarine, or a real charbroiled hamburger over one from McDonald's?
Until 1945, the social democrats did not participate in governments long enough to make a real difference, apart from an occasional breakthrough such as Léon Blum's introduction of paid holidays in France in 1936. The heyday of social democracy in Europe came after the end of World War II. In some countries, it was not the social democrats, but the christian democrats that became dominant (Italy), whereas in a few countries (Belgium and the Netherlands) christian democrats and social democrats jointly came to power and stayed there. Like the social democrats, the christian democrats were an adulteration, or rather, a mix of socialist and christian ideals and beliefs. By Hans Vogel ...
http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/30-11-2009/110834-social_democracy-0
Picture: Pravda - Social Democracy Is Dying - † R.I.P. - Rest in Pieces 2010.
Until 1945, the social democrats did not participate in governments long enough to make a real difference, apart from an occasional breakthrough such as Léon Blum's introduction of paid holidays in France in 1936. The heyday of social democracy in Europe came after the end of World War II. In some countries, it was not the social democrats, but the christian democrats that became dominant (Italy), whereas in a few countries (Belgium and the Netherlands) christian democrats and social democrats jointly came to power and stayed there. Like the social democrats, the christian democrats were an adulteration, or rather, a mix of socialist and christian ideals and beliefs. By Hans Vogel ...
http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/30-11-2009/110834-social_democracy-0 Picture: Pravda - Social Democracy Is Dying - † R.I.P. - Rest in Pieces 2010.
Francisco Münzink