This article is about the form of democratic socialism associated with Nicos Poulantzas. For the incrementalism associated with Eduard Bernstein, see Evolutionary socialism. For the strategy of Salvador Allende often associated with the democratic road to socialism, see The Chilean Way to Socialism. For the broad range of socialist ideologies emphasizing democracy, see Democratic socialism.
Nicos Poulantzas is often considered the first to formalize the term, democratic road to socialism.[1]:74-8 For Poulantzas, the democratic road to socialism refers to a form of democratic socialism that commits to pluralistrepresentative democracy alongside an extension of participatory democracy. Poulantzas viewed political liberties in liberal democracies as "the result of popular struggles," but also believed that liberal democracy "helps reproduce the capitalist state regime."[1]:23 He therefore advocated for a Marxist and socialist democracy with strong labor unions, territorial popular assemblies, and socialist communitarianism that would enable a radical transformation of the state.[1]:24 Yet, institutions of representative democracy would be "an essential condition of democratic socialism" to regulate decentralized models like workers' councils in order for the working class to collectively wield the political power and technical expertise necessary to direct a complex socialist society.[2]
The democratic road to socialism is distinguished from evolutionary socialism to its right, as espoused by Eduard Bernstein, which advocates for incremental reform by primarily parliamentary means within liberal democracy, with the goal of ultimately achieving socialism through the state.[2] Yet, it is also distinguished from revolutionary socialism to its left, which views capitalism as only able to be completely overthrown by non-reformist means, and does not see a transformative "capture" of the liberal state as a viable means to reach a socialist democracy.
^ abcdeDucange, Jean-Numa; Keucheyan, Razmig, eds. (2019). The end of the democratic state: Nicos Poulantzas, a marxism for the 21st century. Marx, Engels, and Marxisms. Translated by Broder, David (1st edition 2019 ed.). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN978-3-319-90889-2.
^Allende, Ben B. , Marianela D'Aprile, and Salvador (September 11, 2018). "Allende and Democratic Socialism". The Call. Retrieved February 1, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)