Jacobin Radio Confonting Capitalism: Reform and Revolution
19 snips
Dec 10, 2025 
Vivek Chibber, a sociology professor and editor of Catalyst, dives into the evolution of social democracy. He discusses its historical roots and how its initial revolutionary ambitions shifted towards reforming capitalism. Chibber explores the impact of the welfare state, the debates between reform and revolution, and how democratic rights changed the landscape for radical movements. He critiques the contemporary American left's focus, advocating for a revival of class-struggle politics. A thought-provoking look at the intersection of social democracy and capitalism!
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Social Democracy's Core Project
- Social democracy at minimum opposes leaving capitalism unregulated and seeks to humanize it through state action and redistribution.
- Its core project became using capitalist growth to secure rights like jobs, healthcare, and pensions for ordinary people.
Welfare State As A Right
- The modern welfare state is primarily a product of the social-democratic movement, not charity or church traditions.
- Social democracy framed benefits as rights earned through production and citizenship, not voluntary handouts.
Bismarck's Reform Was Tactical
- Bismarck introduced social insurance measures in late-19th-century Germany to blunt the rising Social Democratic Party's appeal.
- This demonstrates that early welfare reforms were responses to organized labor pressure, not purely conservative benevolence.
