this post was submitted on 06 Sep 2025
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[–] FreeAZ@sopuli.xyz 46 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Democratic socialism just means you believe in democratically governed socialism, not that you think you can just vote capitalism into socialism. There's both reformist and revolutionary democratic socialists. I both believe in democracy and also see that the only way to overturn capitalism (at least in the US) would be through revolution. All the democratic part means is that they're opposed to monarchies or dictatorships.

[–] freagle@lemmygrad.ml 17 points 1 month ago

No. That's incorrect. Democratic socialism is always and has always been an opposite to revolutionary socialism. Read some goddamned books. ALL forms of socialism are democratic, essentially by definition, but certainly by historical precedent. The only undemocratic "socialist" movements have been fascist movements using socialist aesthetics.

[–] Confidant6198@lemmy.ml 16 points 1 month ago (13 children)

Are you saying that you can have undemocratic socialism?

[–] Una@europe.pub 19 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Isn't that what USSR was, dictatorship?

[–] freagle@lemmygrad.ml 20 points 1 month ago

Good question. No. It was not. Please read about it. There is plenty of writing about the political structure of the USSR, its constitutional documents, its legal and court systems, etc. It is imminently possible for you to learn about it if you're curious

[–] Confidant6198@lemmy.ml 13 points 1 month ago (30 children)

Dictatorship of the proletariat is democracy for the people

[–] KumaSudosa@feddit.dk 7 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

And at what point is it no longer a "dictatorship of the proletariat"? Do you really think, say, the Soviet leaders were looking out "for the proletariat"? Is Kim Jong-Un doing so because the country's official name contains the word "people"?

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 month ago (5 children)

The working class saw a doubling of life expectancy, reduced working hours, tripled literacy rates, cheap or free housing, free, high quality healthcare and education, and the gap between the top and bottom of society was around ten times, as opposed to thousands to millions. The structure of society in socialist countries is fashioned so that the working class is the prime beneficiary. Having "people" in the name of the country makes no difference on structure, be it the PRC, DPRK, or otherwise, what matters is the structure of society.

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[–] psoul@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago (3 children)

There was no dictatorship of the proletariat. Trotsky prevented labor unions from going on strike. War communism was forcing workers to labor as slaves. The new economic policy sent managers bourgeois back to run the factories.

It was a top down dictatorship. Not a bottom up dictatorship of the proletariat. It was supposed to be all the power to the soviets. The soviets ended up being a tool for the politburo.

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[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

No, the soviet union was democtatic. The soviet union had a more comprehensive and complex system of democracy than liberal democracy.

[–] PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmy.ml 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It was even dissolved through a vote

Illegally though, most of citizens voted against in a referendum that was just ignored.

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[–] dessalines@lemmy.ml 43 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (5 children)
[–] AbeilleVegane@beehaw.org 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The voting for leftists into office one is there twice.

[–] dessalines@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 month ago
[–] pineapple@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 month ago

Thank you, as a democratic socialist this is what I was looking for.

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[–] Plebcouncilman@sh.itjust.works 12 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Sometimes I wonder how many “Marxists” really have read Marx.

[–] KimBongUn420@lemmy.ml 22 points 1 month ago (5 children)

Only those that did know that you can't vote away capitalism.

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[–] frightful_hobgoblin@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 month ago (4 children)

What's that im reference to?

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[–] SpookyBogMonster@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The DSA has everyone from reformist soc dems, to anarchists, to MLs, to Maoist Third Worldists

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 25 points 1 month ago (2 children)

and that's precisely the reason it's been so effective

[–] jorge@lemmygrad.ml 16 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Were you were being sarcastic? I am Brazilian and know nothing of the DSA.

[–] davel@lemmy.ml 22 points 1 month ago

Yes, he was being sarcastic.

[–] freagle@lemmygrad.ml 8 points 1 month ago

Supa-hot-fire.gif

"I'm about to ruin this man's whole career"

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