Democracy or Socialism

This book discusses socialism and democracy. It approaches socialism not as a label but as an ideology. Based on a careful examination of what socialism is, traced back to Karl Marx, this book explains the tense relationship between socialism and democracy and how it has influenced political thought and practice in both Europe and America. This book carefully avoids conventional wisdom, seeking instead to originate its definition and analysis of socialism in its political theory and practice. Building on the relationship between socialism and democracy, the book explores how this uneasy roommate agreement may affect America's future.

Explains where democratic socialism comes from, and how it has played out in Europe Uses the European socialist experience to draw a line into America's future Answers the seminal question: when is government big enough, and what does that look like?

Autorentext

Sven R. Larson is a Ph.D. political economist and author. He has worked for free-market think tanks and been an advisor to elected officials and political campaigns. His scholarship and policy research are focused on the dynamics between the welfare state and economic freedom. Among his previous books are Industrial Poverty, which analyzes the welfare state's role in causing economic stagnation in Europe; The Rise of Big Government: How Egalitarianism Conquered America, an examination of the ideological similarities between the American and Swedish welfare states; and Faith and Freedom: The Moral Case for America, exploring the moral foundations of the American constitutional republic.

Inhalt

1. Defining Socialism.- 2. Economics of Socialism 1: Prices vs. Labor Value.- 3. Economics of Socialism 2: Planning vs. The Market.- 4. From Strife to Spring.- 5. The American Welfare State Today.- 6. The American Welfare State Tomorrow.