Despite the market triumphalism that greeted the end of the Cold War,
the collapse of the Soviet empire seemed initially to herald new
possibilities for social democracy. In the 1990s, with a new era of
peace and economic prosperity apparently imminent, people discontented
with the realities of global capitalism swept social democrats into
power in many Western countries. The resurgence was, however, brief.
Neither the recurring economic crises of the 2000s nor the ongoing War
on Terror was conducive to social democracy, which soon gave way to a
prolonged decline in countries where social democrats had once held
power. Arguing that neither globalization nor demographic change was
key to the failure of social democracy, the contributors to this
volume analyze the rise and decline of Third Way social democracy and
seek to lay the groundwork for the reformulation of progressive class
politics. Offering a comparative look at social democratic experience
since the Cold War, the volume examines countries where social
democracy has long been an influential political force—Sweden,
Germany, Britain, and Australia—while also considering the history
of Canada’s NDP and the emergence of New Left parties in Germany and
the province of Québec. The case studies point to a social democracy
that has confirmed its rupture with the postwar order and its role as
the primary political representative of working-class interests. Once
marked by redistributive and egalitarian policy perspectives, social
democracy has, the book argues, assumed a new role—that of a
modernizing force advancing the neoliberal cause.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781926836898
Publisert
2017
Utgiver
Vendor
AU Press
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter