Democratic socialism is the wing of the socialist movement that combines a belief in a socially owned economy with that off political democracy. (Busky, Donalod: Democratic Socialism: a global survey). Sometimes, simply called socialism, the adjective democratic is added by democratic socialist. They believe that economy and society should be run democratically - to meet the needs of the whole community, not to make profits for a few. It is the movement of people to end their own exploitation and the destruction of environment whereas power is taken out of the hands of elites who run political and economic systems solely for their own benefit at the direct expense to everyone and everything else.

Democratic Socialism that arose in late 19th and early 20th century Europe, out of the evolutionary wing of the Second Communist International. During this period Mill and Thomas Hill Green followed the logic of Bentham and increased call for social consciousness, thus leading the way toward democratic socialism. (Baradat, Leon : Political Ideologies) Dewey called upon the people to constantly question the values upon which society is based and to boldly try to improve the human conditions through social engineering. Democratic socialism took firm root in European politics after World War I. (Columbian Enyclopedia) Socialist democratic parties actively participated in government in Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands and other nations. Socialism also became a powerful force in parts of Latin America, Asia and Africa. The prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru and other leaders of independece movements considered democractic socialism as an attractive alternative to the systems of private enterprise and exploitation established by their foreign rulers. After World War II, socialist parties came to power in many nations throughout the world, and much private industry was nationalized. In Africa and ASIA where the workers are peasants, not industrial laborers, socialist programs stressed land reform and other agrarian measures. These nations until recently, have also emphasized government planning for rapid economic develooment. African socialism has also included the revival of precolonial values and institutions, while modernizing through the centralized apparatus of the one-party state. Recently, the collapse of Eastern European and Soviet Communist states has led socialist throughout the world to discard much of their doctrines regarding centralized planning and nationalization of enterprises.

Democratic socialist maintain a commitment to the re-distribution of wealth and the nationalization of major industry, and some believer in a planned economy; these are all concepts which social democrats have largely abandoned. Politically, it involves a commitment to popular, constitutional rule and protection of basic rights. Economically, it involves an equitable distribution of the community's wealth . To achieve a more just society , many structures of our government and economy must be transformed through greater economics and social democracy so that ordinary people can participate in the decisions that affect our lives. Democratic socialists maintain that the key aspects of economic life must be publicly owned or a mixed economy with a greater emphasis on worker and consumer co-operatives, credit unions, family farms and small businesses.

Source:
Riemer, Neal & Simon & Romans: The Challenge of Politics: An Introduction to Political Science, 2nd edition. Drew University