Social Democracy (SD) is a form of society in which democratic political methods are used to create greater social equality through the redistribution of resources. Social democracy has developed from originally strong socialist ideals, towards being proponents of more moderate programs of social change. They are now attempting to create a more fair way to make capitalist economies work within the system of parliamentary democracy. That Socialism and Capitalism are irreconcilably opposed may be true. However, this is not a persuasive criticism of social democracy, but instead this gives credit to social democracy by showing that it is a successful compromise between two systems which each have their merits.

At the beginning of the 20th century, social democracy was virtually the same as socialism. After the break with communism in the 1920s however, SD parties were distinguished by having moderate, less extreme programmes of social change. SD advocates gradually abandoned their commitment to public ownership of industry seeking instead to make capitalist economies work in a fairer way by implementin

Social democrats have departed from the original theory of Socialism, instead being proponents of parliamentary democracy. Although they believe in equality between classes, and fairness in opportunity to be able to enjoy a 'good life' , they believe that the best way to achieve this is in a democratic environment in which individuals select representatives who are bound by contract to serve their interests in running the country. The encompassing of individual rights and democracy in SD, in my opinion, demonstrates that this compromise of socialist ideals with the promotion of freedom in opportunity to create one's own destiny , is a persuasive analysis of the constructiveness of Social Democracy.

Social Democratic ideals have evolved in order to suit the requirements of today's modern society. Consequently, "...most Western societies since World War II have adopted social democratic policies to some degree, with the Scandinavian countries going furthest in this direction." That the use of Social Democratic ideals are thriving, thus demonstrates that a compromise between the two major ideals of Socialism and Capitalism, each being at the two opposite extreme ends of the ideological spectrum, is a successful method of managing society.

To understand how Social Democracy is a compromise between Socialism and Capitalism, we must understand some of the systems used within SD. Firstly, the idea of Capitalism on its own can be summarized generally as "...an economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately or corporately owned and development is proportionate to the accumulation and reinvestment of profits gained in a free market." Secondly, Democracy is a system that is designed to protect ideas of individual rights, freedom and opportunity, ideas which are broad in definition in themselves.

Now let us assess an economic method known as laissez-faire embraced by Capitalism which is accepted by Social Democrats however with the provision that they can create a compromise with Socialist ideas of equality in doing so. The classical economist Adam Smith in The Wealth of Nations was an advocate of laissez-faire. The phrase "Laissez faire", meaning 'let do' was originally created by French philosophers . Laissez faire is an idea that claims governments should not interfere with market forces because free trade based on self-interest; i.e. the profit motive and unregulated economic activity, will enhance economic growth by stimulating competitive enterp

Some common words found in the essay are:
Social Democracy, Socialism Capitalism, Social Democrats, Secondly Democracy, Social Democratic, Karl Marx, Historically Capitalism, Wealth Nations, Democracy SD, SD Firstly, social democracy, socialist ideals, socialism capitalism, social democratic, social democrats, capitalist economy, parliamentary democracy, irreconcilably opposed, compromise socialist, economy parliamentary democracy, system social, socialist ideals capitalism, encompassing socialist ideals, democracy encompassing socialist, parliamentary democracy encompassing,
Approximate Word count = 1687
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)