Democratic Socialism has no singular definition, but the simplest way to describe it, academically, is an ideology, economic or political system, rooted in opposing capitalism's profit motive by shifting the power back to the people, through prioritizing workers instead of the corporations themselves. People > Profits.

That said, there can be a lot of descriptions which can lead to a lot of confusion. Today, we're digging into the spectrum of definitions and how it relates to our current context.

SOURCES:

1. Who's afraid of socialism? https://ips-dc.org/whos-afraid-of-socialism/
2. What is democratic socialism + critiques: https://socialstudieshelp.com/economics/what-is-democratic-socialism-key-features-and-criticisms/
3. Communism vs. Socialism https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/100214/what-difference-between-communism-and-socialism.asp
4. The DSA’s “What is Democratic Socialism?” https://www.dsausa.org/about-us/what-is-democratic-socialism/
5. Wiki's Socialism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism
6. Britannica's Democratic Socialism: https://www.britannica.com/topic/democratic-socialism
7. NYTimes on Mamdani: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/25/us/politics/what-is-democratic-socialism.html

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