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The Third Way at the Crossroads

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The Third Way at the Crossroads THOMAS MEYER The Third Way at the Crossroads he term Third Way in its most recent use was be a meaningful and highly informative endeavour Tcoined in 1992 by a group of policy consultants to renarrate the whole history of socialism as a to Bill Clinton and taken over by Tony Blair and sequence of ever renewed steps towards actualised his intellectual aids with new emphasis half a forms of syntheses between liberalism and social- decade later in order to brand a new centre-left ism prompted either by changes in social, eco- approach to what they consider the inevitable new nomic and political reality itself or the perception challenges of economic globalisation. It is by its of them by the mainstream socialists – and the authors understood as the opening move for a new constant rejection of such a synthesis by dogmatic wave of revisionism which aims at a new synthesis socialists and communists. between traditional social democracy and libera- Revisionist socialism as contrary to the dogma- lism in some of the key fields of social reform such tic version of marxism, from its very outset, always as governance, welfare state, education, political has seen itself as an open process of learning from culture and job creation in a new economy. The reality, from the results of its own endeavours in very brand-name and the new direction of political the different fields of society, but abiding without thinking for which it stands have proved highly compromise by the basic values of freedom, justice controversial in the short time since they have and solidarity as the unchangeable guidelines for entered the political arena. its reform programmes. Since the beginning of the 20th century, in the eyes of mainstream revisionist socialists it was a truism that there is a substantial A Renewed Synthesis Between Socialism and difference between the basic values of democratic Liberalism socialism with its overall objectives and the actual means and tools of social change, which could When the first wave of revisionism in the history of bring society closer towards them. Even Karl socialism occured a few years before the turn of Kautsky, a proponent of democratic marxism in the new century, Eduard Bernstein who had been German social democracy, as early as 1919 in an its chief promoter declared it to be in essence a argument with Lenin and his idea of communism synthesis between the socialist heritage and libera- put this most important difference in unambi- lism. This interpretation was accurate in three guous terms. We are, he said, in favour of the different aspects: firstly, the revisionist brand of socialisation of the means of production, because socialism – later called democratic socialism or we are convinced that they are the best means to social democracy – advanced an unambiguous create a society of equal liberty. If someone were acceptance of liberal democracy as the political to convince us tomorrow that this is not the case, framework for each further step of social reform. we would have to discard the idea of socialisation Secondly, the liberal principle of openness, plural- without reluctance if we want to stay firm with our ism, provisionality and tolerance was applied to genuine objectives and basic values. 1 In this sense socialism itself; and thirdly, the liberal concepts the political philosophy of social democracy had of free market and private ownership of the means developed from dogmatism to value guided prag- of production were reconsidered and to a certain matism. extent – within a dense framework of social control and responsibility – adapted to the basic values and 1. Cf. K. Kautsky: Die Diktatur des Proletariats, Wien overall objectives of democratic socialism. It would 1918. S. 4 f. 294 Meyer, The Third Way at the Crossroads IPG 3/99 The Godesberg Program of the SPD in 1959 both in order to develop a realistic strategy to gain makes this difference very clear. There are, how- the objectives of socialism in a world where forces ever, some organisational and institutional means like communism, fascism and big capital prevailed. which are so directly and inseparably linked with After World War II, democratic socialism in the basic values that they can be considered as Europe just declared itself to be a third way, the almost as basic and constant as the basic values better way between the two extremes of untamed themselves, such as democracy, pluralism, human capitalism and dogmatic communism. In the years rights, social security and workers participation. In after World War II, the term was frequently made the field of economy there has been constant strife use of, meant to find an orientation between the within the socialist movement in almost every two big emerging superpowers. In 1968, during single Western nation concerning the social limits the short Spring of Prague, Ota Sik and others to private property, the forms of those limits and developed the project of a market socialism the limits to market economy and its forms. It was, beyond communist central planning and private however, always clear that market and private pro- property dominated market systems, and called perty are not basic values in themselves but only, it in their turn »third way«. The term was used within a certain framework of participation and generally within the tradition of democratic socia- social responsibility, appropriate means which can lism, however, with time, even extreme adversaries serve the ends of social democracy in a better way such as Franco fascism in Spain found the brand- than the socialisation of the means of production name suitable. and central state planning. Most recently, Tony Blair, following Clinton It is thus neither a surprise nor a deviation from and his consultants, forwarded the idea to reani- the traditions of revisionist mainstream socialism mate the term the third way in order to designate in Europe, when the key advocates of the Third endeavours to shape a new synthesis between Way argue that in an era of globalisation, it is traditional social democracy and a neoliberalism time now for a new synthesis between social which for too long, though not without a ratio- democracy and liberalism, or even neo-liberalism. nale, has dominated the discussions and to a cer- With respect to the philosophy of revisionist social tain degree also the policies of most western coun- democracy there cannot be anything wrong with tries during the last two decades. Strategically the such an endeavour. The question, however, is term is meant to bring social democratic thinking which synthesis of social democracy and liberalism back into the offensive by adopting some of the in the world of today will serve the ends of social most attractive ideas of neoliberalism. Those who democracy in the most appropriate manner. Social are picking up the term and taking on this chal- democracy could not survive in a highly complex lenge spans from the think tanks associated with and changing world if it rejected the ideas of prag- the Clinton administration in Washington, to matism with respect to the means of its project those designing the intellectual message of Blair’s and of permanent revisionism with respect to politics to some politicians and intellectuals on the theories and hypotheses which guide its interpreta- continent who have started to join the project, in tion of the present world and its selection of the Germany, the label The New Middle – Die neue instruments and means of its policies. Mitte – has been declared by some as the full equi- valent to the Third Way. Thus, it cannot be surprising that the project is Third Ways yet rather vague and, as Tony Blair sees it, so far merely defined through some basic values, utterly The term »Third Way« is evidently without a well- a resolution to be pragmatic in order to find defined meaning. Even in the history of socialism appropriate means to implement them in the it was used in a variety of different situations for a world of today. This is coupled with the conviction variety of different purposes. The Austro-Marxists that some of the ideals of neoliberalism concerning made use of it between the wars in order to globalisation, the dominating roles of markets and strengthen the endeavours to find a way between the need for rethinking governance and renovating Bolshevism and Socialism combining the best of the welfare state will have to play a prominent IPG 3/99 Meyer, The Third Way at the Crossroads 295 role in this new pragmatic mixture of means and media, the discipline of the party and all the actors instruments which constitute the basic values in beneath the strategic apex have not only created a the world of today. 2 There can be no doubt that new way to conduct politics but also a new type of this effort in itself is legitimate and necessary, given relationship between the social democratic party, the new economic, social and political problems its members, its leadership and its relation with which emerge in the wake of globalisation and the society as a whole. Therefore, it cannot be seen as dissolution of the traditional socialist milieus in all a change in marketing and communication only, it democratic societies of today. The issue, however, is rather a substantially new type of defining the is which synthesis best combines the basic values of role of the party in the process of formulating and social democracy with the functional requirements implementing policies – it amounts to a new type of today. of media-democracy. In Europe the emerging discussion on the The third layer of the Blair revolution is con- Third Way revolves around the Tony Blair success cerned with the closer issues of what is covered story and its foundations.
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