With the 2016 presidential election coming up fast, it is important to understand different aspects of the political contenders campaigns. Bernie Sanders is the only competition against Hillary Clinton for the democratic spot on the ballot, and as he has said himself, he is a democratic socialist. Most people, when they hear the term “socialism,” automatically think of communist nations such as the Soviet Union and Karl Marx (which can bring with it a bad connotation). However, some nations still currently practice some degree of socialism very effectively and to the great benefit of their people. These countries include Finland, the Netherlands, Canada and Ireland.

However, there is a difference between socialism and the democratic socialism that Bernie Sanders advocates for. “Socialism can be defined as a system of collective ownership and management of the means of production and the distribution of goods," but it can also be said to be an economic theory between capitalism and communism. Democratic socialism gives more importance to the democratic values our society was based upon, therein having citizens vote on socialist aspects of their nation, whereas socialism does not. An important aspect of democratic socialism that is not true of socialism is that it is working towards a more equitable future for members of different cultures and genders, empowering citizens in the workplace as participants in the economy, and to decreasing the role money plays in politics. In this way, democratic socialism is not communism, not Marxism, and not a replacement for capitalism. Sanders references Franklin D. Roosevelt as the model he wants to build his platform around when he said, “Let me define for you, simply and straightforwardly, what democratic socialism means to me. It builds on what Franklin Delano Roosevelt said when he fought for guaranteed economic rights for all Americans. Democratic socialism means that we must create an economy that works for all, not just the very wealthy.”

There is a downside to democratic socialism just as there is to capitalism and communism. There have been many examples of democratic socialism that did not work as well as others, mostly in regards to the nationalization of industry and economic policies. Democratic socialism can cause a raise in taxes, it can increase the role of the federal government, it can affect the motivation of the labor force and it can result in unnecessary government spending, if not moderated correctly, and sometimes even if it is. However, there are good aspects of this political ideology such as the fact that every citizen will have an equal opportunity to receive an education as well as healthcare, it will cause more equality, and it will break up monopolies that are infringing on the economic system.

While democratic socialism may or may not be what America is looking for this election year, it does not need to be portrayed as negatively as it has been, because democratic socialism is not the same thing as socialism.