Izvorna socijaldemokratija je razvijala antikapitalistički program.[11][12][13][14] Ali, vremenom se okrenula političkom pragmatizmu.[15][16] Pragmatična socijaldemokratija se fokusira samo na minimalni program, kojim u okviru institucija predstavničke, parlamentarne demokratije i tržišne kapitalističke ekonomije nastoji sprovesti djelimičnu promjenu utemeljenu na ekonomskoj ulozi javnog sektora, javnim propisima, programima, investicijama i servisima koji bi trebalo da rade na ublažavanju nepravdi koje nanosi neregulisani, liberalni model tržišne kapitalističke ekonomije.[17][18][19][20][21][22] Praktična realizacija takve djelimične promjene u okviru institucija parlamentarne demokratije i tržišne kapitalističke ekonomije obično se naziva socijalno odgovornom državom ili državom blagostanja.[19][23][24][25][26] Socijaldemokratija se smatra umjerenom strujom u savremenom ljevičarskom pokretu.[27][28][29][30]
unapređenje uravnoteženosti lokalnog i regionalnog razvoja;
zaštita kulturnog i prirodnog nasljeđa, te životne sredine i životinja;
promovisanje mirnog i diplomatskog načina rješavanja sporova i sukoba;
korištenje demokratskih i nenasilnih parlamentarnih i izvanparlamentarnih oblika djelovanja i protivljenje svim nedemokratskim, autoritarnim i totalitarnim oblicima djelovanja.
Umjerena progresivna stranka u matičnom toku zemlje koja je zasnovana na parlamentarnoj demokratiji i tržišnoj kapitalističkoj ekonomiji, sa glasačkim tijelom kako u nižoj klasi tako i u srednjoj klasi, mogla bi biti opisana kao socijaldemokratska politička stranka lijevog centra.[33][34] Dok bi stranka sa većim zahtjevima i ciljevima, koja ima glasačko tijelo među onim dijelom malobrojnije, ali svjesnije srednje i niže klase, fizičke i intelektualne, te sa istorijom podrške i učešća u emancipatorskim i progresivnim pokretima, mogla biti opisana kao politička stranka radikalnije, nove ljevice.[35][36][37][38]
Socijaldemokratske stranke, kao i druge savremene ljevičarske stranke, obično ističu sljedeće vrijednosti:[39]
sloboda — ne samo ljudske slobode, nego i sloboda od diskriminacije, sloboda demokratske participacije i sloboda od zavisnosti, ekstremnog siromaštva, straha i zloupotrebe političke, ekonomske i druge moći i položaja;
jednakost — ne samo pred zakonom, nego i jednake šanse i mogućnosti za sve ljude u raznim oblastima života, bez obzira na identitetske različitosti, uključujući i one osobe sa poteškoćama bilo koje vrste;
solidarnost — pokazivanje razumijevanja i saosjećanja prema osobama koje su žrtve nekog oblika diskriminacije, nepravde, neravnopravnosti ili nezgodnog sticaja okolnosti, te lična spremnost zajedničkog djelovanja sa drugima na pronalaženju načina za umanjivanje i sprječavanje takvih pojava. Ovo načelo podrazumijeva i razvijanje institucionalnih oblika solidarnosti, te internacionalne solidarnosti.
Socijaldemokratija se protivi svakom obliku autoritarizma i jednopartizma.[40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47] Prema tome, socijaldemokratija se protivi konceptima jednopartijskog modela vlasti, koje su zastupale takozvane boljševičko-komunističke partije 20. vijeka.[48][49][50][51][52]
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