Abstract

The present collection of essays contains an in-depth analysis of social democratic internationalism at the moment when this political culture was at its height (1950-1980). Such development was promoted mainly by the correlation between, on the one hand, the radical reform of capitalism in Europe, and, on the other, the Global North-South relations in a decolonisation framework. Thanks to, in particular, leaders of non-colonial countries or countries other than the Great Powers, the Socialist International overcame the legacy of “progressistµ colonialism, and tabled a political approach based on the idea that a “welfare worldµ – i.e. a global economy that rejects exploitation, and promotes equality – was at the core of stability, both within countries and between blocks. Such approach was in blatant contrast with neoliberalism, as promoted by Reagan, and also encountered problems inasmuch as it did not manage to defend an increasingly wage-led growth model.