Pourquoi la social-démocratie est passée d'être considérée comme le socialisme extrême au XIXe siècle à être un réformisme organisé au XXe siècle
As a tradition of socialism

Social democracy is defined as one of many socialist traditions. As an international political movement and ideology, it aims to achieve socialism through gradual and democratic means. This definition goes back to the influence of both the reformist socialism of Ferdinand Lassalle and the internationalist revolutionary socialism advanced by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Social democracy has undergone various major forms throughout its history. In the 19th century, it encompassed various non-revolutionary and revolutionary currents of socialism, excluding anarchism. In one of the first scholarly works on European socialism written for an American audience, Richard T. Ely 's 1883 book French and German Socialism in Modern Times, social democrats were characterized as "the extreme wing of the socialists" who were "inclined to lay so much stress on equality of enjoyment, regardless of the value of one's labor, that they might, perhaps, more properly be called communists". In the early 20th century, social democracy came to refer to support for a process of developing society through existing political structures and opposition to revolutionary means, which are often associated with Marxism. Thus whereas in the 19th century, social democracy could be described as "organized Marxism", it became "organized reformism" by the 20th century.

In political science, democratic socialism and social democracy are sometimes seen as synonyms, while they are distinguished in journalistic use. Under this democratic socialist definition, social democracy is an ideology seeking to gradually build an alternative socialist economy through the institutions of liberal democracy. Starting in the post-war period, social democracy was defined as a policy regime advocating the reformation of capitalism to align it with the ethical ideals of social justice.

What socialists such as anarchists, communists, social democrats, syndicalists, and some social democratic proponents of the Third Way share in common is history, specifically that they can all be traced back to the individuals, groups, and literature of the First International, and have retained some of the terminology and symbolism such as the colour red. How far society should intervene and whether the government, mainly the existing government, is the right vehicle for change are issues of disagreement. As the Historical Dictionary of Socialism summarizes, "there were general criticisms about the social effects of the private ownership and control of capital", "a general view that the solution to these problems lay in some form of collective control (with the degree of control varying among the proponents of socialism) over the means of production, distribution, and exchange", and "there was agreement that the outcomes of this collective control should be a society that provided social equality and justice, economic protection, and generally a more satisfying life for most people". Socialism became a catch-all term for the critics of capitalism and industrial society. Social democrats are anticapitalists insofar as criticism about "poverty, low wages, unemployment, economic and social inequality, and a lack of economic security" is linked to the private ownership of the means of production.

Social democracy or social democratic remains controversial among socialists. Some define it as representing a Marxist faction and non-communist socialists or the right-wing of socialism during the split with communism. Others have noted its pejorative use among communists and other socialists. According to Lyman Tower Sargent, " socialism refers to social theories rather than to theories oriented to the individual. Because many communists now call themselves democratic socialists, it is sometimes difficult to know what a political label really means. As a result, social democratic has become a common new label for democratic socialist political parties."
La social-démocratie

La social-démocratie, une idéologie prônant une modification du capitalisme selon des lignes progressistes, est apparue au XXe siècle et a été influencée par le socialisme. Définie de manière générale comme un projet visant à corriger, par le biais de réformes gouvernementales, ce qu'elle considère comme les défauts inhérents au capitalisme, notamment en réduisant les inégalités, la social-démocratie ne s'oppose pas à l'existence de l'État. Plusieurs commentateurs ont noté de fortes similitudes entre le libéralisme social et la social-démocratie, un politologue qualifiant même le libéralisme américain de « social-démocratie clandestine » en raison de l'absence d'une tradition social-démocrate significative aux États-Unis.
### Query ###
Pourquoi la social-démocratie est passée d'être considérée comme le socialisme extrême au XIXe siècle à être un réformisme organisé au XXe siècle

### Main Text ###
As a tradition of socialism

Social democracy is defined as one of many socialist traditions. As an international political movement and ideology, it aims to achieve socialism through gradual and democratic means. This definition goes back to the influence of both the reformist socialism of Ferdinand Lassalle and the internationalist revolutionary socialism advanced by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Social democracy has undergone various major forms throughout its history. In the 19th century, it encompassed various non-revolutionary and revolutionary currents of socialism, excluding anarchism. In one of the first scholarly works on European socialism written for an American audience, Richard T. Ely 's 1883 book French and German Socialism in Modern Times, social democrats were characterized as "the extreme wing of the socialists" who were "inclined to lay so much stress on equality of enjoyment, regardless of the value of one's labor, that they might, perhaps, more properly be called communists". In the early 20th century, social democracy came to refer to support for a process of developing society through existing political structures and opposition to revolutionary means, which are often associated with Marxism. Thus whereas in the 19th century, social democracy could be described as "organized Marxism", it became "organized reformism" by the 20th century.

In political science, democratic socialism and social democracy are sometimes seen as synonyms, while they are distinguished in journalistic use. Under this democratic socialist definition, social democracy is an ideology seeking to gradually build an alternative socialist economy through the institutions of liberal democracy. Starting in the post-war period, social democracy was defined as a policy regime advocating the reformation of capitalism to align it with the ethical ideals of social justice.

What socialists such as anarchists, communists, social democrats, syndicalists, and some social democratic proponents of the Third Way share in common is history, specifically that they can all be traced back to the individuals, groups, and literature of the First International, and have retained some of the terminology and symbolism such as the colour red. How far society should intervene and whether the government, mainly the existing government, is the right vehicle for change are issues of disagreement. As the Historical Dictionary of Socialism summarizes, "there were general criticisms about the social effects of the private ownership and control of capital", "a general view that the solution to these problems lay in some form of collective control (with the degree of control varying among the proponents of socialism) over the means of production, distribution, and exchange", and "there was agreement that the outcomes of this collective control should be a society that provided social equality and justice, economic protection, and generally a more satisfying life for most people". Socialism became a catch-all term for the critics of capitalism and industrial society. Social democrats are anticapitalists insofar as criticism about "poverty, low wages, unemployment, economic and social inequality, and a lack of economic security" is linked to the private ownership of the means of production.

Social democracy or social democratic remains controversial among socialists. Some define it as representing a Marxist faction and non-communist socialists or the right-wing of socialism during the split with communism. Others have noted its pejorative use among communists and other socialists. According to Lyman Tower Sargent, " socialism refers to social theories rather than to theories oriented to the individual. Because many communists now call themselves democratic socialists, it is sometimes difficult to know what a political label really means. As a result, social democratic has become a common new label for democratic socialist political parties."

### Supplementary Text ###
La social-démocratie

La social-démocratie, une idéologie prônant une modification du capitalisme selon des lignes progressistes, est apparue au XXe siècle et a été influencée par le socialisme. Définie de manière générale comme un projet visant à corriger, par le biais de réformes gouvernementales, ce qu'elle considère comme les défauts inhérents au capitalisme, notamment en réduisant les inégalités, la social-démocratie ne s'oppose pas à l'existence de l'État. Plusieurs commentateurs ont noté de fortes similitudes entre le libéralisme social et la social-démocratie, un politologue qualifiant même le libéralisme américain de « social-démocratie clandestine » en raison de l'absence d'une tradition social-démocrate significative aux États-Unis.

### Draft ###

### 1. Query Parsing

"Pourquoi la social-démocratie est passée d'être considérée comme le socialisme extrême au XIXe siècle à être un réformisme organisé au XXe siècle"

→ Core claim: social democracy moved from extreme socialism to organized reformism
→ Temporal: 19th century vs 20th century  
→ Geographic/cultural: likely European context (French query suggests)
→ Semantic: "socialisme extrême" vs "réformisme organisé" loaded terms

Key question: Is this factual shift real or interpretive? Need precise definitions.

### 2. Definitional Framework

**19th century baseline:**
- Socialism = revolutionary overthrow of capitalism
- Social democracy within socialist spectrum
- "Extrême" = advocating most radical structural change
- Reformism = gradual change through existing institutions

**20th century shift:**  
- Evolutionary vs revolutionary paths to socialism
- Reformist strategies gain legitimacy
- Organized = institutionalized, systematic approach
- State intervention as tool vs replacement

### 3. Historical Verification

⟨H≈0.2⟩ 19th century: Marx-Engels revolutionary socialism dominant. Social democrats like Lassalle pushing for structural change, worker ownership. "Extrême" relative to moderate socialist positions, not absolute. Reformist elements present but secondary.

⟨H≈0.8⟩ Early 20th century: Reformist trajectory accelerating. British Fabians, German SPD evolution. State intervention becoming mainstream tool. WWI as watershed? Revolutionary moments discredited. Gradualism ascendant.

⟨H≈1.2⟩ But wait - "extreme" position needs unpacking. Compared to what? Anarchist positions more extreme? Utopian socialists? Or just "extreme" relative to eventual social democratic practice? The framing matters here.

### 4. Causal Mechanisms

**Why the shift?**

● **Intellectual evolution:** Marxist revolutionary theory facing practical obstacles
● **Institutional adaptation:** Existing parties needed strategies for legal operation  
● **Historical experience:** 1848 failures, state power realities
◐ **Cultural factors:** National variations in political culture
● **Economic development:** Gradual vs revolutionary change better fits capitalist development stages

**Key transition markers:**
- Late 19th century: Marxist orthodoxy challenging
- Early 20th: Reformist programs gaining dominance
- Mid-20th: Social democracy as mainstream center-left

### 5. Verification & Synthesis

? **Potential issues:**
- Is "extreme" the right characterization? Compared to whom/what?
- 20th century "reformism" also varied significantly
- Regional variations (British vs German vs French social democracy)

**Cross-verification:**
✓ Timeline matches broader socialist evolution
✓ Intellectual influences (Fabian Society, SPD Erfurt Program) align  
✓ Explains gradual vs revolutionary strategies
✓ Addresses institutional adaptation needs

∴ **Conclusion:** Shift from revolutionary socialism to reformist gradualism represents genuine ideological evolution, not just semantic change. "Extreme" position reflects social democracy's more radical trajectory within 19th century socialist spectrum, relative to eventual practice.

**Answer confidence:** ● High for general trend, ◐ Medium for specific characterizations

### Answer###
Cette transformation reflète une évolution fondamentale de l'idéologie social-démocrate au cours du temps. Au XIXe siècle, la social-démocratie était effectivement considérée comme une forme "extrême" du socialisme. Dans l'analyse de l'époque, les social-démocrates étaient perçus comme "l'aile extrême des socialistes" qui mettaient "une telle emphase sur l'égalité de jouissance, indépendamment de la valeur du travail de quelqu'un, qu'ils pourraient peut-être plus justement être qualifiés de communistes".

L'évolution s'est produite lorsque la social-démocratie a progressivement abandonné les méthodes révolutionnaires au profit d'une approche graduelle et démocratique de transformation sociale. Cette transition s'est accompagnée d'une définition plus large du socialisme comme projet politique visant à construire un socialisme alternatif à travers les institutions de la démocratie libérale, en soutenant un processus de développement sociétal par des moyens existants.

Au cours du XXe siècle, cette évolution s'est concrétisée dans le fait que la social-démocratie est passée d'être considérée comme "le socialisme organisé" à devenir "le réformisme organisé". Cette transformation explique en partie pourquoi, tandis que la social-démocratie était auparavant perçue comme une forme radicale du socialisme, elle a ensuite été définie comme une idéologie réformiste prônant une modification graduelle du capitalisme à travers des réformes gouvernementales.