Creeping socialism

Creeping socialism is a term that describes society's slow and gradual shift toward Socialism. It was first used by Friedrich Hayek in his 1944 book The Road to Serfdom.[1] This concept is closely related to Fabian Socialism, which seeks to use existing democratic institutions and processes to gradually advance socialism.

Creeping socialism is often illustrated by a quote commonly attributed to socialist activist Norman Thomas, though it is unclear if he actually made the quote. He said that "the American people will never knowingly adopt Socialism. But, under the name of 'liberalism,' they will adopt every fragment of the Socialist program, until one day America will be a Socialist nation without knowing how it happened ... The Democratic Party has adopted our (Socialist) platform."[2][3]

Policies such as welfare state laws, gun control measures, and the War on Sovereignty are examples of creeping socialism in action, as these measures typically are slowly implemented and expanded, rather than all at once.

## See also[edit]

* Liberal creep
* Gradualism
* Democratic socialism
* Nanny State
* Cultural Marxism
* Overton Window

## References[edit]

1. ↑ Socialism in America. u-s-history.com. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
2. ↑ Did Norman Thomas really say that America would not knowingly adopt socialism, but under the name of. Progressingamerica -- Blogspot. April 3, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
3. ↑ Frost, Don (November 12, 2011). Socialism will creep up on us. The Daily Herald. Retrieved March 30, 2018.

## External links[edit]

* Is America Embracing the 10 Tenets of the Communist Manifesto?, by Brian Koenig of The New American
* How the Specter of Communism Is Ruling Our World. The Epoch Times.