Over 120 years later, it is safe to say that Bernstein´s revisionism has been validated by events far beyond those of Lenin or Mao (the jury may still be out on Trotsky). Read today, Bernstein´s theses on the pursuit of socialism within the context of parliamentary democracy sound remarkably prescient. Some of the issues covered her (Bernstein´s polemic with Kautski, reflexions on the role of unions or on agriculture reform) are inevitably dated, and Bernstein´s "prudent" approach to colonial policy would today have him expelled from ever party with a seat in any European parliament right up to the far right, with the possible exception of Jobbik. But his comparison of liberalism (in the Europeans sense) with socialism is brilliant and his advocacy of pragmatic, incremental socialism the basis of a century of progressive government policies in Europe and beyond. And his writing is much more elegant than that of any other classical Marxist theorist (again, maybe Trostsky might give him a run for his money)

A late 19th Century leader of the SPD who isn't a doctrinaire Marxist! Imagine that! It's so refreshing to read ideas that aren't just irrational regurgitations of the works of Marx. A reasonable balance between cooperativism, trade unionism, and democratism, supported by historical events and current statistics - a dream come true! That is, until he starts being imperialistic. That brings him down several notches, unfortunately. But apart from that, a highly reasonable treatise.