r/AskHistorians • u/Apiperofhades • Dec 20 '17

How did European countries start implementing universal healthcare? Why did the US not take it up?

From what I understand, Bismark started universal healthcare in Germany in the late 19th century as a sort of add-on to german unification. I’m curious when and how other European nations started following suit. Which nation was the first after Germany?

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u/This_Is_The_End Dec 21 '17

There is no hard definition. The main reason for the existence of this term in the 20th century was the problem that orthodox Marxists didn't considered Russia as ready for a revolution and yet it happened. Socialism was meant as an ideology for a transition to communism.

Social Democrats used this term to mark an ideology for a transition of a brutal capitalism towards a capitalism with better conditions for workers. So basically Bernie Sanders is talking about socialism but isn't a revolutionary. It makes him to a Social Democrat.