Leif Pagrotsky explains that in Europe socialism is a misnomer for social democracy .

Question: How is socialism defined in Sweden today?

Pagrotsky: To me it means almost nothing. The word has lost its content because it has been used so much for so different purposes in so many different countries. I never used it and in my country it is almost out of use. In France, it’s the name of the Social Democratic or the party of the Left, the party that could be called the Democratic Party of France. Whereas in my country, it has been used by Communist parties, and in the Soviet Union, it was used by the Communist Party. If you use the word, a person who listens to me would not understand what I’m talking about, so I don’t use it. And in my country, it is not part of the normal vocabulary anymore. I call myself a Social Democrat. That’s very good for me and that’s what I use.