The Frankfurt Declaration is the general name that refers to the set of principles titled Aims and Tasks of Democratic Socialism issued by the Socialist International in Frankfurt, West Germany, on 3 July 1951. The Declaration condemned capitalism for placing the "rights of ownership before the rights of man", for allowing economic inequality, and for its historical support of imperialism and fascism.
The Frankfurt Declaration was updated at the 18th Congress of the Socialist International in Stockholm in June 1989.
It declared that capitalism has coincided with "devastating crises and mass unemployment". It praised the development of the welfare state as challenging capitalism and declared its opposition to Bolshevik communism.
It declared that socialism was an international movement that was plural in nature that required different approaches in different circumstances. However the Declaration stated that true socialism could only be achieved through democracy. The economic goals of socialism according to the Declaration include: full employment; the welfare state; achievement of public ownership through a variety of means, including: nationalization, creation of cooperatives to counter capitalist private enterprise, and/or securing rights for trade unions.
The Declaration stated that economic and social planning did not necessarily have to be achieved in a centralized form, but could also be achieved in decentralized forms. The Declaration denounced all forms of discrimination whether economic, legal, or political must be abolished, including discrimination against women, races, regions, and other social groups. The Declaration denounced all forms of colonialism and imperialism.