The rise of modern Democratic Socialism in America can no longer be ignored. New York state senator Julia Salazar, Maryland Delegates Gabriel Acevero and Vaughn Stewart, and Maine state Representative Mike Sylvester, join Assemblyman Lee Carter of Virginia among the more visible socialists holding state-wide positions. The most visible Democratic Socialists are in the federal government, Senator Bernie Sanders joined this year by Representatives Alexandra Occasion-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib. Pennsylvania state Representatives Summer Lee, Sarah Innamorato and Elizabeth Fiedler are all members of the Democratic Socialists of America.
During Marx's life capitalism was unregulated: owners could demand employees work as many hours and days as the owners wanted without vacations. Owners could hire children as young as it suited them and regularly paid women lower wages than men for the same work. There were no state or federal safety regulations, no financial rules. There were no free schools and no unions with the power to offset that of wealthy owners.
At that time, it seemed that transferring ownership of the means of production to a government controlled by workers was the only means of bringing about change. But Marx never advocated revolution or the overthrow of any government. Marx was perfectly willing to work within a democratic framework and shift companies from the private sector to government sector only when a majority supported it.
Since Marx, Socialist-backed unions have worked--democratically—for the 8-hour workday, the 40-hour work week, overtime pay, vacations, social security, and much more. They brought us free public schools (through college in Europe), social security, free health care (for all in Europe), and financial regulations to protect against economic depression. All these benefits started their lives as socialist ideas.
As unions gained the benefits listed above, they changed, and socialism also changed. Modern socialism no longer advocates worker's taking control of government whether by revolution (that was Lenin's idea by the way) or evolution. Modern socialism seeks only to regulate capitalism and support labor unions.
The goals of modern Democratic Socialism are regulations that allow workers more control of their government, workplaces and lives, having a salary that allows them to retire with dignity after sending their kids to college without debt, and universal health care.
The US is already a mixed economy, not a purely capitalist one. The most extreme form of 19th century socialism was expressed in the Communist Manifesto (1848). Four of the ten central principles of that manifesto have already been adopted in the US: (1) a progressive graduated income tax, (2) the establishment of a "national bank" centralizing credit (the Federal Reserve System), (3) free education for all children in public schools, and (4) the abolition of child factory labor.
Don't let yourself be persuaded the pseudo-socialism of the USSR represented modern socialism. Just like Nazi Germany and the Muslim Caliphate of ISIS, it was run by a gang of criminals under the guise of socialism and Islam, respectively. Look at the Scandinavian countries as representing modern socialism, socialism at east with other political parties.
The people in these democratic countries, according to the World Happiness Report (http://worldhappiness.report/), are the happiest in the world in recent years. The Scandinavian countries have been the most socially progressive of all the European nations. Citizens of these countries don't have to worry about college debt, retirement, or health care. All is covered by their relatively moderate taxes. No worries = happiness.
So, don't let Republicans scare you with threats of old-fashioned socialism or Soviet-style pseudo-socialism. Modern Democratic Socialism is a far cry from either of these.