In recent centuries, with the advent of capitalism and urbanization, the spark that was the Enlightenment has reshaped the world as we know it . Great things were promised by this revolution, but as time and experience have proven, this is not the case. Most humans today live in poverty and misery with little hope of escaping it; there is, however, a small minority who live in extravagance and abundance and whose main objective is to maintain this arrangement. The most important problem/disease in our lives today is poverty and social democracy can fix it. Capitalism, as it is conceived, needs poverty or, at the very least, excels when poverty is rife. Liberalism's emphasis on individuality is not enough to protect the poor and resolve inequality. Conservatism openly worships poverty and accepts inequality as natural. Socialism is a great concept, but it is completely unrealistic and could only be achieved through revolution, which is highly unlikely in today's society. This article will begin by analyzing ideologies and their failures in matters of social inequality and poverty. Starting with liberalism, although many of the core liberal ideas have been accepted today by all ideologies, liberalism does little to end poverty, most people do not receive a fair share , as this article will show. Next, this article will discuss conservatism's complete disregard for social policy and its antisocial policies. Third, socialism and its current unrealistic goals will be discussed. Finally, social democracy will be analyzed, its pro-social attitudes while working within the capitalist economy. Liberalism is the dominant ideology of industrialized countries, in the sense that all other ideologies have accepted...... middle of paper... ...it has realistic goals that can be achieved through reform. Through slow transformation, we can curb the evils of capitalism and contribute to the establishment of a more egalitarian society. Works Cited Hayes, M. (1994). The New Right in Britain: An Introduction to Theory and Practice. Colorado: Pluto Press. Heywood, A. (2003). Political ideologies: an introduction. 3rd ed. Houndmills, Palgrave Macmillan. Johnston, L. (2001). Ideology. Peterborough: Broadview. McNally, D. (2006). Another world is possible: globalization and anti-capitalism. Winnipeg, Canada: Arbeiter Ring Publishing. Miliband, R. (1994). Socialism in a Skeptical Age. London: Verso. Mullaly, B. (1997). Structural social work: ideology, theory and practice. 2nd ed. Toronto: Oxford University Press. Patriquin, L. (2004). Inventing tax rage: misinformation in the National Post. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Fernwood Publishing.