Socialism

• Hegel was a German thinker whose ideas influences Marx. He believed that consciousness changes over time. He also theorised about a 'dialectic process' in which commonly accepted ideas conflict with an antithesis and they eventually come together as a synthesis that forms the new thesis.
• As an example of Hegel's idea of the dialectic process, we have gone through the cycle of slave and master, serf and lord and now capitalist and worker. Each time antagonism increases until there is a social revolution and a new system is formed.
• Marx and Engels were influenced by the ideas of Rosseau (social contract) and Montesquieu (an enlightenment figure who came up with separation of powers)
• Engels and Marx were both born in Germany. They were both influenced by the authoritarian German political system and British industrial cities like Manchester and Salford.
• Marx and Engels were also influence by Hegel, Robert Owen and JS Mill. Marx in particular responded to Mill's utilitarianism by arguing that unalienated labour allows individuals to enjoy their work and that the product of their labour meets the needs of others.
• Marx and Engels' key views on human nature: comes from enjoyment of labour, but social interaction and natural collaboration has been corrupted by competition under capitalism.
• Marx and Engels' did not desire a state, however they believed in a temporary one that would not be oppressive but would organise things under early socialism and then eventually wither away.
• Marx recognised women's intellectual abilities and and wanted legal emancipation for them. Other Socialist leaders believed in more traditional gender roles as they thought women entering the workplace endangered the rights of male workers.
• Luxemburg developed a humanitarian theory of Marxism, stressing democracy and revolutionary mass action to achieve international socialism.
• To Luxemburg, nationalism was a regressive concession to the class enemy, the bourgeoisie. She underrated nationalist aspirations and stressed the importance of socialist internationalism (uniting workers of the world).
• Luxemburg defended Marxist orthodoxy and the necessity of revolution, arguing that parliament was nothing more than a bourgeois sham
• Rosa Luxemburg was the youngest of five children of a lower middle-class Jewish family in Russian-ruled Poland.
• Beatrice Webb also assisted her cousin by marriage Charles Booth in his pioneering survey of the Victorian slums of London, work which eventually became the massive 17-volume Life and Labour of the People of London (1902–1903).
• Beatrice was the lead author of the dissenting minority report. This sketched the outlines of a Welfare State which would:

  ...secure a national minimum of civilised life ... open to all alike, of both sexes and all classes, by which we meant sufficient nourishment and training when young, a living wage when able-bodied, treatment when sick, and modest but secure livelihood when disabled or aged.
• Luxemburg believed that Capitalism has an inherent tendancy towards overproduction and constant expansion which is not sustainable.
• As a feminist and social reformer, Webb criticised the exclusion of women from various occupations as well as campaigning for the unionisation of female workers, pushing for legislation that allowed for better hours and conditions.
• Webb believed that revolutions are 'chaotic, ineffective and counterproductive'.
• Webb was involved in the 'co-operative movement' alongside Samuel Smiles which coined the term 'collective bargaining' as a way for employers to communicate with labour unions.
• Webb shared Marx and Engel's views on capitalism warping human nature and prioritising individualism and competition.
• Webb did not believe that a classless society was possible however she did believe in reforms for the working class and universal suffrage.
• The post-war consensus included a belief in Keynesian economics, a mixed economy with the nationalisation of major industries, the establishment of the National Health Service and the creation of the modern welfare state in Britain. The policies were instituted by all governments (both Labour and Conservative) in the post-war period. 
• The foundations of the post-war consensus can be traced to the Beveridge Report. This was a report by William Beveridge, a Liberal economist who in 1942 formulated the concept of a more comprehensive welfare state in Great Britain. The report, in shortened terms, aimed to bring widespread reform to the United Kingdom and did so by identifying the "five giants on the road of reconstruction": "Want… Disease, Ignorance, Squalor and Idleness".
• The aim of a socialist economy is to create stability (as opposed to 'boom and bust') that benefits workers who are in control of production. And to eradicate the gap between the rich and the poor.
• In the text, 'Notes on James Mill' Marx criticises Mill's ideas because of how they overlook the exploitation inherent in capitalist production. He emphasises the importance of 'unalienated labour'. He believed that a worker's personality and talents are inherent in what they produce and they shouldn't be separated from this by capitalism.
• Marx envisioned a society where advanced technology and social organization would reduce the need for physical labor. In this context, work would transform into a fulfilling, creative pursuit, making labor a "prime want" of life rather than a necessity. He believed people would willingly contribute to society, driven by enjoyment rather than compulsion. His phrase "from each according to his ability" reflected the idea that individuals would focus on cultivating their unique talents for the common good.
• Luxemburg argued against the idea of a "dictatorship of the proletariat" that concentrated power in a single-party state. Instead, she advocated for a socialist democracy where political power remained with the working masses, emphasizing that genuine socialism could only thrive in an environment of political freedom and democratic participation.
• Luxemburg’s ideas diverged from those of Marx and Engels primarily in her insistence on democratic socialism and her belief in spontaneous mass action. While she remained committed to their foundational principles, her critiques focused on ensuring that socialism would be democratic and genuinely led by the working class.
• Beatrice Webb coined the term "collective bargaining" as a way to discuss the negotiation process between an employer and a labor union.
• Instead of giving aid directly to people in their homes, the Poor law (1834) required poor people to enter workhouses to receive assistance. The law introduced the principle of "less eligibility," which meant that conditions in workhouses had to be worse than the poorest paying jobs outside. The Minority Report, led by Beatrice Webb, emphasized proper medical care and child-well as provisions needed to the Poor Law.
• Webb, along with her husband Sidney Webb, undertook extensive research on social and economic conditions in Britain. This research shaped her belief that worker-owned cooperatives could improve living standards for the working class. Webb was instrumental in defining and promoting cooperative principles, such as mutual ownership, democratic control, and profit-sharing among members.
• Crosland saw Keynesian economics as a practical tool to humanize capitalism, align it with social democratic values, and avoid both the volatility of unregulated markets and the strict control of traditional socialism. His ideas were influential in shaping the Labour Party’s policies during the post-war period and were central to the development of British social democracy.
• Keynesian economic theory states that economys self-correct over time. It encourages government spending during a recession as this leads to higher consumer spending.