Revolutionary socialism

• Place revolution at the heart of their philosophy, believing this is the only way of achieving socialism.

  Also known as fundamentalism socialists, they desire complete equality of outcome and total overthrow of capitalism.
• Key thinkers:

  1. Karl Marx
  2. Friedrich Engels
  3. Rosa Luxemburg

  (Marx and Engels are treated as one key thinker)
• Economy:

  Marx and engels saw capitalism as an inherently exploitative economic system that disproportionately rewards the rich while failing to reward the poor.

  Because the rich were also those in possession of political power, Marx and Engels rejected the idea that social or economic change could be brought about without overthrowing the existing system.

  in their book 'The Communist Manifesto' they stated:

  "workers of the world unite: you have nothing to lose but your chains"

  they argued that capitalism would inevitably lead to a violent revolution.

  • Luxemburg believed that a form of revolution was necessary. She criticised the "violence of the ruling class" - the economic exploitation of the proletariat by the bourgeoisie.
  • She argued capitalism could be defeated without resorting to violence and democracy could help achieve socialism.
• Society:

  Marx and Engels goal was common ownership of the means of production and the abolition of private property. society as a whole would own all property, including industries that would previously have been owned by the upper class.

  • common ownership would allow society to be based on the guiding principle of outcome.

  "from each according to their abilities, to each according to their needs"
• Human nature:

  belived that humans are fraternal, social beings, but they say that people have been alienated from their true nature by capitalism.

  • Marx and Engels shared an optimistic, egalitarian view of humanity that sees humans as fundamentally equal, with the same capacity for thriving in society.
  • Revolutionary socialists accept that human nature is malleable which means that it can change according to social and economic circumstances.
  • argue that unequal outcomes create a culture of class struggle, in which the working class is pitted against the upper class. They believed that to create conditions where a revolution can happen, the proletariat need to gain class consciousness, beginning to understand they are being unfairly exploited by the bourgeoisie.
  • Marx said "the rich will do anything for the poor but get off their backs"
• State:

  If there was a revolution to overthrow capitalism, Marx and Engels expected their would be a period of proletarian government to oversee the transition into socialism.

  This would involve the working classes overseeing the states effort to abolish private property and dismantle capitalism, in order to achieve workers control.

  However Marx and Engels believed that the state would eventually fade away. Marx believed that the state would be unnecessary once humans had been returned to their true fraternal, co-operative state.