socialism

• who influenced the origins of socialism and how?

  jean jacques rousseau - Discourse on the Origin of Inequality (1755) - 'many crimes, wars, and murders' were linked to the concept of private property
• what other work influenced the origins of socialism?


  1789 François-Noel Babely - 'Conspiracy of the Equals'
• who was relevant to socialism in the early 19th century?

  utopian socialists eg Robert Owens
• how do socialists view natural human nature?

  humans are naturally co operative, generous, and self reliant, seeking solidarity, fraternity, and comradeship
• how do socialists view the current state of human nature?

  has been diluted by circumstance and time and is more optimistic about how it could be than how it is - malleable rather than fixed
• how do socialists view society?

  independent construct formed by impersonal forces - marx + Engels defined the forces as primarily economic
• what do socialists view as the main reason for individuals not fulfilling their potential?

  society
• what do socialists view as central to one's fate, and what idea do they reject via this?

  class, rejects the liberal idea of autonomous individuals
• what do socialists emphasise?

  social justice, with an additional emphasis on equality of outcome
• what do socialists argue will never happen without greater equality of outcome?


  liberal objectives of self-determination and foundational equality will never be realised
• what does capitalism threaten?


  'natural' condition of mankind, which is fraternity and co operation
• what is free market capitalism incompatible with?

  equality of opportunity, self-determination, social justice
• what economy do socialists advocate for?

  economy with greater worker's control in employment and significant redistribution of wealth and resources
• what forms can greater collectivism take?

  progressive taxation, progressive public spending, extebnsive public services
• how do Marx and angels view the state?

  essential for foreseeable future, redistribution of wealth etc but may 'wither away'
• what state do socialists advocate for?

  a state where political and economic power has been redistributed and decision making reflects principle of equality and a strong state
• Fundamental socialism refers to the writings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
• Marx and Engels stated that capitalism must disappear before socialism and communism could be established
• They argued that capitalism promoted exploitation, alienation, and oppression of one class by another
• Marx and Engels believed in historical materialism, viewing history as a series of economic stages
• They proposed the concept of dialectical materialism, where economic interests clash leading to a dominant economically exploitative class
• Marx and Engels advocated for revolutionary violence to overthrow capitalism and establish a dictatorship of the proletariat
• Marxism-Leninism, also known as orthodox communism, was influenced by Vladimir Lenin
• Lenin believed in accelerated revolutionary socialism to pre-empt the full development of capitalism
• He emphasized the importance of a vanguard elite to plan and lead the revolution, educate the masses, and form a Communist Party
• Lenin's ideas were disputed by socialists like Rosa Luxemburg, who believed in a different approach to revolution
• Democratic socialism emerged in the late nineteenth century and remains influential in western European societies
• Early democratic socialists rejected revolutionary change and believed in a gradual transformation towards common ownership and public control
• The post-war Labour government in the UK under Clement Attlee implemented measures towards a fairer, post-capitalist society
• Tony Benn advocated for fundamentalist socialism and argued for adjustments to pursue socialism peacefully within a mainly capitalist economy
• Euro-communism emerged in the 1970s, with communist parties in western Europe advocating for gradual decommissioning of capitalism through parliamentary methods
• Communist parties like the French Communist Party and the Italian Communist Party rejected the Marxist-Leninist case for revolution and focused on mainstream politics
• Euro-communists rejected the Marxist-Leninist case for revolution
• Instead, they contested elections, took up seats won in national parliaments and occupied positions of executive power within the existing constitutional system
• Euro-communists were influenced by Italian socialist intellectual Antonio Gramsci, who argued that capitalism could never be overthrown without mass public support
• Gramsci believed that a socialist counter-culture needed to emerge in various aspects of society, not just in the workplace
• Euro-communists endorsed the idea of a socialist counter-culture and believed that parties like the PCF would be more persuasive if legitimized by routine election campaigns and responsibility in government
• Euro-communism was a significant departure from orthodox communism
• Neo-Marxists, like the Frankfurt School, believed that cultural hegemony could be countered by a socialist vanguard infiltrating key parts of society
• They argued that the violent overthrow of the capitalist system was necessary to smash both capitalism and the false consciousness that allowed capitalism to survive