State

• Marx:

  • Strong socialist state that intervenes in the economy to address social inequalities
  • Revolution and the forceful removal of the traditional state
  • Proletariat must rise up and destroy the bourgeoisie in a class struggle
  • State with complete control of all resources
• Marx:

  • Class consciousness: the working class would suddenly gain class consciousness and realise they were being exploited and revolt would happen all at once
  • Revolution as the true democratic movement of direct power- the only way to remove the ruling class that the state was designed to protect
  • Transitional phase ‘the dictatorship of the proletariat’ will occur following state removal
• Luxemburg:

  • Strong socialist state that intervenes in the economy to address social inequalities
  • Revolution and the forceful removal of the traditional state
  • Proletariat must rise up and destroy the bourgeoisie in a class struggle
  • State with complete control of all resources
• Luxemburg:

  • Revolution would not be spontaneous as the state’s control of the proletariat was so extensive that they’d never realise they were being exploited- need for education by an elite revolutionary group, which would stimulate widespread revolution
  • Rejected ‘dictatorship of the proletariat’ – post-revolution there should be free elections and a democracy built on common ownership
• Webb:

  • Strong socialist state that intervenes in the economy to address social inequalities
  • State with complete control of all resources
  • Democratic socialism: revolutions were chaotic and inefficient and that it could be resolved by rational discourse and educated civil-minded officials
  • Universal suffrage would lead to political equality as democracy would work in the interests of the working-class majority
  • Gradual transition to socialist state through democracy- ‘inevitability of gradualism’
• Crosland:

  • Capitalist market combined with socialist government could be used to improve the life of the workers
  • State run economies hugely inefficient
• Giddens:

  • Capitalist market combined with socialist government could be used to improve the life of the workers
  • State run economies hugely inefficient
  • Rejected ‘top-down’ state intervention and state-managed social democracy