Socialism

Cards (51)

  • socialism two branches
    revolutionary
    . evolutionary
  • Two strands of revolutionary socialism
    . Marxism
    . Utopian socialist
  • Capitalism
    An economic system based on private ownership of capital
    . socialists worried produce unequal and unfair economic social consequence
  • evolutionary strands (3)
    . democratic
    . social democracy
    . Third way
  • Democratic socialist
    . Articulated by Webb
    . Gradually achieved within preexisting parliamentary structure
    .wanted mass nationalisation where private enterprise would cease and socialist elite would manage state for beenfit of all
  • Social democracy
    . Post war
    . Influenced by Crosland
    . Focused on mixed economy and increased state spending for social justice
    .
  • Third way
    . Giddens
    . Neo liberal and social democratic ideas
    .
  • Revolutionary socialism
    . Marx .
    Abolish capitalist state society and economy
    . Replace it with communism and a system based on collectivism
    . Society based on common ownership
  • Social Justice
    justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society.
  • Common ownership
    . Influenced by fraternity and equality
    . all benefit from state ownership
    . Opposition to private ownership
  • Utopian socialism

    . Revolutionary
    .weaker of two strands
    . Robert owen and charles fourierproposed different views on utopian society based on smale scale co operative communities
    . Marx critiqued as idelaistic and simple / no way to sustain
  • Marxism
    . Humans are social beings whose natural state of fraternit, co-operation and selflessness has been perveted into a false consciousness
    . Social class central to perception of human history
    . gone through a series of economic phases with two classes ruling class (bourgeoisie) and surplus workers (proletariat)
    . Main idea is historic materialism - economic conflict is catalyst for historical and social development in society
  • Historic Materialism
    Marxist theory that the economic base (the economic system) forms the superstructure (culture, politics, law, ideology, religion, art and social consciousness).
  • what was historical development driven by
    . A dialectic
  • A dialectic
    . A continuing chain of itnernal contradictions between two opposig forces (expolited and exploiters) and history would pass through stages ending with the state withering away and a perfect communist society
  • Marx and Engels
    .Centrality of social class - historical materliams / revolutionary class consciousness and dialectic change
    . Humans as social beings - true humanity only expressed under communism
    . Private property brought class struggle all throughout history therefore was teological with a final destination of communism
    . Proletariat to achieve class consciousness
  • class consciousness
    A belief that you are a member of an economic group whose interests are opposed to people in other such groups
  • Who was heavily influenced by Marx
    Rosa luxemburg - she was a determinist meaning people were slaves outside of their control
    . BUT disgareed with historical materliasm and said could happen in LEDC
    . Disagreed with no need for democracy after communist revolution
    . Praised for anticipating the dictatorship of the party that had communist revoltuions e.g russia and china
  • Luxemburg war quote

    all war is male
  • Luxemburg 'freedom

    freedom is how free your oponent is
  • Luxemburg
    . Evolutionary socialism flawed- left room to reform exploitation
    . Struggle by proletariat for reform and democracy leads to class consciousness which would happen spontaneously
    . Historical materliams flawed as no final stage was needed befre reforms
    . internationalist rather than nationalist
  • End of history- Marx
  • Revisionism
    Socialist thought that disagreed with Marx's formulation; believed that social and economic progress could be achieved through existing political institutions.
  • democratic socialists
    . ballot box rather than revolution
    . Fabian society whose aim was to gradually advance socialism
    . beatrice webb
  • Beatrice Webb
    . ' inerviatbility of gradualness' parliamentary democracy will advane socialist goals
    . expansion / revision of state
    . highly trained elite to benignly organise a socialist society
    . ' a national minimum of civilised life' in poor law commission
    . beveridge report (1942)
    .
  • webb quote of revolutionaries
    " chaotic, ineffecient and counter productive"
  • social democracy
    a hybrid system combining a capitalist economy and a government that supports equality
    . utilise wealth created from free market via state intervention
    . keynesian
    . Disagreed that dialectics did nt drive social change
  • who's known for social democracy
    . Anthony Crosland
    . capitalism reformed not replaced
    .
  • crosland slating marx
    he "has little or nothing to offer to the contemporary socialist"
  • Crossland
    .state managed capitalism ( mixed economy + state intervention)
    . Contradictions in capitalism do not drive change - in postwar period the internal tensions required in marx's dialectic of historical materliams did not exist
  • Third Way
    . A term used to describe the new and more central left-wing parties of the 1990s, most notably Britain's "New Labour".
    . state must accept free market
    . role of the state to move away from social and economic engineering favoured by social democracy and embrace social investement in infratsructure
    . Emphasis on social inclusion and equality of opportunity/meritocracy
    . traditional egalitarianism to be scaled back
    .
  • Anthony Giddens
    Third Way
    rejections of state intervention acceptance of free market economy
    . social inevestemnt in infratsructire and education
    . harnass benefits of free market and neutralsie corrosive effects
    . Neo liebral economy and social democracy society
  • core ideas
    . Common humanity
    . collectivism
    . Equality
    . Social class
    . Workers control
  • common humanity
    . social creates
    . want to work together
    . belief in fraternity and community underpinning
    . All socialists concerned about unchecked effect of capitalism ( to differing degrees)
  • Collectivism
    . positive HN means we work better together
    . More effective in groups
    . Revs wanted workforce to own all of industry as collective common ownership of common property would end class conflict
    . Webb wanted cooperative federalism (business owned by customers) + would have strong trade union movement
    . Crosland's social democracy suspicious of collectivism of marx + Giddens third way influenced by neo liberlas
  • equality
    . social equality is the fundamental goal of socialism
    .
  • Absolute equality
    .receive same reward as long as contributions made to best of ability
    . revolutionary socialists e.g marx engels and lux
    . Economy based on common ownership and collectivisation
    . rejecetd by other branches as too extreme
  • equality of outcome
    . economic rewards fairer and more evenly distributed for similar outcomes
    . favoured by dem socialists e.g webb
    . reduce income inequality
    . rejected by revs for not extreme enough and also by social dems and 3rd way for discriminating wealth creators
  • equality of opportunity
    . equal chances
    . supported by 3rd way and social dems
    .crosland and giddens emohasis on education and targetting most vulnerable
  • equality of welfare
    equal minimum standard of living guaranteed by state
    . social dem crosland most enthusiastic
    . favoured progresive taxation and universal welfare status
    . Gidens and web favour welfare state but fear dependency culture
    . rev = only achievable after com rev