Socialism

• Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles on Human Nature

  Human nature originally fraternal and altruistic, has been contaminated by capitalism, installing false ‘consciousness’ of bourgeois values - revolutionary socialism will repair this
• Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels on the state

  The existing liberal-bourgeois state is a tool of the dominant capitalist class: it must be destroyed by revolution and replaced by a new socialist state - the dictatorship of the proletariat
• Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels on society

  Capitalist society is sickeningly yet fatally defined by class conflict, communist society is the perfect end with no class struggle
• Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels on the economy

  Capitalism is corrupt, inefficient and ultimately self-destructive, it should be replaced by a system based on collective ownership
• Rosa Luxemburg on human nature

  human nature has not been damaged to the extent Marx alleged. Fraternity and altruism still flourish in working class communities punished by capitalist economics
• Rosa Luxemburg on the state

  The existing capitalist state must be destroyed by revolution but one arising from strike action. The replacement state should be a genuine democracy complete with free speech and free elections
• Rosa Luxemburg on society

  Capitalist society is class-ridden and morally indefensible yet alternative societies or subcultures exist with down-trodden proletarian communities
• Rosa Luxemburg on the economy

  Capitalism is more resilient than Marx allowed. It’s necessary destruction and replacement by an economy based on workers’ control will require determination and solidarity among the proletariat
• Beatrice Webb on Human Nature

  Damaged inflicted by capitalism upon the human psyche will only be made worse by violent revolution, humanity needs to be guided back, gradually to its original co-operative condition
• Beatrice Webb on the state

  If harnessed to universal suffrage, the existing state could be used for a gradual transition to socialism
• Beatrice Webb on society

  The poverty and inequalities of capitalist society continue to depress human potential while fostering regressive competition
• Beatrice Webb on the economy

  A chaotic capitalist economy will gradually be replaced by one which gives workers the full fruits based upon the common ownership of the means of production
• Anthony Crosland on Human Nature

  Human Nature has a powerful sense of ‘fairness’ and an innate objection to huge inequalities of outcome
• Anthony Crosland on Society

  Society is increasingly complicated, altered by the emergence of new social groups comprising os ‘meritocratic’ managers and ‘classless’ technocrats
• Anthony Crosland on the Economy

  a mixed economy underpinned by the limited public ownership and Keynesian capitalism will finance the greater public spending necessary to secure equality
• Anthony Gideon’s on Human Nature

  Human nature has been shaped by changing socio-economic conditions, the pro-fairness instinct is still present, but it now competes with a sharpened sense of aspiration
• Anthony Giddens on Society

  Society has undergone embourgeoisement - egalitarians must harness, rather than deny these forces
• Anthony Giddens on the State

  The existing liberal should be improved, redistributing and decentralising political power while encouraging greater political participation
• Anthony Giddens on the economy

  A neo-liberal economy, propelled by privatisation and deregulation will provide huge tax yields. This will finance huge increases in public spending which will secure equality of opportunity
• Anthony Crosland on the state

  Democratic socialist governments for example labour 1945-51 clement Attlee, prove that existing state can be used to effect radical socialist change