Differ from liberals and conservatives who see humans as inherently self-interested and materialistic; socialists believe these traits are products of social conditioning under capitalism, and that socialist values would enhance cooperation and collective pursuit of goals
They see material circumstances as key to individual well-being, and call for new economic structures based on different moral principles than capitalism
Debated by different socialist theorists - some saw need to reform rather than destroy capitalism, while others insisted capitalism had to be completely overturned; contemporary socialists see it as a process of economic reforms
Regarded social question as most important, insisted on promoting general happiness and welfare, distrustful of politics and politicians, believed economic and social aspects should be properly ordered
Term that came into common usage in the same period as socialism, often used in connection with the idea of socialism but with a more militant connotation
Marx and Engels' critique of present and past societies
Society's political and cultural arrangements are shaped primarily by the forces of material production, and when productive modes and relations have developed as far as they can, conditions arise for social revolution to bring about more progressive forms
The state is a class-based institution expressing the will and interests of the dominant political and economic groups, and under capitalism the bourgeoisie seek to expand their base and overcome economic crises, digging their own graves and creating conditions for proletarian revolution
Marx and Engels' view on the historical mission of the proletariat
Unlike previous insurgent classes, the proletariat under capitalism is driven to revolt through its own increasing misery, and once it wrests political power it will establish its own hegemony and eventually a classless, stateless society
The genesis and development of socialism paralleled the rise of liberalism in Europe, but from 1889 on socialism increasingly challenged liberalism as the predominant ideology
The moral message embedded in their theory of historical materialism made the Communist Manifesto a landmark publication in the history of modern socialism
Paralleled the rise of liberalism in Europe, with various schools of socialist thought coming to maturity during the second half of the nineteenth century: reformist socialism, Marxism, anarchism, and syndicalism
Marxism tended to be the dominant socialist theory, partly because of its conceptual cogency and partly because it was embraced by the most powerful and influential social democratic parties affiliated with the Second (Socialist) International
Long favored by liberal governments as a way to respond effectively to the problems created by the periodic crises of capitalism, the second wave of industrialization, and the emergence of a mass society
These factors created the basis for a "proletarian" mentality or consciousness, with workers joining clubs, trade unions, electing representatives, and subscribing to publications
Saw the march of socialism as an inexorable historical process that could be predicted by correctly reading the "objective laws" governing the evolution of both the natural world and society
Engels' materialist conception of history became an article of faith in all the regimes that declared themselves to be Marxist in the twentieth century
One of the strongest non-Marxian currents in the socialist movement, united in opposition to Marxism due to their diametrically opposed views on the role of the state
Completely rejected the notion that the state could serve any positive function, believing the working classes would overturn capitalism by developing their own social institutions and engaging in economic struggle