11.3 - Core Ideas and Principles within Socialism Flashcards
1
Q
What is worker control?
A
The importance and extent of control over the economy.
2
Q
How do democratic socialists advocate workers’ control?
A
More equitable distribution of economic resources.
Abolishment of class distinctions.
3
Q
What is democratic socialism built upon, contrastingly to revolutionary socialism?
A
The parliamentary route is the more effective route towards true socialism.
4
Q
How do Marxists analyse society?
A
Society is embedded with an understanding of social class.
Class struggle, class consciousness.
5
Q
What is class struggle?
A
The inherent struggle between capital and labour.
6
Q
What did Marx argue all societies were based upon?
A
Class conflict.
7
Q
What examples did Marx give for class conflict being the basis of society?
A
Transition from feudalism to capitalism.
Landed aristocracy battling between aspirational middle class.
8
Q
What is class consciousness?
A
The proletariat becomes aware of their exploitation at the hands of the bourgeouisie.
9
Q
What can the combination of class struggle and class consciousness lead to?
A
A potentially revolutionary working class.
The replacement of capitalism with a system run for the benefit of workers.
10
Q
Why has Marx’s analysis of social class seen much scrutiny?
A
Criticism due to the perception of social class arising due to the means of production.
New socialists, such as Anthony Crosland have argued that society is far more complex than what it was under Marx.
11
Q
What can the concept of class struggle and consciousness boil down to?
A
The fact it is intellectually bankrupt.
Workers’ Control is no longer necessary to achieve socialistic goals as means of production are no longer owned by monopoly men with monocles but a new salaried working class.
12
Q
What are the core values of (extreme?) socialism?
A
Equality of outcome is more important than individual liberty.
Need for an extensive welfare state.
State ownership of production.
Strong emphasis on collective working class organisations (trade unions).
Redistributive wealth.
Abolishment of class system.
Abolishment of institutions decided by class, birth or privilege.
13
Q
Why did Socialism rise in Europe?
A
A reaction against social and economic conditions generated in Europe by individual capitalism.
14
Q
What is capitalism?
A
An economic system in which wealth is owned by private individuals and goods are produced for monetary exchange according to the dictates of the market.
15
Q
What types of people generally followed Socialism?
A
Industrial Revolution working class.
16
Q
What is social justice?
A
Seeking to ensure the best possible allocation of resources based on subjective judgement as to what is fair.
17
Q
What responsibilities does social justice assign to certain institutions?
A
Government
Social Security
Public Services
Are given important status to create a more egalitarian society.
18
Q
What is a common link between Social Justice and another tenet of socialism?
A
Redistribution of wealth.
19
Q
How do centre-left Socialists feel social justice can be achieved?
A
Via a mixed economy with a significant role for public and the private sector.
20
Q
How do far-left socialists feel social justice can be achieved?
A
Complete public ownership of all production to meet everyone’s needs.
21
Q
What assumption is social justice based upon?
A
It’s possible to achieve an equitable distribution of goods within society.
22
Q
Is the gender pay gap an example of a lack of social justice?
A
Yes.
Women and men are paid differently despite doing the same work.
23
Q
What was the Rawlsian philosophy between socialism and social liberalism?
A
His argument about social justice can be applied to his argument on the maximisation of individual liberty.
Rawls believes it is possible for the state to achieve an effective allocation of resources.
24
Q
What view do socialists take of human nature?
A
Generally positive.
It is easily shaped (for good or bad) by an individual’s environment.
25
How do socialists perceive society?
A collection of broadly equal individuals who share a common identity and collective purpose.
26
What is cooperation?
Individiuals working together to achieve mutual benefit with the fraternal belief that humans work best when working together.
27
What types of work do socialists prefer?
Work that focuses on cooperation and collectivism rather than individualism and competition.
28
What is fraternity?
Humans regard each other as siblings rather than rivals.
Relationships are not based on competition or enmity but on generosity / solidarity.
29
What do socialists think about the effect of unchecked capitalism?
It is dangerous for the individual so they argue for varying levels of intervention in the state.
30
What forms of socialism are particularly hostile to capitalism?
Revolutionary / Democratic Socialism
31
What forms of socialism are compliant with capitalism?
Social Democracy
Third Way - particularly fond of the free market.
32
What does revolutionary socialism feel about a vision of common humanity?
Individuals are 'deformed' by capitalism - money corrupts those who possess it.
Capitalism must be removed by a revolution from the working class.
Once a revolution occurs, a communist society emerges, and then humans can finally enjoy a common humanity.
33
What does democratic socialism feel about a vision of common humanity?
Webb argued for a socialist state via democratic methods.
Common ownership of the means of production - mass nationalisation controlled by a socialist elite.
34
What does social democracy feel about a vision of common humanity?
Capitalism should be reformed rather than replaced.
Crosland saw a vision of:
* A mixed economy
* Economic state intervention based on Keynesian economics ensuring permament, full employment and economic growth
* The welfare state should be used to redistribute wealth and challenge poverty / social inequality
35
What does the Third Way feel about a vision of common humanity?
Giddens argued for:
* An emphasis on equality of opportunity via public services - education particularly
* Neo-liberal ideas of the free market and self-reliance
* Moving away from universal welfare to means-tested welfare
36
What does collectivism prioritise?
The group over the individual.
Belief that individuals:
* Prefer to work together as opposed to independently
* Will work far more effectively in group settings than they will individually
37
Who are the main utopian socialists?
Charles Fourier
Robert Owen
38
What do utopian socialists argue for?
Small-scale cooperative communities organised collectively to promote socialist values.
39
Why is collectivism an interesting topic for socialists?
It has been implemented so differently across all branches of socialism.
40
How does Marxism argue for collectivism?
On a larger scale, workforces should collectively own all industry and all agencies of society are communal.
41
How do democratic socialists argue for collectivism?
Over time, a fully collectivised economy and state will emerge.
Webb informed much of the post-war Attlee government, but Attlee still had some acceptance of the free market.
42
What do social democrats feel about collectivism?
Suspicious of the high levels of collectivism by more radical wings of socialism.
43
What is the social democrat solution to industrial relations?
Workers should belong to trade unions that have very strong bargaining rights to prevent exploitation.
44
What is the Third Way solution to industrial relations?
Unions should still exist to preserve fairness.
Must be a recognition that the wages are market-driven.
45
What is the Third Way solution to industrial relations?
Unions should still exist to preserve fairness.
Must be a recognition that the wages are market-driven.
46
What is the social democrat solution to healthcare?
A national health service providing universal care to all.
'Free' and paid for by the general population via taxation.
47
What is the Third Way solution to healthcare?
Healthcare reform.
The cost of universal healthcare is unsustainable.
Supports:
* Prescription charges
* Private healthcare for the rich for non-essential healthcare
48
What is the social democrat solution to education?
Widespread comprehensive state education for all ensuring an equality of opportunity.
49
What is the social democrat solution to education?
Widespread comprehensive state education for all ensuring an equality of opportunity.
50
What is the Third Way solution to education?
More equality of opportunity and spending in education.
New Labour introduction of tuition fees for universities.
51
What is the Third Way solution to education?
More equality of opportunity and spending in education.
New Labour introduction of tuition fees for universities.
52
What is the social democrat solution to key industries?
The key utilities are brought under government control and operate in the collective interest of all.
53
What is the Third Way solution to key industries?
The free market is the best way to run businesses.
No support to renationalise state utilities.
54
What are the three aspects of equality that socialists can agree on?
Foundational Equality
Rejection of natural hierarchies
Equality of Opportunity
55
What is foundational equality?
A belief that all individuals are born with innate human rights that translate to political and legal equality.
56
What is foundational equality?
A belief that all individuals are born with innate human rights that translate to political and legal equality.
57
What did revolutionary socialists feel about equality of opportunity within a capitalist society?
Equality of Opportunity can only be achieved after a revolution.
58
What did democratic socialists feel about equality of opportunity within a capitalist society?
Equality of opportunity can only be achieved by reforming capitalism to the point that it is actually socialist.
59
What did democratic socialists feel about equality of opportunity within a capitalist society?
Equality of opportunity can only be achieved by reforming capitalism to the point that it is actually socialist.
60
What did social democrats feel about equality of opportunity within a capitalist society?
A mixed economy with state management based on Keynesian policies.
Breakdown of class barriers that are irrelevant.
Progressive taxation to allow an even distribution of opportunities.
61
What did the Third Way feel about equality of opportunity within a capitalist society?
Equality of opportunity should target the most needy by means-tested benefits rather than universal benefits.
62
What did Revolutionary Socialists feel about equality of outcome within a capitalist society?
In a capitalist society, equality of outcome is not achievable as capitalism cannot be rid of exploitation.
63
What did Democratic Socialists feel about equality of outcome within a capitalist society?
Webb argued for an incremental process so that income would be more evenly distributed.
Not absolute equality but inequality income such that the remains would be substantially fairer.
64
What did Social Democrats feel about equality of outcome within a capitalist society?
Crosland was against pure equality of outcome as he felt it would weaken the economy, by acting as a disincentive to wealth creators.
65
What did the Third Way feel about equality of outcome within a capitalist society?
Giddens argued that wage equality of outcome was impracticable and a disincentive that would damage the economy.
66
What did revolutionary socialists feel about absolute equality within a capitalist society?
An economy would be revamped through revolution.
The new economy would be based on common ownership and collectivisation based on needs.
Each individual contributes to society and then takes what they need.
67
What did democratic socialists feel about equality of outcome within a capitalist society?
Although Webb believed in high taxation to flatten class differences, she did not advocate for absolute equality envisaging some wage differences.
68
What did social democrats feel about equality of outcome within a capitalist society?
Absolute equality is utopian, accepting that those in a meritocratic mixed economy those who contributed more would be given more.
69
What did the Third Way feel about equality of outcome within a capitalist society?
Absolute equality is a flawed concept.
Inequality is a natural consquence of society.
70
What did Revolutionary Socialists feel about equality of welfare within a capitalist society?
Rejection as it does not remove the capitalist society.
71
What did the Democratic Socialists feel about equality of welfare within a capitalist society?
Equality of welfare would be achieved by mass nationalisation of industry.
Proper state management would ensure equality of welfare via an efficient redistribution of resources.
72
What did social democrats feel about equality of welfare within a capitalist society?
Crosland saw the state as a source to reduce class conflict.
Universal public services would reduce this conflict.
Nationalised utilities and the free-market economy were points to follow.
73
What did the Third Way feel about equality of welfare within a capitalist society?
High levels of social security and welfare were a disincentive to work creating a dependency culture.
Benefits should be targetted at the most needy.
74
How do revolutionary socialists argue social class should be rectified?
A revolution that resets class.
75
What was the core idea of Marx and Engels' political theory?
Social Class
76
What does Marxism argue in terms of social class?
Capitalists are 'parasites' that profit from the work of an exploited workforce.
Differences between social classes are un-rectifiable in a capitalist system to a revolution is inevitable.
Capitalists take the surplus value (difference between wages paid and profit) which alienated the worker from the fruits of his labour.
The capitalist state was not neutral but actively reinforced the oppressive relationship via laws, bureaucracy, police forces and the army.
77
How did Webb critique Marx's analysis of the class system?
She agreed with the analysis of problems faced, but argued that the state can be altered through democracy from serving capitalism to delivering a socialist state.
78
Why were Social Democrats critical of Webb?
The idea of collectively minded utilitarianism / uniformity of nationalisation compromised the freedom of the individual making 'the socialist state' a 'dull functional nightmare'.
79
What is utilitarianism?
An action is correct if it promotes happiness, and that the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people is the most important principle.
80
What was Crosland's view of socialism?
Less of a class war.
More of a fairer redistribution of wealth / equality of opportunity so that an individual can thrive in a society which would over time become classless of it's own accord.
81
What was Marx's main work?
'The Communist Manifesto' - 1848
82
What were the main ideas of Marx and Engels?
Marx and Engels argued their theories were empirical and scientifically determined. (absolute nonsense)
Class struggle due to property ownership has existed through history.
Capitalism will leave only a tiny majority benefiting from it.
Both argued that liberal democracy was a 'democratic swindle' because the state was controlled by the bourgeoisie.
83
What did Crosland argue about education?
It reinforced class division in it's current state.
He tried to ensure equality of opportunity by creating comprehensive schools that would cater for all abilities + break down segregation of grammar schools.
84
What did Crosland argue about education?
It reinforced class division in it's current state.
He tried to ensure equality of opportunity by creating comprehensive schools that would cater for all abilities + break down segregation of grammar schools.
85
What did the Third Way argue about education?
It is the 'imperative of government today, a key basis of the redistribution of possibilities'.
86
Why did the failure of social democracy to not break down class divisions not overly matter?
The classes set out by Marx, Engels and Webb no longer really exist as the economy has shifted to services-based economy rather than the prior clear cut classes.
87
What are the chances of obtaining a good education predicated on?
Class background.
88
What did Marx think dominated societal culture, ideology, politics and religion?
Materialism.
89
What do revolutionary socialists believe about worker's control?
Marx, Engels and Luxemburg advocate for workers' control for a time.
90
What do evolutionary socialists believe about workers control?
The worker will never have control of the economy or means of production.
91
What do evolutionary socialists believe about workers control?
The worker will never have control of the economy or means of production.
92
What did Marx and Engels see happening in the transitional period after a revolution?
Formerly exploited workers are in control.
Society and the economy re-embrace forgotten co-operative, collective and fraternal values removing destuctive capitalists ideals.
Workers' control only occurs for a short time between revolution and the classless communist society after emerging from the ashes of capitalism.
93
Why did Webb not believe in workers' control?
Workers are actually incapable of such a responsibility.
94
Why did Webb not like guild socialism?
She argued workers lacked the capability to organise such an enterprise.
95
Who drafted Clause IV for the Labour party?
Sidney Webb (Beatrice's husband)
96
What was Webb's view on human nature?
Negative.
She felt the working class were innately intellectually inferior.
97
What is Clause IV?
'... the basis of common ownership and the means of production, distribution and exchange..'
Essentially, a commitment to common ownership. Neither of the Webb's intended for workers to control the means of production.
98
Who did Webb think would solve the evils of capitalism?
'the professional expert'
The working class vote for socialism, and over time, elected socialist governments would refashion the state to manage the worker.
99
How would the state change its character under a socialist government according the Webb?
'From police power, to housekeeping on a national scale'
A highly trained elite of administrators and specialists would be required to organise society rather than the workers.
100
What thinktank did Beatrice Webb belong to?
The Fabian Society.
101
What thinktank did Beatrice Webb belong to?
The Fabian Society.
102
What was Webb's evolutionary socialist belief?
'The inevitability of gradualness'
Parliamentary democracy will deliver the socialist society rather than revolution.
103
Which group needed to vote for socialist governments and what would this lead to?
Working class.
Social, economic and political reform.
104
Which group needed to vote for socialist governments and what would this lead to?
Working class.
Social, economic and political reform.
105
What is vital to deliver socialism?
The expansion of the state.
The state develops a highly trained elite of administrators and specialists to organise society.
106
What was Webb's main book?
'The Minority Report of the Poor Law Commission' - 1909
107
What did 'the Minority Report of the Poor Law Commission' argue for?
A 'national minimum of civilised life'
108
Where did many of Webb's works later appear?
William Beveridge's, 'The Beveridge Report' - 1942.
109
Who was William Beveridge?
A modern liberal who worked for Webb as a researcher who then took many of her views as his own.
110
How did Webb describe revolutions?
'Chaotic, inefficient and counter-productive' an 'unpredictability' that Webb could not countenance.
111
How did Social Democrats and the Third Way view workers' control?
Class struggle and workers' control are outdated notions as Capitalism had been largely reformed of most of its most exploitative traits.
112
Who did Crosland back to change Clause IV and what happened?
Hugh Gaitskell.
Unsuccessful as the left-wing of the party felt it was too importnt.
113
What type of education did Crosland recieve?
Private.
114
What was Crosland's main book?
'The Future of Socialism' - 1956.
115
Why did Crosland not like Marxist views of capitalist development?
It did not drive social change as the internal tensions required in Marx's dialectic of historical materialism were not present in postwar capitalism.
116
What is socialism best served by in Crosland's view?
'State-managed capitalism' - i.e. a mixed economy.
117
How can equality of opportunity be achieved according to Crosland?
Giving all state school students the same educational experience.
Crosland viewed the current educational system as 'the most divisive, unjust and wasteful of all the social aspects of inequality'.
118
What type of economics did Crosland subscribe to?
Keynesian economics.
119
What type of an economy did Keynesian policies make possible?
State-managed capitalism.
120
What did Giddens think of workers' control and why?
He did not like it.
Felt workers did not have the skills / expertise to lead a workplace.
121
What did Giddens think of the mixed economy?
Disliked it.
Nationalised companies cannot compete with the amount of wealth the free market creates.
122
What type of beliefs did Giddens follow economically?
Neo-liberal beliefs.
Free-market economies are more efficient and prosperous than state-controlled / mixed economies.
123
Which labour leader was fond of Giddens views?
Tony Blair.
124
What did Tony Blair do to Labour constitution?
Amended Clause IV to remove the commitment to social justice for a vague commitment to social justice.
125
What did Blair not reverse from Thatcher's reign that most Labour governments would have?
He was a neo-liberal economically, so did not renationalise the state utilities.
126
What are Giddens' main works?
'Beyond Left and Right' (1994)
The Third Way: The Renewal of Social Democracy (1998)
127
Why did Giddens like free-market capitalism?
It enriched and empowered society.
Individualism is irreversible.
Socialism must look to harness the benefits of free-market capitalism while neutralising negative effects on community.
128
What did Giddens think about the relationship between neo-liberal economics and social democracy?
It is possible to reconcile both.
129
What did Third Way Socialism prioritise spending on?
Infrastructure (community services, public transport, equality of opportunity in eduation)
130
What did Third Way Socialism prioritise spending on?
Infrastructure (community services, public transport, equality of opportunity in eduation)
131
Which socialists place importance on workers' control?
Marx, Engels and Luxembourg.
132
Which socialists do not see workers' control as ever taking place in society?
Webb, Crosland and Giddens.
133
How do revolutionary socialists see workers' control happening post revolution?
Marx and Engels envisaged a transitional period between revolution and classless society.
The workers would be in control during this time, before that control becoming unnecessary as communism is free of the exploitation of capitalistic competition.
134
How does evolutionary socialism see workers' control occuring in society?
Webb did not believe in workers' control as she thought that workers were incapable of such as responsibilty
Webb believed that working class individuals were innately intellectually inferior and so would always need supervision from superiors.
135
How did Webb feel the evils of capitalism would be solved?
'The professional expert'
The state silently changing character from police power to housekeeping on a national scale. - a highly trained group would organise society
136
What did Webb mean by the 'professional expert'?
In the general public voting for socialism, elected socialist governments would refashion the state so they could manage and not oppress the worker.
137
How do social democrats and the third way view workers' control?
Massively outdated.
Capitalism had been largely reformed since its more exploitative days so did not need large reforms.
138
What areas does socialist collectivism revolve around?
* Industrial relations (i.e. trade unions)
* Housing
* Education
* Industry
* Healthcare
139
What are the core ideas of socialism?
* Common humanity
* Collectivism
* Equality
* Social Class
* Worker Control (hmm..)
* Rationalism
140
What did 'the Minority Report of the Poor Law Commission' argue for?
A 'national minimum of civilised life'
141
Who did Webb think would solve the evils of capitalism?
'the professional expert'
The working class vote for socialism, and over time, elected socialist governments would refashion the state to manage the worker.
142
What is cooperation?
Individiuals working together to achieve mutual benefit with the fraternal belief that humans work best when working together.
