11.5 - Socialism Key Thinkers Flashcards
What did Marx and Engels place central to socialism?
Concepts of social class.
How can the best nature of human nature be expressed according to Marx?
Through a Communist society.
What are the three key elements to Marxism?
Historical Materialism
Dialectical Change
Class Consciousness
What happens to the individuals in a materialistic society?
The individual cannot realise his or her full potential, if private property and class differences are eliminated, they can become a fully rounded individual.
Where were Marx and Engels from?
Germany
What class did Marx and Engels belong to?
Middle class
What were Marx’s and Engels main books?
The Communist Manifesto (1848)
Das Kapital (1867)
What problem did Marx and Engels run into?
Working class people don’t have the time to learn manifestos and read books, so their target audience was difficult to effectively target.
What main section of Marxism did Webb disagree with?
Class struggle
How did Webb envisage a socialist society coming about?
Through democratic means - evolutionary socialism.
What was Webb’s main book?
A Constitution for the Socialist Commonwealth of Great Britain.
Why did Webb reject direct democracy?
She felt the average voter was not well enough informed to make decisions.
Why did Webb prefer representative democracy?
She felt a skilled governing class could be relied upon to persue socialist ideals.
How did Webb feel a socialist state could be delivered?
Vastly expanding the state.
What was key to the socialist goals of Webb?
Central planning of the economy.
What did Webb think of Stalinist Russia?
Initially liked it as she felt its level of planning was in the public interest rather than motivated by profit.
What class did Webb belong to?
Middle Class
Where was Webb from?
England
How did Luxembourg disagree with evolutionary socialism?
She rejected it as it left capitalism intact and she required a complete workers control and a complete overthrow of the capitalist system.
What was Luxembourg’s book?
Social Reform or Revolution
Why did Luxembourg think capitalism was doomed?
Eventually, it will run out of markets and territories to exploit so any attempts to work around it will simply prolong its life.