6. Socialism Flashcards
What are the three main subsections of Socialism?
Revolutionary Socialism, Social democracy, and Third Way
What is Collectivism?
An ideology that mantains that humans can achieve their political, social, and economic objectives more effectively through collective action rather than individual effort
Why do socialists endorse collectivism?
- The interests of the group should take priority over individual self-interest.
- Collectivism utilises the capabilities of the whole of society for the good of the whole
What is the link between socialist belief in human nature & their support for collectivism?
They argue that people are social animals; they prefer to live and work in groups rather than alone
What form of collectivisation do Marxists advocate?
Collective action through a centralised state that organised production & redistribution
What form of collectivisation do more moderate socialists advocate?
- Some nationalisation of industry
- government intervention e.g. the welfare state
What are the most common forms of collectivism?
- Housing - subsisdised homes
- Education - state-run schooling, free for everyone
- Industrial relations - workers organised in Trade Unions with bargaining rights
- Healthcare - national health service funded from general taxation
- Industry - some industries under state control to operate in national interest
What are the two criticisms of collectivism?
- Collectivism suppresses individuality & diversity by emphasising group action
- Collectivist objectives can only be advanced through the agency of the state - leads to the growth of arbitrary state power
Why do modern socialists attach less importance to collectivism?
It is considered to create a ‘dependency culture’ & a sluggish economic sector in modern societies
What is common humanity?
The idea that people share humanity, and should work together rather than go against each other
What is a common criticism of Capitalism by socialists?
It is wasteful since it pits people against each other, and makes them disregard their common humanity
Why do socialists think people should work if not for personal gain?
For the moral good of society as a whole - relied on acceptance of collective humanity
Why do socialists support equality?
- Equality ensures fairness - economic inequality will be reduced or eliminated
- Equality reinforces collectivism - people are more likely to work together if they have the same conditions
- Equality is a means of satisfying basic needs - no more poverty
What equality do Marxists advocate?
Absolute equality, including common ownership on the means of production.
This equality is to distributed via a strong state
What equality do social democrats advocate?
More limited state intervention to achieve relative equality
What is common ownership?
Where the people own something rather than it being privately owned. This is often achieved through the state. (e.g. nationalised industries)
What are some drawbacks of capitalism according to socialists?
- Wealth is collected by the communal effort of people, so it shouldn’t be taken disproportionately.
- Private property encourages materialism
- Private Property generated social conflict between those who have and those who don’t
What are the divisions on equality within socialism?
- Revolutionaries - Equality of outcome
- Social Democrats & Third Way - Equality of opportunity
Why do opponents of socialism reject social equality?
- It is unjust - not everyone has the same skills & abilities
- It lowers human ambition, motivation, and initiative
- It restricts the liberties of the individual
- It stifles diversity and individuality
What are the six social class categories?
- A - Higher managerial, administrative, or professional
- B - Intermediate managerial, administrative of professional
- C1 - Supervisory, clerical
- C2 - Skilled manual worker
- D - Semi-skilled and unskilled manual worker
- E - State pensioner, casual worker and unemployed
What does social class mean to socialists?
It explains the existence of the most important divides in society
What do marxists argue about social class?
The state is an instrument of bourgeoise rule, and there are two distinct, divided groups in society - The ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’.
What do Social democrats argue about social class?
It is defined in more fluid terms, with the state acting as a body to reduce the gap between classes
Why has there been a decline in socialist ideology regarding class politics?
Class politics has seen a general decline in the modern world
What are some justifications for worker’s control that are used by Marxists?
- Workers are the key factors in the process - they should be able to control it
- Worker’s control would be a significant step in moving towards a fully socialist society
What is Revolutionary socialism?
An ideology founded by Karl Marx & Freidrich Engels, advocating the overthrow of the bourgeoise and a ‘dictatorship of the proletariat’ where the working class controls the means of production.
Why was Revolutionary socialism popular in the 19th century?
The early development of indutrialisation led to extreme poverty
The working classes were not part of the ‘political nation’ - could not vote
What method do revolutionary socialists advocate for implementing socialism?
Revolution
What do Revolutionary socialists think about capitalism?
It cannot be humanised, and must be destroyed
What is Social Democracy?
A moderate socialist ideology that attempts to reconcile free-market capitalism with socialist aims
What Ideological ideas is social democracy based on?
- Capitalism is a dependable source of wealth, but it distributes wealth inequally.
- State intervention in economic & social affairs can protect the public & remedy the weaknesses of capitalism
- Peaceful and constitutional methods should be used to bring about change.
Why was social democracy adopted rather than Marx’s theory?
Capitalism was not evolving along the lines of how Marx said it would
What are the main three policies of Social democracy?
- Support for a mixed economy of both private and public enterprise.
- Keynesianism as a means of regulating the economy & achieving full employment
- Reform of capitalism through the welfare state to help tackle poverty
Why did social democracy decline in the 70s and 80s?
There was sharp economic downturn - those in power had to lower taxes to stimulate the economy or prioritise funding to help the welfare services. (led to Callaghan’s loss in 79)
What is the Third Way?
An ideological alternative to social democracy that was slightly more centrist
What were the main five key features of Third Way?
- Primacy of market over the state - nationalised industries sold off
- Value of community & moral responsibility
- Social model based on consensus and harmony - champion self-reliance
- Social inclusion - equality of opportunity alongside meritocracy
- Competition or market state - state is there to help develop workforce’s skills & knowledge base
What views are there among socialists around human nature?
Socialists generally agree that humans have a positive nature, and regard people as social creatures who are co-operative and rational
What views are there among socialists around the state?
- Marxism regards the state as an instrument of class rule, and then a necessary instrument to oversee redistribution after the first state has been overthrown
- Social democrats think the state should intervene in some economic affairs
- Third Way is more sceptical towards ‘top-down’ state intervention, favouring investment in infrastructure to help the people
What views are there among Socialists regarding society?
- Marxists see society as bitterly divided between classes
- Social democrats see these classes as more fluid, but accept there are inequalities
- Third Way describes society as based on harmony and social inclusion
What views are there among socialists regarding the economy?
Marxists advocate fully state-controlled economy, whreas social democrats accept elements of capitalism and favour a mixed economy. Third Way accepts the primacy of the capitalist system
What were the ideas of Karl Marx?
- Social class is central to socialism, and the existence of social class limits the human potential of people. - Therefore, we should overthrow the bourgeoise system and establish an equal communist state
What type of socialism is Karl Marx most similar to?
Revolutionary Socialism
What were the ideas of Beatrice Webb?
- She wrote of the ‘inevitability of gradualness’, which was the idea that socialism will be peacefully established through existing parliamentary institutions
- She rejected Marxist ideas on class struggle, and believed in state action to help the poor.
Which type of socialism most closely links to Beatrice Webb?
Social Democracy
What were the ideas of Rosa Luxembourg?
- Evolutionary socialism is not possible, the capitalist state needs to be overthrown violently
- A reformist socialism would not properly address the issues caused by capitalism.
Which type of socialism most closely mirrors the ideas of Luxembourg?
Revolutionary socialism
What were the ideas of Anthony Crosland?
- Capitalism should be state-managed
- He said the main aim of socialism now was to deliver social equality and social justice through capitalism, rejecting the ideas of Marx.
Which type of socialism most closely mirrors the ideas of Crosland?
Social democracy
What were the ideas of Anthony Giddens?
- State intervention in the economy isn’t the best way to help combat social inequalities
- The state should invest in social investment and education, rather than give money directly to people.
- He favoured equality of opportunity and giving people the resources they need to help themselves in a free-market world
Which type of socialism most closely mirrors the ideas of Giddens?
Third Way
