7.3c Anthony Crosland & Giddens Flashcards
Anthony Crosland (1918–77)
Anthony Crosland was a revisionist theorist whose ideas on socialism influenced the Labour Party.
Crosland: Contradictions in capitalism
Crosland wrote ‘The Future of Socialism’ (1956) where he argued that capitalism had changed, and so Marx’s argument that capitalism would cause class conflict and a revolution was no longer useful in the 20th century.
Crosland: Capitalism benefiting society
Crosland noted how capitalism had developed and benefited society in several ways.
The elite class of business decision makers had changed to become specialist managers who cared about the happiness of their employees.
Crosland argued that capitalism had improved living standards for all people in society, including the working class, rather than collapse as Marxism predicted.
Crosland: State-managed capitalism
Crosland believed that the government in a democratic society could use state powers to regulate capitalism and ensure social equality and justice.
For Crosland, equality in society could be best achieved through economic growth which would enable a socialist government to have more money for social spending and welfare to increase equality in society.
Crosland believed that a mixed economy of mainly private ownership with less public ownership of industry would cause sustained economic growth.
Crosland: Reform of the education system
Crosland believed in reforming the UK’s education system, which was key to his revisionist socialism.
Crosland wanted to improve the state secondary education system so children from all backgrounds could have the same quality of education.
Anthony Giddens (1938– )
Giddens is a sociologist who was key in the development of the ‘third way’ political approach. Giddens’ ‘third way’ takes both the strengths of the neoliberal free market and social democratic political beliefs.
Giddens: The ‘third way’
Giddens wrote ‘The Third Way: The Renewal of Social Democracy’ (1998) in which he outlined the ‘third way’ political approach.
The ‘third way’ had an influence on the policy of PM Tony Blair’s New Labour (1997-2010) government and the Bill Clinton administration in the United States (1993-2001).
Giddens: Rejection of state intervention
Giddens’ ‘third way’ approach rejects state intervention in the economy and instead accepts the free market as it is the most efficient, emphasising equal opportunities for people over equality and placing importance on responsibility and community over class conflict.
Giddens: Role of the state
The ‘third way’ approach outlined that the state’s role should be to invest in infrastructure and education rather than directly intervene in the economy.
Giddens: Social democracy
Giddens believed that social democracy should be modernised because of key developments in society by the end of the 20th century including globalisation and the rise of the knowledge economy.
Giddens argued for social investment by the state where the state invests in infrastructure to provide employment opportunities, and in return, people had a responsibility to take the jobs made available rather than live on welfare benefits.
