Final Politics Essay options Flashcards
Single ideology key features - socialism
Introduction - Socialism can be understood as both an economic model, method of political empowerment and social model. It is a political ideology strongly advocated by and accredited to theorist Karl Marx, that advocates for a command economy in which materials are distributed based on needs and community ownership due to their belief in the positive consequences of human collaboration. However the degree to which each of these is emphasised depends upon the branch
Socialism branches - Communism is considered the most extreme branch of socialism, that seeks to alter all institutions within society. Communists place no faith in capitalism or the electoral system and instead believe that the only way to achieve a satisfactory society would be for a small group labelled a “vanguard party” to rise up and lead the rest of the people to a revolution in which the vanguard party will command the people and distribute resources based on the needs of the people. Democratic socialism is another model that places no faith in capitalism, however they do believe in an alternate version of the government. In a democratic socialist society, worker councils will be established which allow workers themselves to set wages and the means of production, which therefore will hold the government to account as these are the economic foundations in which they can get taxation.
karl Marx - Karl Marx is one of the most outspoken critics of capitalism in history, and is a strong proponent of communism in which he theorised the system through his book “the manifesto of the communist party.” Marx believes that a capitalist society is innately based upon the dynamic between the rich and the poor and that the only way a capitalist society works is through the rich exploiting the poor. Marx believed that the elite owining and control the means to production was the final evolution of capitalism and at this point a vanguard party would rise up through revolution to control the means of distribution around the needs of the people. Marx was a strong beliver in equality of distribution, as can be seen through his quote “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.” Karl Marx also believed that work at its best under a communist system allows us to live and be creative, whereas under capitalism factory workers were alienated from the product of their labour as they made products they couldn’t afford to buy.
Human Nature - Socialism operates on a positive perception of human nature and collaboration, with the belief that humans are naturally inclined and better suited for co-operation rather than following authority figures They believe that when working together, human beings develop bonds of sympathy, caring and affection which enable them to be physiologically able to make important decisions in society. Therefore they believe inequality and the market economy to be the barrier to the development of these personality traits, with Bernie Sanders, outspoken US democraticic politican in favour of social reform, saying that “a nation will not survive morally or economically when so few have so much, while so many have so little.” Therefore, it is imperative from a socialists perspective to remove the “dog eat dog” system with a more socially equitable alternative.
Distribution of materials and resources- One of the key principles of socialism is that the distribution of materials and resources should be based around the needs of the people. Socialists argue that needs are objective and universal – such as food, water, shelter and companionship – and therefore everyone should have access to materials which will allow them to satisfy these needs. This focus on equality of distribution regarding basic materials lead to institution such as the National Health Service being introduced in the United Kingdom by the Labour Party. Due to this emphasis on the importance of helping everyone satisfy their needs, socialists have often condemned work that they view as being materially successful but not contributing to satisfying the needs of the people – such as high interest lending by banks. In fact, periods of economic crisis such as the 2008 financial crisis are often pointed to as examples of the consequence of greedy and materially focused industries, with former US president Barrack Obama being quote as saying “Food Stamp recipients didn’t cause the financial crisis; recklessness on Wall Street did.”
Property ownership - socialists believe that private property ownership is the origin of inequality and competition in society, and therefore is responsible for the corruption of individuals as it is the main barrier to co-operation within society. Socialist believe that private property conflicts with principles of community, caring and affection by encouraging people to be materialistic and causes conflict between members of society as non-property-owning workers feel exploited. Property ownership also directly conflicts with socialists’ goal to dissolve social divisions as private property creates a social division between those which own property and those which do not and thus promote selfishness instead of equality. Therefore, socialists believe that since wealth should be a collective effort, property should have common ownership. In the post war period, British socialists tried to promote common ownership through the nationalisation of industry, large public sector housing and through the public ownership of utilities. This socialist surge took place under the leadership of clement Attlee and the Labour party, who’s focus on socialism and common ownership reflected in foreign affairs too, with Britain’s surrender of Singapore in 1941 had sending a clear signal that the days of British imperialism were numbered.
Key features of ideologies different?
Intro - A political ideology entails a certain set of social and economic principles which is perpetuated by its supporters to be the ideal method of governance. Different parties are often representatives of different ideologies, however very few purely follow a single ideology unwaveringly – and those which choose to are often on the fringes of politics. In the United Kingdom, the Conservative Party is said to be representatives of the conservatism ideology, whereas the Labour party is traditionally a party which represents socialist doctrine – however neither completely follow these ideologies. The principles of conservatism directly conflict with those of socialism, with conservatist doctrine promoting the principles of Tradition, human imperfection, authority and private property, whereas socialism adopts the principles of community, co-operation, equality, needs and common ownership.
Conservatism branches - Both socialism and conservatism have numerous branches that differ in both values and degree of ideological purity; however, all branches will have the same overarching values. It is often argued that conservatism has no ideological basis and is instead a practical attitude about politics, however the accuracy of this observation greatly depends on the branch. Traditional conservatism is the least ideological branch and takes a very adaptable approach to its stance on socio-economic issues. This method of reforming policy to reflect voter beliefs has been integral to the success of the Conservative Party in the age of Modern Democracy. Authoritarian conservatism is a deeply ideological branch of conservatism that is based upon the belief that strong leadership is required to maintain the peace within society and that rule of law is the best way to achieve this – with or without the support of the people. A proponent of this method is Margaret Thatcher, Former Prime minister and leader of the Conservative party who was quoted as saying that countries must have an “abiding respect for the rule of law”
Socialism branches - Communism is considered the most extreme branch of socialism, that seeks to alter all institutions within society. Communists place no faith in capitalism or the electoral system and instead believe that the only way to achieve a satisfactory society would be for a small group labelled a “vanguard party” to rise up and lead the rest of the people to a revolution in which the vanguard party will command the people and distribute resources based on the needs of the people. Democratic socialism is another model that places no faith in capitalism, however they do believe in an alternate version of the government. In a democratic socialist society, worker councils will be established which allow workers themselves to set wages and the means of production, which therefore will hold the government to account as these are the economic foundations in which they can get taxation.
Human Nature - The conservatives take a very pessimistic view of human nature and believe that humans are naturally imperfect. They believe humans to physchologically limited and dependent on authority directing them in their lives. Therefore they enjoy the stability offered by a government and social hierarchies, and instead only a small population are suited for running the economy and businesses. Whereas socialists believe that human are naturally inclined to co-operation when working together and develop bonds of sympathy, caring and affection which enable to make important decisions. Therefore they view the market economy as the barrier to his progression. For example, US democrat Bernie sanders once said that “a nation will not survive morally or economically when so few have so much, while so many have so little.”
margaret thatcher - Margaret thatcher was a pioneer of the “new right”, a deeply ideological branch of conservatism that believed in little government intervention in the free-market, and instead viewed the government as a method of protecting the law and order of the society. Thatcherism also follows the principles of individual responsibility and accountability for their actions and wellbeing. This reasoning lead to Margaret thatcher blaming Britain’s crime rate at the time on social workers under previous governments that had given criminals a “fog of excuses” for their actions. Furthermore, escaping poverty is seen as a burden of the individual not the government. Private ownership was also seen as positive in society, as it increased individuals stakes in society. Thatcher tried to encourage private ownership through her “right to buy” scheme that saw council house tenants being given the opportunity to purchase their homes.
karl Marx - Alternatively, Karl Marx is one of the most outspoken critics of capitalism in history, and is a strong proponent of communism in which he theorised the system through his book “the manifesto of the communist party.” Marx believes that a capitalist society is innately based upon the dynamic between the rich and the poor and that the only way a capitalist society works is through the rich exploiting the poor. Therefore, Marx believed that a capitalist society left alone would result in misery for many, therefore unlike conservatism, communism has no intentions of protecting the piece in a capitalist society, alternative it wants a revolution. Marx believed that the elite owning and control the means to production was the final evolution of capitalism and at this point a vanguard party would rise up through revolution to control the means of distribution around the needs of the people. Marx was a strong believer in equality of distribution rather than letting the free-market dictate ownership, as can be seen through his quote “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.” Karl Marx also believed that work at its best under a communist system allows us to live and be creative, whereas under capitalism factory workers were alienated from the product of their labour as they made products they couldn’t afford to buy.
