Ideologies: Socialism Flashcards

Question

Socialist view of the state: an enlarged state

Answer 1

-they reject the ‘libertarian’ states advocated by modern conservative thinkers like Nozick(minimal role)—} this kind of state will only allow further selfish individualism + exploitation of the less fortunate which leads to further inequality -socialists agree that the state should enlarge and are keen to extend state sponsored collectivism. -Statist collectivism will include: • progressive taxation, where the state ensures the rich pay more than the poor • greater public spending, where the state uses tax to improve the condition of lower class • universal public services, where the state uses tax to guarantee public services accessible to all

Answer 2

-strand advocated by Marx, Engels and Luxemburg -both the current political and economic systems must be quickly + entirely dismantled for socialism to be achieved

Answer 3

-Marxist ideology is distinguished by its fierce criticism of capitalism(specifically during the industrial revolution of 18th/19th century) -capitalism gave rise to the bourgeoisie and proletariat, producing **class conflict** – a tension that would destroy capitalist society. The bourgeoisie owned the mode of production in a capitalist economy, enabling them to exploit + oppress the proletariat, i.e through paying low wages. The concept of ‘surplus value’ encouraged the bourgeoisie to pay workers less than the real value of their labour—} under capitalism, workers suffered **alienation from the fruits of their labour** and were dehumanised by this -Marx argued human nature was but was corrupted by capitalism, which fostered selfish self-interest. -the ultimate flaw in capitalism was that it was an inefficient mode of production; it consistently failed to provide for the majority.

Answer 4

-Marx and Engels believed capitalism’s demise was inevitable, it ‘sowed the seeds of its own destruction’ -Marx predicted each of the economic crises produced by capitalism would be worse than the last, the plight of the proletariat would steadily worsen—} would lead to a revolution that destroys both capitalism and the existing state -they also dismissed capitalism reform by the existing state — argued all states served the interests of the bourgeoisie -revolution was ‘historically inevitable’ which drew upon the historicism of Friedrich Hegel, who argued history was ‘episodic’: a series of stages involving a clash of philosophical ideas. Each stage was a clash of economic ideas & economic interests - historical materialism

Answer 5

-they predicted that’s new socialist state, ‘the dictatorship of the proletariat’ would emerge -it would oversee the replacement of private ownership with common ownership, and emergence of a new culture that stressed fraternity and solidarity -once this was complete, the socialist state would wither away and eventually replaced by a stateless, utopian society known as communism (final stage of economic evolution based on principle of ‘from each occurring to his ability, to each according to his needs’)

Answer 6

-primitive communism – early societies shared everything; no private property or class divisions -slave Society – class society begins; rulers own slaves who do all the work. -feudalism – lords own land, peasants work it; society divided by status and birth -capitalism – bourgeoisie own businesses, workers sell labour; marked by exploitation and class struggle -communism – classless, stateless society; workers own everything collectively and share resources

Answer 7

-developed by Lenin* from Marxist theory to fit the conditions of early 20th-century Russia *leader of Russia’s Bolshevik party + key figure during Russian revolution

Answer 8

-Lenin agreed with Marx’s critique of capitalism + the belief that communism was inevitable -Lenin + Luxemburg were concerned with Marx’s idea that revolution was only possible in societies where capitalism was advanced(meant that less developed countries would have to endure decades of oppressive rule) -Lenin argued that pre-industrial societies should use revolution to pre-empt the development of capitalism, so industrialisation took place under a socialist, not bourgeois state

Answer 9

-Lenin’s idea of a revolutionary party (or vanguard), would perform 4 crucial tasks: -it would plan the revolutionary overthrow of the existing state(such as Tsar in 20th century) -escape false consciousness by re-educating the masses into the basic virtues of socialism -after the revolution, the vanguard would form the Communist Party, which would embody Marx’s dictatorship of the proletariat—} it would prepare the ground for communism and the ‘end of history’ -the communist party would embody Lenin’s ‘democratic centralism’, which would involve a one-party state, with debate only occurring within the party(decision would represent the will of the masses)

Answer 10

-shaped the ‘socialist revolutions’ in Soviet Union, Mao’s China after 1949, Cuba, North Korea + Vietnam—} all led to totalitarianism(concentration of political power + elimination of all political opposition)

Answer 11

-shared Marx’s dislike for capitalism and + belief in the inevitability of a revolution -like Lenin, she rejected Marx’s view that socialism could only occur after capitalism reached an advanced stage -Luxemburg challenged Marxism-Leninism in three areas: - rejected Lenin’s vanguard approach to revolution, saw this as a new form of elitism. instead, she advocated for a revolution that was spontaneous and was driven by things like trade unions - she shared Marx and Lenin’s belief in revolution but didn’t accept that engagement with the existing state was pointless. she saw the state’s election campaigns as an opportunity to enable class consciousness, which would speed up the spontaneous revolution she wanted. Parties like the German Communist Party could use their own campaigns to explain need for revolution and use seats as a platform for revolutionary propaganda -after the revolution, she wanted a new socialist state that would be neither a ‘dictatorship of the proletariat’ nor a ‘one-party state’. instead, she advocated a new democratic state which would have state ownership of the economy but allow fair elections and genuine competition -influenced the Socialist Workers Party UK: “..we want to see a revolution where the majority of people take control in society and transform the world..”

Answer 12

-socialists such as Webb and groups like the Fabian Society began to challenge the idea that socialism + the displacement of capitalism must happen through revolution(instead looked to more of a rational society) -saw revolutionary socialism as counter-productive + thought it created a version of instability/unpredictability that plagued capitalism -believed that democratically elected governments would transform society via the existing parliamentary system i.e restoring parliamentary sovereignty through leaving the EEC -during the 20th century, evolutionary socialism became highly influential due to the post-war Attlee govt + establishment of welfare state

Answer 13

-the Fabian Society realised capitalism hadn’t bought the misery predicted by Marx + found the economic condition of working class improved -BUT they still rejected capitalism as a long-term economic system—} Webb argued an economy based on private ownership was ‘unpredictable’ + advocated for a planned economy, where ‘economic interests could be constructively resolved by elected governments’ For this to happen, a post-capitalist economy was needed i.e writing of Clause IV in 1918: “equitable distribution..upon the basis of the common ownership of the means of production..”

Answer 14

-democratic socialists argued revolution replicated the problems they associated with capitalism—} Webb believed that the state in a capitalist society was more responsive than Marx envisaged i.e in the UK, the franchise had been extended and no longer reserved for the bourgeoisie which encouraged legislation improving the condition for the poor like the Factory Act 1874(reduced the working day for women and children to 10 hours + min working age of 10) -she concluded that democratic socialist govts could use this method to bring about more radical socialist change i.e universal adult suffrage and a working-class electorate that would vote for socialism

Answer 15

-according to Fabians, democratic socialist govts could use the existing state to promote a ‘slow but steady’ movement to public ownership and socialism. -many see the post-war Labour govt as an example of ‘gradualist’ democratic socialism—} 2/3rds of the Labour MPs elected in 1945 had Fabian Society connections including the PM Attlee -they gradually implemented a series of measures including the nationalisation of industries like coal, iron and steel

Answer 16

-based on principles that would serve ‘the many not the few’ -believed in extending state power to: mail, water and energy services into public ownership, provide greater funding for the NHS etc

Answer 17

-strand that rejects revolution + believes the existing state could promote a socialist agenda -Unlike democratic socialists, social democrats like Crosland don’t support the disappearance of capitalism + see it as the ally of socialist govts

Answer 18

-Crosland argued the ‘us and them’ society of traditional socialism was redundant -there was a new ‘meritocratic manager’ class, who were directing the post war economy, without owning it(Marx’s link between control + ownership of production was broken) -according to Crosland, members of this class weren’t exploited proletariat or exploiting bourgeoise

Answer 19

-Attlee’s government had nationalised significant sections of the economy, one that was largely capitalist but with the state now owning parts of society that were problematic, such as public health & transport -Crosland argued this blended public/private ownership made further nationalisation unnecessary

Answer 20

-aka ‘managerial capitalism’, as it allows govts to steer a capitalist economy through adjustable tax rates, and other forms of state intervention. This allowed growth, employment + removal of capitalism’s cyclical nature. -more tax revenue eventually led to redistribution of wealth + increased public spending

Answer 21

-Attlee’s government established the welfare state(network of public services that served to lessen poverty and inequality i.e the NHS, state education) -social democrats wished to build on the welfare state + use the revenues to create a stable Keynesian economy -Stagflation(high unemployment + inflation) in 1970s weakened faith in Keynesian economics, helping Thatcherism + NR conservatism rise

Answer 22

-both Giddens' Third Way and Crosland's social democracy supported gradual socialism,opposed revolution, wanted higher public spending over state ownership and saw Labour’s Clause IV (common ownership) as outdated -the Third Way differed from social democracy due to changes: •Soviet Union collapsed, so capitalism had no communist threat. •globalisation made economies more unified, limiting govt control •New Right policies (Thatcher & Reagan) weakened socialist ideas, while Labour kept losing elections •working class declined, and society became more middle-class, shifting political priorities

Answer 23

-meant mixing social democracy’s values with New Right economics created the Third Way(aimed to achieve both social justice and economic efficiency by balancing welfare policies with free market principles)

Answer 24

-The Third Way moved beyond Keynesian capitalism, which assumed governments could control economies -Giddens argued globalisation made this harder, so instead of resisting capitalism, the Third Way embraced free markets like the New Right—} more deregulation, public-private partnerships, and a “remixed economy” where the private sector played a bigger role in services like health and education -goal was higher profits and tax revenues to fund public spending, as shown by New Labour’s approach after 1997: “intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich.. as long as they pay their taxes”(Mandelson)

Answer 25

-Giddens noted society had become more diverse, so New Labour introduced laws promoting racial, gender, and LGBTQ+ rights (i.e allowing same-sex adoption and the Equality Act 2010). -While New Labour supported a multicultural society, it did not fully embrace multiculturalism, which actively promotes minority cultures

Answer 26

-aimed to unite society by reducing racial divisions, not just promoting tolerance. -he valued social cohesion and solidarity over pure individualism(like earlier socialists) -individual freedom was important, but impossible without a harmonious society, who focus more on personal rights

Answer 27

-wanted more ‘sharing’ of political power(emphasised diversity, inclusion + co-operation) -New Labour promoted reforms like devolution, HOL reforms etc

Answer 28

-certain events in the 21sr century weakened capitalism i.e 2007-8 economic crash, problems in the Eurozone after 2012(countries like Greece had to increase austerity)—} strong socialist policies were implemented i.e nationalisation of banks by Brown’s 2007 govt -Corbyn’s Labour party became the most popular party among voters aged 18-40(strong anti-capitalism campaign) -increase in support for socialist senator Bernie Sanders + success of younger socialists in congress i.e AOC -increased collective action + stress on society’s needs during COVID -COVID sparked debates about poverty + inequality as lower classes suffered most -‘class dealignment’: Johnson’s 2019 victory where conservatives were the most popular party among working class voters(red wall collapse)—} resulted in a more ‘Blue Labour’