key socialist thinkers and strands Flashcards
Marx and engels - human nature
contaminated by capitalism which encouraged greed which is not natural and created a false conciousness
human nature is maleable
Marx and engels - the state
the bourgouise state must be overthrown and replaced by dictatorship of the proletariate
controlled by the elites
Marx and engels - society
society is related to means of production
creates a small exploiting class and an exploited many
Marx and engels - economy
capitalism is inevitable but should be replaced with common ownership
controlled by the people = equal wealth
Luxembourg - human nature
struggle against capitalism will mould and change human nature
rejected evolutionary socialism
Luxembourg - the state
mass strike and revolution below the state to destroy it
replace with unlimited democracy of workers
Luxembourg - society
a capitalist society and one of exploitation
workers ability and organisation will come through the struggle of it
luxemburg - economy
capitalism can not be reformed
the revolution will overturn it
webb - human nature
corrupted by poverty and human nature but will guide itself back to its cooperative essence
webb - state
could be harnessed via ballot to change gradually (evolution)
only state inervention and trade unionism could counter poverty
webb - society
poverty is structural so needs a structural response ; the national minimum wage
webb - economy
the state will take production into common ownership
democratic socialsm - webb
webb associated with, pivotal to the development of the Labour party
webb planned a rational society “inevitability of socialism”
-democratic socialists would campaign peacefully
-electorate would inevitable vote a socialist govt
-gradual replacement of private to state ownership
neo - marxism
violent overthrow of capitalism to smash capitalism and its false consciousness
however not optimistic that revolution would happen due to the strength of capitalism
milliband argued any democratic socialist which came into power were forced to dissolve socialist policies
revisionist socialism
socialism can be achieved without destruction of capitalism and without upheaval of revolution
arguments that socialism requires abolition of private property and capitalism
-priv prop generates inequality
-promotes individualism instead of fraternity and cooperation
-leads to exploitation of workers (Marx)
-webb believed public ownership to be more efficient
-later democratic socialist Benn believed attempts to achieve socialism alongside Keynesian capitalism had failed
arguments that socialism can be achieved without abolition of private property and capitalism
ownership is means not the ends, the true ends are equality
early revisionists realised working class conditions had improved (not envisioned by Marx)
increased public spending possible if capitalist growth was slow
third way revisionist e.g. Giddens argued a thriving Neo-liberal economy would provide the state with a growing tax yield financing public spending
capitalism is now globalised
crossland - human nature
inequality leads to fear and envy but equality leads to cooperation
crossland- society
capitalism forever changed by Keynes
advanced societies would enjoy economic growth and full employment without public ownership
societies would enjoy expansion of welfare state
crossland - state/economy
socialism required a mixed economy
argued for comprehensive education to dissolve segregation amongst children
giddens - human nature
capitalism and individualism were irreversible
any survival of social democracy required recognition that free market capitalism had power to empower individuals
giddens - society/ economy
argued capitalism worked best under social cohesion
capitalism in 20th century dissolved industries and fragmented communities and atomising the modern workforce
giddens - the state
if human nature were to flourish under. more managed economy then must be more proactive requiring heavy investment
revisionist socialist argument revitalising the case for further state action in a globalised economy
recognised Keynesian economics was obsolete and socialism needed to reconcile itself to free market
heavy influence on New Labour government
The third way
associated with New Labour or known as Neo-revisionism
giddens urged leftists to go with more privatisation and deregulation to boost govt tax revenue (view accepted by Blair which led to renounce its commitment to Clause IV
due to globalisation, govt less influential so encouraged to address less economic values and more social equality issues
redistributing political influences e.g devolution and HRA
