Key thinker quotes - socialism

Question 1

Marx and Engels on human nature

Answer 1

Capitalism instilled a ‘false consciousness’ and made humans selfish, ruthless, greedy.

Question 2

Marx and Engels on the state

Answer 2

“The state is not ‘abolished.’ It withers away.”

Question 3

Marx and Engels on the economy

Answer 3

Capitalism created ‘surplus value’ (employers paying minimum wages to maximise profit).

Question 4

Luxemburg on human nature

Answer 4

Capitalism promotes exploitation and is as is with human’s natural, fraternal instincts.

Question 5

Luxemburg on society

Answer 5

“Those who do not move, do not notice their chains.”

Question 6

Luxemburg on the state

Answer 6

She saw it as a tool of class domination that must not become authoritarian under socialism.

Question 7

Webb on society

Answer 7

“Our aim is to substitute for the anarchical struggle for existence a deliberately organised co-operation for existence.”

Question 8

Webb on the economy

Answer 8

“The economic process must be directed by deliberate social purpose.”

Question 9

Crosland on human nature

Answer 9

“Human beings flourish most in conditions of equality.”

Question 10

Crosland on the state

Answer 10

“If it’s the job of the government to promote equality, then that requires not simply taxing the rich but ensuring social benefits for all citizens.”

Question 11

Crosland on the economy

Answer 11

“What matters is not the ownership of industry, but the conditions under which it operates and the results it achieves.”