L1: Socialism

Question 1

What do some say is the definition of Socialism

Answer 1

“socialism is self-evident and does not need to be defined.”

Question 2

Socialist ideology

Answer 2

A commitment to the creation of an egalitarian society (equality of wealth and power);

A belief that in the heart of an egalitarian society are the values of solidarity and cooperation;

A conviction that these changes could be brought about through a conscious human agency (socially conscious people can make the change).

Question 3

Why was Socialism born in the 19th century?

Answer 3

Industrialization, urbanization, new social order led to a breakdown of the traditional order that existed in agricultural societies.

The new values of individualism and freedom were welcome by liberal thinkers including socialists as the pillars of progress.

Question 4

Utopias

Answer 4

the establishment of a society based on harmony, association and cooperation through communal working and living.

Question 5

Etienne Cabet wrote …

Answer 5

Icaria

Icaria was founded on the basis of perfect equality in all aspects of life (including clothing);

But it was also a society based on popular democratic participation;

Icarian societies were established all over France and the U.S.

Question 6

Henri Saint-Simon

Answer 6

Believed that science was the key of progress.

believed that the industrial development would facilitate the development of the good society, as it would provide the conditions for abundance and elimination of poverty.

claimed that the current ills of the society could be attributed to the particular historical development.

he did not see property ownership as the most important issue

Believed in the existence productive and unproductive classes, and that progress depends on productive classes.

Religion of Newton

Question 7

Classes of Henri Saint-Simon

Answer 7

Producers
Scientists
Artists

Relationship between industrial/scientific based on cooperation and peaceful competition.

Relationship between the unproductive based on power.

Question 8

Charles Fourier

Answer 8

Envisaged an utopian society called Harmony, based on the ideas of feelings, passion and sexuality.

Believed people didn’t need change. Society was flawed.

Believed that commune of 1,620 people needed to be made. Two of each personality type.

Feminist

Question 9

Robert Owen and how he wanted to change society.

Answer 9

Trapped in environment, superstitious and selfish

How to change?
Different approach to children’s upbringing;
Change in the relationship between the sexes;
Different work organization;
Eliminating crime.

Self-supporting communities based on communal property. Poverty would be eliminated by the elimination of waste/excessive consumption

Question 10

Anarchism

Answer 10

Contribution to socialism:
Decentralized communities;
Opposition to the state;
Need for a revolutionary movement.

Question 11

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (Anarchist)

Answer 11

anti-feminist, homophobic and extremely puritanical

Ideal society for Proudhon was a peasant society where independent, self-supporting peasants would study and live in very basic conditions.

Question 12

Mikhail Bakunin

Answer 12

Advocated terror for its own sake.

Believed that most oppressed were potentially most revolutionary, thus the least developed societies were more likely to stage a socialist revolution

Hated communism/mass political parties.

Question 13

Founders of Marxism

Answer 13

Marx and Engels

Question 14

Marxism

Answer 14

Critique of capitalism.

Existence determines consciousness.

Change through revolution

Question 15

Bourgeoisie

Answer 15

The middle class (Diana)

Question 16

Proletariat

Answer 16

Modern working class (Akko)

Question 17

Labor Theory of Value

Answer 17

In capitalist societies the capitalist would take the surplus value produced by the proletariat.

Marx called the rate of the surplus value the “Rate of exploitation”

Question 18

Crisis of Capitalist system

Answer 18

The goal of capitalist: invest in advanced technology and reduce wages.

Ultimately, this would lead to increased work hours, higher productivity (fewer workers needed) and lower wages, which in turn would lead to lower purchasing power and the crisis of overproduction.

Question 19

Solution to the crisis

Answer 19

Political activity and growing “class consciousness” of the proletariat

From class consciousness would develop socialist and revolutionary consciousness ultimately leading to a revolutionary process and the capture of state power