Quiz 9 Flashcards
Who can Communism be traced back to? (2)
Marx and Plato
Define communism
Set of political ideas about class and politics
Communism is both (2)
- empirical
2. normative
how is communism empirical?
it attempts to explain how societies operate
How is communism normative?
an ideology about how society should function
What is the Proletariat?
The working class
What does the Proletariat do?
produce value through labor
What is the Bourgeoisie?
property-owning (business) class
Who does the Bourgeoisie benefit from?
The working class
What is the base?
What is it made up of?
An economic system
made up of technology and class relations.
What is the Superstructure?
All noneconomic institutions; used to legitimize the current system of exploitation
What is another name for the Superstructure?
false consciousness
What are examples of the Superstructure?
Religion, gender, culture.
What are Marx phases of history? (5)
- Primitive Communism
- Slave Society
- Feudalism
- Capitalism
- Communism
What happens in each stage of Marx phases of history?
changes in technology increase tensions between the rulers and the ruled.
Regime types of former countries under communism (3)
- Personal or monarchical rule
- Military rule
- One-party rule
Which country was under Personal or monarchical rule?
North Korea
What country was under Military rule?
Bruma
What country was under One-party rule? (2)
USSR and China
What are the key features of one-party communist states? (3)
- Centralized authority under Communist Party
- Cooptation
- Banning of “hostile” organizations
What happens in Collectivization and nationalization? (2)
- Private property eliminated
2. State-controlled industry
What happens when Central planning replaces markets?
State allocates resources by planning
State allocates resources by planning what? (3)
- What should be produced and in what amounts
- The final price of goods
- Where they should be sold
What are The problems of a communist political economy? (3)
- Too many things to plan
- Lack of worker and business incentives
- shoddy products and supply shortages.
what are the ideal Societal transformations? (3)
- Religion: eliminate
- Gender: no exploitation
- Nationalism and ethnic: no “divide and conquer”
What are the REALITY of Societal transformations? (3)
- Religion: underground
- Gender and sexuality: mixed
- Nationalism and ethnic identity: strengthened
What are the factors that triggered the end of the USSR? (3)
- Economic decline
- Chernobyl
- Loss of empire
More successful communist countries tend to have (4)
- Precommunist experience
- Stronger ties to Europe
- Elite decisions
- Strong Civil Society
What are the two things you need to build capitalism? (2)
- Privatization
2. Marketization
What is Privatization?
Transfer of state-held property into private hands
What is Marketization
Re-creating the forces of supply and demand
