Revolutionary Socialism

Question 1

What is it?

Answer 1

The idea that socialism will be achieved through revolution and overthrow of existing political and societal structures.

Question 2

Based on the belief that…

Answer 2

the state uses its institutions to defend the capitalist interests of the ruling class against the interests of the working classes. These institutions include parliament and the mass media.

Question 3

Socialism can only be achieved through….

Answer 3

the full transformation of society and the complete replacement of the existing state with new institutions.

Question 4

They are against…

Answer 4

Humanising capitalism

• Revolutionary socialists argue that trying to ‘humanise’ capitalism’, as social democracy does, still means that inequality and exploitation of the working class will exist in society.
• Revolutionary socialists believe that ‘humanising capitalism’ undermines the main goal of socialism.

Question 5

Advantages

Answer 5

Revolutionary socialism aims to bring about radical change to a society and can lead to the rapid development of a country.

Question 6

Disadvantages

Answer 6

The end of the Cold War and the collapse of socialist regimes in Eastern Europe demonstrated the limits of revolutionary socialism. These regimes came about through revolutionary socialism.

• The collapse of communism in the Soviet Union.
• The collapse of communism in the satellite states of the Eastern Bloc.
• Revolutionary socialism has led to the rule of fundamentalist regimes in different countries.

Question 7

Examples

Answer 7

• Revolutionary socialism was taken up by a number of national liberation movements following the Second World War.
• These revolutionary socialist movements removed the colonial powers in their countries and entirely uprooted the social and economic systems to rapidly modernise their societies.
• The Chinese communists under Chairman Mao believed that the peasantry would lead the revolution and developed the idea of a ‘permanent revolution’.