SOCIALISM: 1. core ideas and principles

Question 1

what are the core ideas and principles of socialism?

Answer 1

1. common humanity
2. collectivism
3. equality
4. social class
5. workers control

Question 2

common humanity definiton

Answer 2

to cover the nature of humans as social creatures with a tendency to co-operation, sociability and rationality, and how the individual cannot be understood without reference to society, as human behaviour is socially determined

Question 3

collectivism (core ideas) definition

Answer 3

to cover how collective human effort is both of greater practical value to the economy and moral value to society than the effort of individuals

Question 4

equality definiton

Answer 4

is a fundamental value of socialism – to cover the disagreements among socialists about the nature of equality
and how it is critical to the state, society, the economy and
human nature

Question 5

social class definition

Answer 5

a group of people in society who have the same socioeconomic status – to cover the extent to which class
impacts on socialists’ views of society, the state and the economy

Question 6

workers control defintion

Answer 6

to cover the importance and the extent of control over the economy and/or state and how it is to be
achieved.