Socialism

Question 1

To what extent do Socialist agree over the economy?

disagree

Answer 1

• Revolutionary socialist thinkers such as Marx and Engels and Rosa Luxemburg argue that capitalism and the free market are incompatible with socialism’s core principles. Capitalism is exploitative and provides so much inequality that it cannot be reformed, so revolutionary socialists reject the ideas of social democracy and the Third Way as being futile.
• Revolutionary socialists disagreed over which economies could experience revolution. Luxemburg disagreed with Marx and Engel’s theory that capitalism must reach a final stage before it can be abolished, theorising that it could happen in less economically developed societies.
• Revolutionary socialists Marx and Engels envisaged the state withering away as a communist society would emerge free from internal class conflict.

Democratic socialist Beatrice Webb argued for the expansion of the state, with specialised administrators to organise, plan and regulate the economy.

• Anthony Crosland disagreed with Marx and Engels, arguing that the economy no longer had the inherent contradictions that they described and that capitalism could be managed for the benefit of society.

The Third Way (Giddens) disagreed with the ‘top-down’ Keynesian-inspired ‘state management capitalism’ favored by social democracy’s Crosland as inefficient and ineffective. Instead, Giddens embraced the entrepreneurial dynamism and economic growth of the free-market economy.

• Giddens disagrees with the extensive wealth and welfare distributions favoured by social democracy. Crosland argued such equality of welfare was true to the egalitarian core principles of socialism.

Giddens argued that it created a dependency culture and that the high taxation required to fund such welfare discouraged the investment essential in a competitive market economy.

Marx and Luxemburg - free market incompatible w/ core principles. need rev w/ remodelling of economy along socialist lines. democratic socialists eg Webb want gradual reform instead to change this.

whereas social democrats eg Crosland want mixed economy - Keynesian economics to promote economic growth. third way accepts privatisation.

Question 2

Marx quotes about the economy.

Answer 2

Marx- ‘ Communists may be summed up in the single sentence: Abolition of private property’

Marx- ‘Landlords, like all other men, love to reap where they never sowed’

Question 3

Webb quotes about the economy

Answer 3

• ‘Inevitability of gradualness’
• ‘Housekeeping on a national scale’

She firmly believed that the risk of blood and tears could be avoided when a technocratic elite was allowed to “impregnate all the existing forces of society.”

Question 4

What do all socialists agree on when it comes to the economy?

Answer 4

• All socialists attach importance to how the economy operates as the economy determines the basic structure of society and life chances.
• Many socialists argue that the economy will be exploited if in private hands (Crosland)
• Socialists believe an unchecked free-market can not deliver social justice (Webb)

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Question 5

Revolutionaries vs Evolutionaries

Answer 5

Revolutionaries and Evolutionaries agree how capitalism exploits the working class by dividing the means of production from the ownership of production. The working class are exploited and sold a false class consciousness and the economy should change to better benefit workers in a society.
Both Revs and Socialists agree when it comes to the common ownership of production (eg Webb’s Clause 4 and Marx collectivism) and that a new economic system needs to be implemented to better include everyone in society.
-They like all socialists agree with equality in the economy.

• Where they disagree is the means to how the economy should change. Revolutionaries argue that capitalism has so far damaged the economy that it needs a full scale revolution and upheaval of the current economy so exploitative capitalism can be stopped.
• Evolutionaries however argue that a parliamentary road to socialism should be taken as a bloody revolution would not work to benefit society. ‘The inevitability of gradualism’ (Webb).
• When Webb was writing there was a great broadening of the franchise and institutions were created to better include the working class (for example working men’s clubs’ so it seemed unfit for revolution as a means to create a socialist economy.

Question 6

What is Marx’s quote about fraternity?

Answer 6

‘Brotherhood of man’

Question 7

What is Marx’s view of destroying the previous world order for a new socialist model?

Answer 7

Creation of a ‘new Jerusalem’

Question 8

What is two Luxemburg quotes on revolution?

Answer 8

‘It is not about who will let me but about who will stop me’

‘Those who do not move, do not notice their chains’

Question 9

What is the Giddens quote about a welfare system?

Answer 9

‘a hand-up not a hand-out’

Question 10

What did Marx say about capitalism?

Answer 10

‘a system that alienates the masses’

Question 11

What is the Webb quote about evolutionary socialism?

Answer 11

‘the inevitability of gradualness’

Question 12

Webb quote on providing for all.

Answer 12

‘housekeeping on a national scale’

Question 13

Webb quote on providing for all.

Answer 13

‘housekeeping on a national scale’

Question 14

Marx quote on socialist value of equality.

Answer 14

‘from each according to ability, to each according to need’

Question 15

What do socialist argue about common ownership?

Conversely, what do they argue that capitalism fuels?

Answer 15

• Ownership of the means of production ensures that all can participate and benefit. Wealth is created by communal effort so should be owned collectively.
• Argue private property under capitalism encourages materialism and the false belief that personal wealth will bring fulfillment.

Question 16

What are the conflicts when it comes to equality?

Answer 16

• Revs argue that absolute equality is necessary, with the abolition of private property and replacement with common ownership of all means of production.
• Social democrats call for relative equalisation of society within a reformed capitalist state via welfare measures, government spending and progressive taxation to remove absolute poverty.
• Revisionists argue that collectivism stifles people’s drive, competition under capitalism allows individuals to strive.

Question 17

Views on social class.

Answer 17

Marxist- a person's class position is economically determined by relationship they have with the means of production, conflict is inevitable between the capital owning (bourgeoisie)  and the means of production (proletariat).
The ruling class use the state apparatus to maintain their dominance. Eventually class conflict leads to a worker revolution with the replacement of the state with a classless, equal society and eventually the state withers away.

Social democrats- Define social class as more flexible, emphasising income and status difference between manual and non-manual groups. 
Socialist objectives can be achieved through targeted government intervention to narrow (not removing) class distinctions.
The state provides welfare and redistribution of wealth to reduce inequalities of wealth.

Unlike Marx, SD advocate for class consciousness in society and peaceful social improvement.

Question 18

What are Marx quotes about privatisation?

Answer 18

‘is a capitalist tool and must be destroyed by revolution’

Question 19

What did Webb believe about violent revolution?

Answer 19

Only violent revolution can truly show the damage that capitalism has conflicted on the soul