Socialism Flashcards
Who are the five thinkers?
Karl Marxs and Friedrich Engels Rosa Luxemburg Beatrice Webb Anthony Crosland Anthony Giddens
What are Karls Marx’s and Engels views on human nature?
organically fraternal and altruistic have been contaminated by capitalism instilling the false consciousness of bourgeois values. Revolutionary socialism will repair this
What are Karls Marx’s and Engels views on the state?
The existing liberal bourgeois state is a tool of dominant capitalist classes it must be destroyed by the revolution and replaced by a new socialist state the dictatorship of the proletarait
What are Karls Marx’s and Engels views on society?
Capitalist society is sickeningly yet fatally defined by class interests and class conflict. A communist society will be the perfect end of history
What are Karls Marx’s and Engels views on the economy?
Capitalism is corrupt, inefficient and ultimately self destructive. It should and will be replaced by an economy based solely collective ownership
What are Rosa Luxemburg’s views on human nature?
Human nature has not been damaged to the extent that Marx alleged. Fraternity and altruism still flourish in working class communities punished by capitalist economies
What are Rosa Luxemburg’s views on the state?
The existing capitalist state must be destroyed by revolution but one arising from strike action. The replacement state should be a genuine democracy complete with free speech and free elections
What are Rosa Luxemburg’s views on society?
Capitalist society is class ridden and morally indefensible yet alternative societies or sub cultures exist within downtrodden proletarian communities
What are Rosa Luxemburg’s views on the economy?
Capitalism is more resilient than Marx allowed. Its necessary destruction and replacement by an economy based on workers control will require determination and solidarity among the proletariat
What are Beatrice Webb’s views on human nature?
The damage inflicted by capitalism upon the human psyche will be compound only by violent revolution. Humanity needs to be guided back gradually to its original, cooperative condition
What are Beatrice Webb’s views on the state?
If harnessed to universal suffrage the existing state could be used to effect a gradual transition to socialism
What are Beatrice Webb’s views on society?
The poverty and inequalities of a capitalist society continue to depress human potential while fostering regressive competition
What are Beatrice Webb’s views on the economy?
a chaotic capitalist economy will gradually be replaced by one which secures for workers the full fruits of their labour, based upon common ownership of the means of production
What are Anthony Crosland’s views on human nature?
Human nature has a powerful sense of fairness and an innate objection to huge inequalities of outcome
What are Anthony Crosland’s views on the state?
Democratic socialist governments prove that the existing state can be used to effect radical socialist change
What are Anthony Crosland’s views on the economy?
A mixed economy underpinned by limited public ownership and keynesian capitalism will finance greater public spending necessary to secure equality
What are Anthony Crosland’s views on society?
society is increasingly complicated, altered by the emergence of new social groups comprising meritocratic managers and classless technocrats
What are Anthony Giddens’ views on human nature?
Human nature has been shaped by changing socioeconomic conditions. the pro-fairness instinct is still present but it now competes with a sharpened sense of individual aspiration
What are Anthony Giddens’ views on The state?
the existing liberal state should be improved by redistributing and decentralising political power while encouraging greater political participation
What are Anthony Giddens’ views on society?
society has undergone embourgeoisement- egalitarians must harness rather than deny these forces
What are Anthony Giddens’ views on the economy?
a neo-liberal economy propelled by privatisation and deregulation will provide huge tax yields this will finance huge increases in public spending which will secure greater equality of opportunity
Human nature as a core idea of socialism
- upbeat optimistic view of human nature
- believe individuals are naturally cooperative, generous and altruistic
- humans seek solidarity, comradeship and fraternity
- human nature is malleable and plastic
- human nature can be adjusted
Soiety as a core idea of socialism
- individuals are the product of the society into which they are born
- -society is an independent construct formed by impersonal forces, mainly the means of production
- society will improve their will be a corresponding improvement in potential
- classes are central to an individuals fate
- greater equality of outcome needed for a greater equality of opportunity
- wish to narrow the gap
- capitalist society fosters greed, envy, resentment and division
The Economy as a core idea of socialism
-social class is determined by the economic system
-natural condition of mankind is threatened by capitalism
which are said to encourage competitiveness
- want an economy that provides for greater workers’ control in employment
and significant redistribution
-want progressive taxation, public spending, public services, state regulation of capitalism, state ownership
