Socialism

Question 1

socialist perspective on human nature?

Answer 1

-regard humans as essentially social creatures, their capacities and behaviour being shaped more by nurture than by nature and particularly by creative labour. their propensity for cooperation, sociability and rationality means that the prospects for personal growth and social development are considerable.
-stresses the capacity of human beings for collective action, their willingness and ability to pursue goals by working together as opposed to self-interest, seen by fraternity.
-motivated by moral incentives and not merely by material incentives.
-equality

Question 2

what do socialists agree about society?

Answer 2

-society, community and solidarity are important to create a socialist society.
-typical embrace a conflict theory of society e.g social class is viewed as most significant of social divisions
-all aim for some reduction of social barriers and division in society
-aim to improve lives of working class through political action, as they strive for a more equal society.

Question 3

what are the two broad types of socialism?

Answer 3

-fundamentalist socialists
-revisionist socialists

Question 4

what are fundamentalist socialists?

Answer 4

-defined by their fundamental opposition to capitalism and their desire to overthrow or remove it, socialism does not begin until capitalism is dead split between revolutionary and evolutionary forms.

Question 5

what are the revisionist socialists?

Answer 5

-defined by their belief that capitalism can be reformed in order for it to deliver socialistic values and policies, contains it’s own split of social democrats and third way supporters.

Question 6

where do socialists disagree over society?

Answer 6

-revolutionary socialists use class to explain non-socialist societies and argue that class division is gone under socialism.
-Crosland and social democrats argue that class divisions under capitalism are more complex than Marx said, argued that more cooperation between classes would be better at reducing class divisions than promoting conflict.
-Giddens and the third way put little emphasis on class as a means of explaining divisions in existing society and in the way a new more ‘socially just’ society should operate.

Question 7

what can socialists agree on over equality?

Answer 7

-agree that social and economic inequalities are often the result of unjust structural inequalities rather than just down to differences in ability.
-most socialists argue that income and wealth inequalities promote conflict and instability in society, argue for reduction or removal of income and wealth inequalities as a means of establishing a more cooperative and sociable society.
-marxists favour an absolute form of equality via ‘common ownership of the means of production’
-social democrats favour the use of redistributive taxation and the use of state welfare to close the income and wealth gap in society.

Question 8

what do social democrats believe about society?

Answer 8

-use progressive tax and benefits to redistribute income and wealth.
-believe comprehensive education would break down class divisions and give genuine equality of opportunity.

Question 9

what do Marxist believe about society?

Answer 9

-capitalists should be overthrown and a classes society should be created.
-he thought equality was achieved under communism where common ownership made society stateless and classless.

Question 10

what do socialists agree about the state?

Answer 10

-not much
-the state maybe seen as an expression of the collective the common good or evidence of co-operation.

Question 11

what do social democrats believe about the state?

Answer 11

-state should be limited to some extent to allow some personal freedom and robin hood approach to tax and welfare.

Question 12

what do revolutionary socialists believe about the state?

Answer 12

-state always serves the interests of the ruling class, however in a communist society the state will simply wither away as class conflict itself disappears.

Question 13

what do socialists agree over the economy?

Answer 13

-all argue that unfettered capitalism is unfair, unjust and produces a society that is unstable, too focused on competition over cooperation and is too individualistic.
-all agree that capitalism is divisive and can foster conflict in society especially if inequality becomes too great.
-most socialists have a preference for some form of common ownership.

Question 14

what strand is Marx?

Answer 14

-fundamentalist, marxist

Question 15

what strand is luxemburg?

Answer 15

-fundamentalist, marxist

Question 16

what strand is Webb?

Answer 16

-democratic socialist/ evolutionary.

Question 17

what strand is Crossland?

Answer 17

-social democrat

Question 18

what strand is Giddens?

Answer 18

-third way

Question 19

what are Marx’s beliefs over society and human nature?

Answer 19

-Human Nature: originally we are fraternal and alturistic but have been contaminated by capitalism.
-society: capitalist society is defined by class interests and class conflict, a communist society will be the perfect end of history, and believe in equality of outcome.

Question 20

what are Marx’s beliefs about the state and economy?

Answer 20

state: capitalism must be destroyed, inevitably class consciousness will be achieved leading to the dictatorship of the proleteriat and a replacement of a socialist state.
economy: capitalism is corrupt, it should be replaced by an economy based on collective ownership.

Question 21

what are Luxemburgs beliefs on human nature and society?

Answer 21

HN: has not been corrupted to the extent which Marx believes, fraternity and alturism still flourish in working class communities.
society: capitalist society is class ridden, equality of outcome.

Question 22

what are Luxemburgs beliefs about the state and economy?

Answer 22

-the existing capitalist state must be destroyed by revolution arising from strike action, replaced with a state with democracy, free speech and free elections.
economy: capitalism is resilent and destruction will require replacement by an economy based on workers control.

Question 23

what are Webbs beliefs about HN and society?

Answer 23

HN: revolution will not help human nature which has been tainted by capitalism, society needs to be guided back gradually to it’s original cooperative condition.
society: poverty and inequalities of capitalist society continue to depress human potential while fostering regressive competition.

Question 24

Webb’s belief on the state and economy?

Answer 24

-state: gradual change using the existing democratic system, reforms such as universal suffrage expansion of the state.
-economy, chaotic capitalist society will gradually be replaced by one which is based on common ownership.

Question 25

what are Crossland belief on HN and society?

Answer 25

HN: fairness and objection to huge inequalities of outcome.
society: less of a focus on collectivism and more on reforming capitalism, society is not as binary as Marx’s time, therefore class divisions are not as prominent.

Question 26

what are Crosslands beliefs on state and economy?

Answer 26

-state: states job to deliver social equality and social justice, democratic socialist govs prove that an existing state can be used to effect radical socialist change, equality of opportunity.
-economy: mixed economy with an increase in public spending.

Question 27

Giddens beliefs on HN and society?

Answer 27

HN: human nature has been shaped by changing socio-economic conditions, pro-fairness instinct is still present but it now compares with individual aspiration.
society: society has undergone embourgoisement eglatarians must harness, rather than deny these forces, meriotcracy and equality of opportunity.

Question 28

agreement, to what extent are socialists agreed over the economy?

Answer 28

-Fundamentally all socialists can be recognised by their opposition to a laissez-faire economy and a completely free market. They are influenced by the heavy inequalities in society that have emerged from free-market economics. Socialists believe that, if left unchecked and unregulated, the economy inevitability falls victim to the unpredictability of the capitalist market, which often leads to social problems such as unemployment that only serve to further the inequality socialists wish to prevent.

Question 29

capitalism, to what extent are socialists agreed over the economy?

Answer 29

One difference is over the extent to which capitalism can be tolerated. Revolutionary Socialists are clear that capitalism must be abolished and are willing to advocate revolution, followed by a ‘Dictatorship of the Proletariat’, to achieve this. Marx and Engels argued as part of their belief in historicism that the defeat of capitalism was the next dialectical stage in societies advancement. Revolutionary socialists advocate for ‘equality of outcome’ as the only answer to the problems created by Socialism. However, evolutionary socialists are willing to tolerate implementing socialist policies within a capitalist system in order advance their ideological goals. For example, Beatrice Webb called revolution ‘chaotic and inefficient’ and instead called for ‘gradualism’ whilst Anthony Crosland advocated the use of Keynesian economics as a method for socialists to moderate capitalism. Conversely to both revolutionary and evolutionary socialists, Third Way thinkers like Anthony Giddens argue that capitalism should not only be tolerated but should be embraced. They argue that the free market creates wealth that can then be used on socialist projects, like improving the NHS.

Question 30

to what extent are socialists agreed over the economy?

Answer 30

Socialists also disagree on the importance of common ownership. Revolutionary socialists believe that as part of a post-capitalist system there should be no private ownership. Marx and Engels believed that private ownership was made possible due to the exploitation of the proletariat by the bourgeoisie. They believed the abolition of private property would be achieved through a ‘dictatorship of the proletariat’ removing the last vestiges of the capitalist state and creating a classless society in which private property would no longer be desired. Similarly, democratic socialists, supported the notion of common ownership. They argued that capitalism had to be replaced by a system that saw workers fully rewarded for their work. Later evolutionary socialists, like social democrats, supported a mixed-economy, where private property could be regulated through Keynesian inspired government intervention. Alternatively, third way socialists take an entirely different approach to common ownership. Third Way socialists believe that only through a privatised and deregulated economy can enough taxation be raised to support the weakest in society. In this thinking they were influenced by Giddens who saw that the fundamental nature of the economy had changed and that governments in the ‘post-fordist’ economy should seek to arm citizens to play a role in the new economy. This explains Blair’s statement that his three priorities were ‘education, education, education’.

Question 31

common view, to what extent are socialists agreed over the human nature?

Answer 31

-believe mostly that humans are collectivist and will work together in their nature.