Socialism Flashcards
what are the branches/ schools of thought withi Socialism
- revolutionary socialism
- evolutionary socialism ( democratic socialism)
- Social democracy and the third way (neo- revisonism)
whata re the core principals of socialsm
HN
* (human nature is plastic and capitalism currups )
* ( possitive view of human nature )
1. rational, alltruistic, social but plastic
* common hunamity
Society
* (fraternalsim)
* collectivism (collectivist economy) (synergy)
* (greater) equallity
* social classes ( and inequallity created by capitalism)
* workers control/ collective ownership
* Utopian end view
* ( a rejection of capitlaim- it corrupts, creates higherarchy,social classes and inequallity)
* ( rejection of Private property)
what is meant by common humanity
- ** common humanity** – our human nature is to be social creatures, to co-operate naturally. The individual cannot be observed without reference to a society, as human behaviour is primarrly socially determined
whats meant by collectivism
- collectivism – the idea collective effort rather than the invividulas is more practical (both interms work, growing the economy and moral value to society), (collectivism vs inividualism) - rellates to economy and society
what are the differnt interpritations of equallity
- foundational equallity- the idea taht all individuals are born with an inherant set of rigths that transend politics
- legal/ formal equallity - all inderviduals are to be see as equal in the eyes of the law
- **equallity of opertunity ** - all inderviduals have acces to the same life opertunities ( differnt peopel can mean differnt things by this as in practicallity its a very neuanced issue)
- Equallity of outcome - all economic rewards should be dirrectly proportional to the true value of an individuals contrabution to society. This would result in much greater equallity than what the free market can offer.
- **Absolute equallity **- this can be some what used interchangably with equallity of outcoeme, goods, servises and benifits should be distributed equally amung peopel irregardless of their contrabutional alue as long as they give as much as they can to society acording to their abillity
what do all socialist agree on inters of equallity
- rejection of all natural higharchy
- foundational and legal equallity
- (much greater) equallity of opertunity
- greater equallity of outcome
( extent, e.g for marx outcome extends to absolute equallity + how far from this we are and therefor the extent of the provisons needed to atain it )
what is meant when you talk about teh core idea of socal classes
- capitalism craetes social higharchy and social classes division in society
what is ultiliteriansim and whos idea was it
- a philosophy by jeramy bentham
- its teh idea that via are actions we should try and maxmise the happiness of teh greatest number of people and minimise suffering, ( maximising our personal utillity)
who are the key thinkers
**revolutionary socialism **
* marx and engles
* Rosa luxemburg
**evolutionary socialism (democratic socialism) **
* Beatrice Web
Social Democracy, the third way and neo revisionism
* Anthony Crossland
* Anthoney Giddens
whats is evolutionary socialism also known as
- democratic socialism
what Did Marx and Engles think about human nature
-
positive view on human nature
1. humans are rational, altruistic, social
common hunamity
2. Marx has a theory of historical materialsimwhch partically involved the idea of us having to overcome “natural constaints” in nature when we lived tribally, this meant that evolutionarily it would have been better that we evolve to be altruistic and collectivist by nature, sharing in a common humanity. Therefore we exist as social crestres and the indervidual can only be viewed in the contect of the society they live. Indididualism was a corruption that had emerged from fause “social constriants” emposed by capitalism and the social class sytem it has created -
human nature is plastic and capitalism currupts
1.capitalism emposes improsign of higherchy, compotison and scoial classes
2. humans are “deformed” by capitalism. it is alienating the worker from the true value of their labor and forfilment in it and that power and money corrumpts thoes who have it
marx and Engles quote on human nature
- humans are “deforemed” by capitalism
what did marx and engles belive about society
Ends
* utopian view of society
1. founding the theory of dialectic materialism. All society is based around production and thoughout history there has been different methods of this (historical materialism) such as slavery, feudralsim, capitalsim and then comunism would finally emerege and the end of history. he describes this under 9 stages of history. Under conunism people would achive forfillment as they were nologer alienated from thir work and could reap the true value of there labour.
* Collectivism vs indididualism
1. society shoudl favour the needs of the collective above the indervidual. ACording to the idea of common hunity the individual cantot even be obseved on their own as they are a poduct of the society inchich they live.
1. “society does not consist of individuals but expresses the sum of [their] interactions”
* Absolute equallity
2. “ from each according to his abillity, to each accordign to his need”
* rejection of capitlaism and social class - what creates inequllity and social classes and “deforms” people
Means
* revolution is the only means to achive communismas welth and power have corrupted the bougeoisie and they will never let go or be resentful of what has been taken from them.
* However, socialsim is inevitable- 9 stages of history based of his theoy of dialectical materialsm
what was marx and engles terms for teh rich and teh poor or the elite and teh supressed
- poor- the proletariat
- rich - bourgeoisie
marx quotes on society
- collectivism - “society does not consist of inderviduals but expresses the sum of [their] interactions”
- natural constraint on his theory of historical materialism forcinf us to be “social constainst” imposed by capitalsim alianate us from this true nature and re establishing a comon humanity - natural common humanity and collectivism, denousiation of capitalism
- absolute equality “ from each according to his abillity, to each accordign to his need”
- revolution, rejection of capitalism “the last capitalist we hang will be the one who sells us the rope” -
- rejection of capitalsim - captalism “deforms” human nature
what do marx and engles belive about the state
End’s
* rejection of (the state under) capitalism “the state is nothing but an instrament of opression on one class by another”
* utopianism view - society under communism - the final stages of dialectical materialism will play out and it will be the end of history as a perfect comunist socirty emerges once the proletariat dictatorship “withers” away.
* **
* worker controle
1. cense controle of the means of production
means
* overthrowing the state by revolutionary means, as the bougeoisie are corrupted would never give up power and in the new society would harbor too much resentment.
1. “the last capitalist capitalist we hang will be the one who sells us the rope”
whats marx and engles view on the economy
ends
rejection of capitalism - thought capitlaism “distorted” human nature that was naturally social, altristic and ratioanl, it created social classes and huge inequality in society that was then perpetuated by those classes as power and money corrupts
1. a state under capitalism wa snothing more than “ an means for one class to opress another”
* worker’s controle of the means of preduction, compleet colletive ownership and redistrabution,
1. ““From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs””
* Absolute equality- via redistrabution
1. from each accordign to his abillitys, to each accordign to his needs
* no private property
1. “The theory of the Communists may be summed up in the single sentence: Abolition of private property.”
2. marxviewd propperty as one of the means of opression of the bougeoisie on the proletariat.
Means
* revolutionceasing the means of prodution via revolution of the proleteriat, then a temporary, state controled economy ran by a vanguard Communist Party that would then wither away
“the last capitalist we hang will be the one who sells us the rope”
(no tax as no money)
* inevstabillity of conunism
* dialectical materialism- all society is based around production, 9 stage of history under historical materialism, once the final stage of capitalsim had emerge it was invitable a class consiouness would arise and there would be a revolution of teh proletariat
what did rosa luxemburg belive about HN
- same as marx and engles
-
corrupted by capitalism/ platrsic nature
1. She argued that it had not been corrupted by capitalism to the extent that Marx did.
1. she pointed to working class communities in countries such as Poland and Germany that suffered under capitalist economies and had developed a shared identity and sense of community.
what did rosa luxemburg belive about society and the state
means
* rejection of capitalism and social classes
1. “socialism or barberism”
2. however, she was less synical than marx and enngle at how capitalism corrups, she argued that a sense of common hunanity had energed in synergistic workers communities in germany and poland.
3. she made it clear that evolutionaey socialism could never work as the bougeiosie world always cling to power
* utopian vision and equallity of a new state was one based on Dirrect democracy and open debate. including universal sufurage to ensure their rights. She thought that a new communist scoiety had to have womens at the frofront too inorder to rach true absolute equality
1. “ womens freedom is the sign of social freedom”
Ends
* revolution
1. she didnt belive capitalism needed to reach a “final stage” like marx and engles did, but that it could happen in less developed societies too.
* Consequentially she thought communism aught to emerge on an international scale and not just nationally
* ineviable
1. “ capitalism, by its own inner workings, simply becomes impossibel”
Rossa luxinburge quotes on society
- “Capitalism, by its own inner workings, will simply become impossible”
- “socialism or barbarism” - rejection of capitalism and the inevitability of socialism
- “women’s freedom is the sign of social freedom” - equality,
what does rosa luxemburge think about the economy
-
rejection of capitalism!!
1. believed that capitalism was doomed to fail
1. “capitalism, as a result ofts own inner condition{…} will smply become impossible”
2. “socialsm or barberism” - same as marx and engles exept:
means
* there should be no dictatorship of the vanguard at the emergence of communism, The economy should be run through democracy, debate and discussion from all strands of the proletariat (**- dialectics **). If a dictatorship took hold then power would corrupt thoes in charge and they would never give up the means of production, consequentlly a new social class system woudl emerge
what does beatrice web think about human nature
- same as marx and engles
-
positive view on human nature-
1. her belife in human capacity for rationalism is what made her belive that democratic socialim might work. she blived that the elite would realsied socialism was superior to capitalism which would lead them to vote this way -
plastic+ capitalism corrupts
1. “crippling poverty and demeaning inequality’” depressed human potential - capitalism corrupts
what did Beatrice web believe about society and the state
utopian
* Utopian society and greater equallity
1. This idea was edident when web helped craft was Clause 4 of the Labour Party’s original constitution.
Means
* evolution
1. Socialism would be reached by peaceful and democratic means
2. belived that revolution was “chaotic” and “unpredictable” and “morally unjustifiable”
* inevitable
1. I Universal suffrage will favour the working class majority and socialism will be voted in. people of all classe will use their rational nature and see socialism is a superior system. They will vote it in socialist government until a fully fledged socialist society emerges.
what did beatrice web belive about the economy
**Ends **
* greater equallity
1. she wanted equllity of outcome for varying unions based on ownership of the means and fuits of their Labour. (This is not the same as absolute equllity tho as it’s union based- althoug maybe dont mention)
* Worker ownership
1. belived in collective ownership and nationalisation- 2. she developed calsue 4
3. “To secure for the workers by hand or by brain the full fruits of their industry and the most equitable distribution”
Means
* evolutionarry
1. pogressive nationalisation though democratic means ( rep democracy)
* inevitable
1. I Universal suffrage will favour the working class majority and socialism will be voted in. people of all classe will use their rational nature and see socialism is a superior system. They will vote it in socialist government until a fully fledged socialist society emerges.
