Socialism Flashcards
Core principles: Fraternity
- Socialists believe it exists in a society where wealth is equally shared by everyone and this will cause co-operation and peace in society
- They believe it isn’t found in a capitalist system as people compete with each other to succeed and they also believe it can bring about the end of capitalism
Example of fraternity
Found in many labour movements where workers stand as comrades to defend and promote their rights through protests and strikes. For example:
- Miners’ strikes 1984-85 to stop closing of the coal mines by Thatcher’s government. Organised by National Union on Mineworkers, a trade union
- Lecturer strikes 2018 against planned changes to their pensions. Lecturers from 65 unis chose to strike from Feb to Apr and formed picket lines outside unis
Core Principles: Co-operation
- The idea that everyone in society will benefit if people work collectively.
- Socialists argue it doesn’t happen in a capitalist society
- Belief in socialists economic system to provide co-operation and socialists belive a country’s economic system influences human behaviour
Examples of co-operation
The Co-Operative movement. This is owned by members and aims to serve members needs). For example:
- Co-op Bank aims to meets members needs rather than maximise profits and uses ethical policies like promoting human rights and protecting the environment
- Co-op party represent co-op movement in UK politics and are closely linked with the Labour Party (don’t stand against each other in elections) 37 Labour and Co-op MPs
Core Principles: Common Ownership
- Belief that all means of production in society are jointly owned by every individual. Also called nationalism
- Socialists believe it will reduce inequality as resources are allocated by the government to meet needs of society
- Championed by fundamentalist socialists
Examples of common ownership
- Attlee creating the NHS in 1948 and also nationalising coal, gas, electricity and steel industries
- Corbyn proposed in 2017 and 2018 that he would nationalise the energy and rail industries and Royal Mail if he was elected as PM
- Clause IV committed the Labour Pary to common ownership
What are the cases against common ownership?
- May increase tax to fund public services
- Increase national debt due to more public spending -> future generations have to pay off debt
- Tony Blair reworded Clause IV away from common ownership to appeal to a wider electorate
- The free market could distribute resources more efficiently as it solves the basic economic problem. This is supported by Freidrich Hayek
Core principles: Communism
- Belief that wealth in society should be commonly owned by all individuals
- A communist economic system has a planned economy and all public ownership of industry (state owns all factors of production: land, labour and capital)
What key thinker championed communism?
Karl Marx as he believed capitalism would be brought to an end by the exploited working class revolting and overthrowing the owners of capital in society
For him communsim exists when there are no social classes and everyone lives peacefully
Examples of how communsim could prevent exploitation of workers
- Topshop workers were exploited by earning less than the £8.25 living wage
Core principles: Collectivism
- Idea that humans can more effectivelty achieve their political, social and economic goals through working together than by working individually
- Belief we can only have an ideal society if we work together -> done by prioritising group interests over individual interests which may encourage social unity and people’s social responsibility of one another, and using all of society’s capabilities efficiently through working together -> limits wastefulness and negative effect of people competing against each other
Why do socialists endorse collectivisim in terms of human nature?
- It relates to the view that human’s are social animals who live in grops rather than alone
- Human nature is argued by socialists to be shaped by someone’s social conditions -> people can only be understood with regards to the social groups they are part of
- Provides humans with freedom and fufilment
Criticisms of collectivism
- Prevents diversity and individuality
- Social democracy and revisionism are forms of socialism that accept private property, which collectivism is opposed to
- Neorevisionist socialism supports privatisation of industry, reforms to welfare and believes in weakening trade union power -> suggests collectivism is less important for socialists
Arguments as to why collectivism is important to socialists
Through support of nationalism, and common ownership of industry and wealth, trade unions, the co-op movement and state intervention for poorest in society
Examples of collectivism through state intervention
Needed as unequal distribution of income and wealth i.e. UK’s top 10% earners earn 24x lowest 10% -> state intervention needed to level this. For example:
- USSR collectivim system from 1929. State controlled economy, nationalised industries and collectivised agricultural land to transform USSR to an industrial nation
- Attlee’s (more limited collectivism) government 1945-51 nationalised electricity, coal, steel and iron industires but left a large proportion of the economy in private ownership
Examples of collectivism through trade unions
Members of the unite trade union, working for energy company Total United, striked for 5 days betwen July and Aug 2018 over pay and working conditions
Arguments collectivism is less important for socialists
- Viewed as less important in recent years -> developed countries believe it causes a dependency culture in society
- New Labour reworded Clause IV -> weakended influence of trade unions claiming they should modernise -> Blair refused to move laws restricting trade unions
Core principle: Common Humanity
- Socialist belief about human nature whihc sees humans as social beings that are able to cooperate, be sociable and rational
- Argues humans cannot be understod without refernce to society as human behaviour is socially determined
Support for common humanity
- Belief all people are worth something and should be equally valued i.e. creation of NHS based on everyone being able to access healthcare
- Belief humans are motivated by moral incentives and have a sense of responsibility for others -> will work harder to make society better
- Contempary socialists believe material rewards should be linked to moral incentives such as boosting economic growth should improve standards of living but also provide funds through tax revenue to supprt welfare measures to help the poor
Core principles: Equality
This is when wealth and income is distributed equally through society
- Enforces fairness
- Reinforces ideas of collectivism
- Ensures basic human needs are met -> can benefit everyone by increasing life expectancy, happiness levels, reduced crime and poverty
