Socialism Flashcards
What are the core principles of socialism ?
- collectivism
- common humanity
- equality
- social class
- workers’ control
Define fraternity
Refers to the sharing of common interests and beliefs; it implies that group sharing those beliefs is as close as ‘if they were brothers’
Links to Karl Marx brotherhood of man
Define cooperation
The ability to work together and work collectively as a group
Define capitalism
An economic system in which private actors won and control property in accord with their interests.
Thrives of individualism and state working to make profit
Define common ownership
Define communism
This is an ideology that directly opposes liberal democracy and capitalism, advocating for a classless system in which production is owned communally and private property is nonexistent
What is collectivism ?
The idea that human will benefit from collective human effort, practically and economically, than the effort of individuals
What is common humanity ?
This is the idea that the nature of humans as social creatures with a tendency to cooperate, social ability and rationality, individuals cannot be understood without reference to society
What is equality ?
A fundamental value of socialism
To cover the disagreements among socialists about the nature of equality and how it is critical to the state
What is social class ?
A group of people in society we have the same socioeconomic status
What is workers’ control ?
What are the types of socialism
- revolutionary socialism
- social democracy
- third way
- evolutionary socialism
What is revolutionary socialism ?
A socialist doctrine that violent action was the only way to achieve the goals of socialism - capitalism has to be overthrown in order to establish a new economic order
What is social democracy ?
Political ideology in which there is a gradual transition from capitalism to socialism instead of a sudden violent overthrow of the system
What si the third way ?
A middle ground alternative route to socialism and free-market capitalism
Who are the 5 core key thinkers ?
Karl Marx and Frederick Engels
Beatrice Webb
Rosa Luxembourg
Anthony Crossland
Anthony Giddens
Marx and Engels
Revolutionary socialists
- they believe that the bourgeoisie use false class consciousness to manipulate and exploit the proletariat
- eventually the state will self destruct as the proletariat will revolt and take over
What did Marx and Engels believe essentially the root cause of inequality and conflict in society ?
False class consciousness
How did Marx and Engel envisage the removal of state ?
Eventually revolution will occur by the proletariat rebelling finally causing the bourgeoisie to self destruct
Replacing a capitalist state, which is unfair and exploitative for a communist state, that is fair and just
What did Marx describe his desired communist world ?
Marx calls it ‘communist and utopia’
What is Karl Marx and Engels view on human nature, does capitalism hinder or promote our human nature ?
There view is simply that capitalism warps our human nature.
Capitalism creates a need for materialism and consumerism, meaning individuals are unable to be altruistic and therefore capitalism only hinders us and promotes individualism
Rosa Luxemburg
Revolutionary socialist
- believe evolutionary socialism is not possible, as capitalism is based on economic exploitation
- advocated that the mass strike is the single most important tool of the proletarian (it would be spontaneous)
- believed that a revolution would lead to a immediate construction of a democracy underpinned by common ownership
Beatrice Webb
evolutionary socialist
Anthony Croslands
Social Democrat, wrote ‘the future of socialism’
