Socialism Flashcards
Marx on Religion
“Religion is the opium of the people”
Marx on the product of Labour (2)
“The alienation of the worker in his product means that his labour exists outside of him”
“The worker becomes all the poorer the more wealth he produces”
Marx on society
-“the history of all society is the history of class struggles” (concept of historical materialism)
Engels on the state (1)
“The state is nothing but an instrument of oppression of one class by another”
Engels on the classes and how they interact
-“socialism is the necessary outcome of the struggle between 2 classes-the proletariat and the bourgeoise”
Engels on revolution
“The emancipation of the working class must be the act of the working class itself”
Engels on the production of labour
“The production of the means to support human life have been evolved”
Webb on the state (1):
“The state must intervene to secure for every citizen the essentials of civilised life”
Webb on revisionism
-“the inevitability of gradualness”
Webb on socialism in society
-“socialism is not a matter of class conflict, but a means to promote cooperation within society”
Webb on the economy (1)
“To bring the instruments of production under the control of the community is the only way to eradicate poverty”
Luxemberg on revolution (3):
-“those who do not move do not notice their chains”
-“revolution is the conscious will and action of the masses”
-“the working class demands the right to make its own mistakes and learn in the dialectic of history”
Luxemberg on the economy (1):
“Capitalism is organised chaos”
Luxemberg on societal reform
-“reform can only exist as a by-product of revolutionary struggle”
Giddens on reasoning why we need a free market/ globalisation
“Social democrats today have to accept globalisation as a a fact and aim to humanise it”
Giddens on human nature (2)
“Human beings are reflexive and adaptive”
“Responsibility and obligation must be balanced with individual autonomy and choice”
Giddens on societal change and what that means for socialism
“Socialism has to respond to the realities of a post-industrial, post-traditional society”
Crosland on human nature:
“The drive for self improvement and community are equally inherent in human beings”
Crosland on the economy (1)
“Capitalism is no longer the beast it once was”
Crosland on common humanity and community
“Socialism involves a greater emphasis on community and on quality of life”
Crosland on the state (2)
“The state must act to reduce inequalities in a way that enhances individual freedom and choice”
“I do not myself believe in equality of outcome, but i do believe in equality of opportunity”
What do all strands believe in (3)
-greater equality (whether that be outcome or opportunity)
-redistribution of wealth (whether this be through welfarism or by state collectivisation)
-reduction of social inequalities (whether this be by evolution or revolution)
How do revolutionary and evolutionary socialists differ
Revolutionary=advoate for an immediate and total overthrow of capitalism
Evolutionary=gradual reforms to improve conditions within the existing framework so that it is better preserved
What are the three socialist strands
-Marxism
-democratic socialism (revisionism)
-social democracy (Third way)
How does each strand approach equality
Marxists= complete equality and abolition of class distinctions
Social democrats=substantial equality by reducing major disparities and disadvantages (welfarism)
Third way=equality of opportunity and social mobility
How does each strand differ in views on ownership over the means of production
Marxists=full collectivisation and abolition of private property
Democratic socialists=nationalisation of major industries (“commanding heights” is ur Attlee”
Third way=mixed economy with regulated private ownership (think how Blair scrapped clause IV)
How does each strand view the state
Marxists=the state is solely a means of oppression and thus we need to eradicate it as it faciliatates class conflict between the ruling bourgeoise and the oppressed prolateriat
Democratic socialists=the state is a vehicle through which we can achieve reform and equality, as we can use the state to improve welfare provisions and nationalise industry
Third way=the state is a means of regulating the economy, providing social welfare and ensuring equal opportunity
How does each strand view capitalism
Marxists= capitalism is inherently oppressive by allowing the workers to be exploited by the ruling class. We need a classless society
Democratic socialists=instead of total abolition like the Marxists, we should aim to reduce the inherent inequalities existing in a capitalist society by increasing social welfare policy and wealth distribution
Third way=we can also humanist capitalism by implementing welfare policies, progressive taxation and government regulation to ensure equality and fairness
Marx on revolution
“The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains”
Marx on human nature/ how we can understand human nature
“The essence of man is…the ensemble of the social relations”
Marx on capitalism/ how the bourgeoise act in a capitalist system (2):
“Capitol is dead labour”
“The bourgeoise have every possible incentive to extract the maximum surplus value from their workers”
Marx on private property
“The abolition of private property is the emancipation of human senses”
Marx on how we should achieve equality
“from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs”
Webb on workers control/ collectivism
-“reorganisation of services based on a cooperative, rather than competitive, ethos”
Webb on the necessity of democratic reform
“democracy is the pooling on intelligence”
Luxemburg on the importance of freedom from class oppression
-“without a free struggle of opinion, life dies out in every public institution”
Giddens on welfarism
the welfare state should empower people, not just protect them” (also the state)
Giddens on equality
Equality is no longer seen as equality of outcome, but equality of opportunity”
Giddens on traditional socialism (criticism)
Traditional socialism overemphasised class conflict and economic management
Crossland on why it is hard to define class (and thus why capitalism is less oppressive) (2):
“What one generation sees as luxury, the next sees as necessity”
“Ordinary workers lives…would have been considered a middle class standard of life” (years before)
What is a vanguard party
A smaller political party which revolts instead of a mass of working class citizens
E.g. Lenin and the Bolsheviks in the 1917 Russian revolution
What were the policies of the Soviet Union which align it with socialism
-nationalised industry
-agricultural collectivism (forced) and forced industrialisation in Stalin’s first 5 year plan in 1928
-central economic planning
What were the policies of communist china under Mao Zedong which align with socialism
-focus on the Chinese peasantry as a catalyst for revolution, not just urban working classes
-1950 agrarian reform law abolished feudal (inherited) land
-1953 5 year plan= state planning and heavy investment for industrialising
-1958 Great Leap Forward (communes that pool agricultural wealth)
-1966 Cultural revolution (gave youths status as red guards to disrupt institutions)
What policies of Blairs third way government were prominent in said school of thought
-focus on “education, education, education” to achieve equality of opportunity
-40% top rate of income tax (allows for wealth accumulation)
-national minimum wage also helps boost equality
What policies of Wilson’s 1960s social democrat government align with the school of thought
-nationalisation for key sectors only
-welfarism (83% income tax on top bracket)
-state funded education
