Socialism Key Terms Flashcards
Utopian socialism
Linked to philanthropists like Robert Owen, this refers to the earliest form of socialism, one based on a vision of the perfect human existence. For Karl Marx, however, its ‘utopian’ character stemmed from the absence of any clear method for bringing about such ‘socialism’.
Fraternity and co-operation
Fraternity denotes socialism’s belief that the relationship between human beings should be marked with generosity, warmth and comradeship; that we should regard our fellow humans as ‘siblings’ rather than opponents, and that co-operation and solidarity, rather than competition and division, should be the norm in human affairs.
Class
Social class is central to socialism - it defines an individual’s circumstances, prospects and attitudes. Socialism’s key thinkers have used various terms to describe society’s class divisions: middle-class / working-class, bourgeoisie / proletariat, white-collar / blue-collar. All denote a certain type of employment, while indicating status and wealth within society.
Social justice
For socialists, legal and formal justice is not enough to guarantee equality of opportunity. These things must be accompanied by social justice - involving, for example, healthcare and education accessible to all, or a minimum wage for employees. As such, the case for social justice usually leads to the case for collectivism.
Common ownership
This represents an alternative to both private property and a capitalist economy, and a method of ownership seen (by many socialists) as conducive to equality and fraternity. It is synonymous with state ownership and public ownership.
Capitalism
Sometimes referred to as economic liberalism, capitalism is an economic system based on private property, private enterprise and competition between individuals and individual organisations. Its tendency to produce unequal outcomes is of concern to most socialists.
Fundamentalist socialism
This represents the earliest form of socialism, which holds that socialist values are fundamentally incompatible with capitalism. Originally asserted by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (‘classical Marxism’), this form of socialism has since been associated with various strands of socialism such as orthodox communism, neo-Marxism, Euro-communism and democratic socialism.
Marxism and communism
Seen by Marx as the ultimate stage of human development, communism represents (for communists) the perfect society, based on communal ownership, communal living and the principle of ‘each according to his needs’. Marxism reflects this prediction and also involves an ‘episodic’ view of history, a rigorous critique of capitalism and a justification for revolutionary politics.
Dialectic
Associated with the philosopher Hegel, this refers to the clash of ideas and perceptions that will inevitably take place within each ‘stage’ of history and which eventually leads to the disappearance of existing society.
Historical materialism
This refers to the view of Marx and Engels that each ‘stage’ of history was defined by a clash of economic ideas, relating to how society’s resources should be produced and distributed.
Class consciousness
According to Marx and Engels, this was a by-product of capitalism that would be especially pronounced among the downtrodden working-class, or proletariat. It would eventually be the engine of revolution and capitalism’s destruction.
Democratic centralism
This was a term and a process developed by Lenin. However, it was not ‘democratic’ in the way that liberals or democratic socialists would understand. There would be only one party and only within that party would there be open discussion. Once the party had reached its decision, Lenin argued that the decision would embody the will of the people, making any further debate at best unnecessary and at worst disrespectful of the revolution. This doctrine was later used to justify severe repression in orthodox communist countries such as Russia and China.
Evolutionary socialism
Linked to both democratic socialism and revisionist socialism, evolutionary or parliamentary socialism involves a rejection of revolutionary politics, of the sort associated with Marxism, and a belief that socialism can be achieved peacefully and gradually through the existing constitutional system.
Revisionist socialism
This is the belief that socialism can be achieved without the destruction of capitalism and private property, and without the upheaval of a revolution. It is therefore a form of evolutionary socialism. Dating from the late 19th century, this view has been associated with post-war social democracy and the Third Way of the late 20th century.
Keynesian economics
Based on the work of liberal economist John Maynard Keynes, Keynesianism involves the state managing market forces so as to ensure steady growth and full employment. Social democrats believed that this would finance steady rises in public spending and thus greater equality.
