Socialism Key Terms Flashcards
What is Absolute Equality?
All individuals should receive the same awards as long as they perform as long as they perform to the best of their ability
Who were the Bourgeoise?
Marx’s term to describe those in society who will end up wealthy and owning the ‘means of production’
(Initially nobility, then factory owners)
What was class consciousness?
The moment when the proletariat realises that they are being exploited
What is class struggle?
The inevitable battle between differing classes over time and History
What was Clause IV?
The part of the Labour Party constitution that aimed for state ownership of industry
Amended in 1995 by Tony Blair
What was Collectivism?
Putting workers and businesses together to enable them to work towards a common goal
What was Common Humanity?
Socialist view that society is a collection of broadly equal individuals who share a common identity and purpose
What was Common Ownership?
When the state and the public have ownership of property and the economy
What is Communism?
A political system where there is no private ownership of property
Who was Crosland?
Key thinker for Social Democracy; thought Marx’s class dialetic was not relevant in post war Britain
What does Dialetic mean?
A clash of ideas that happens throughout each stage of History, as one set of ideas becomes outdated and is replaced
Who was Engels?
KEY THINKER ALONGSIDE MARX
Helped Marx write the Communist Manifesto
What is Equality of Outcome?
The distribution of economic rewards being distributed in relation to the value to society of an individual’s contribution
What is Equality of Welfare?
Accepts society will, inevitably, be unequal, so all must be guaranteed an equal minimum standard of living
What is Evolutionary Socialism?
Belief that Socialism can be gradually implemented
What is Fraternity?
A cherished goal of the labour movement where people (workers) stand together to support their key beliefs
Who was Giddens?
KEY THINKER
Sociologist who developed the Third Way strand to ‘update’ Socialism for a global world
What is Historical Materialism?
The idea that economic factors are the key driver for changing events
Who was Luxemburg?
KEY THINKER
A Revolutionary Socialist who (like Lenin) believed that capitalism cannot be reformed and revolution must be pushed through even if society was not at “the final stage”
Who was Marx?
KEY THINKER ALONGSIDE ENGELS
Sociologist and Historian who developed his ideas of Communism in the 1800’s
What is Marxism?
Ideological set of ideas that believe in the inevitable demise of capitalism by revolution
What is a ‘mixed’ economy?
A system that combines private and state ownership of businesses and property
Who were the Proletariat?
A term used by Marx to describe the poor majority in society, or the working class
What was Revisionism?
To review or change a political idea
What is Revolutionary Socialism?
The idea that socialism’s core values cannot coexist with capitalism and therefore revolution is the only way to reform society
Who was Robert Owen?
NOT A KEY THINKER
An early UTOPIAN who set up model communities and encouraged co-operative working and organisatiob
What was Social Democracy?
The ideas of Crosland - it values social justice above common ownership
What is social justice?
The idea that there is a moral justification and duty to redistribute wealth
What is state planning?
The government plans the economy and sets target
What is The Third Way?
Developed in the 1990’s from work by Giddens.
It embraced some neo-Liberal ideas and seen as an updated version of Socialism to deal with globalisation
What is Utopian Socialism?
Socialism achieved by the moral persuasion of capitalists to surrender the means of production peacefully to the people
Who was Webb?
KEY THINKER
Evolutionary Socialist who believed Socialism would occur via political action and education
What is a Welfare Society?
A society which principal object is the promotion of the welfare of the public (especially those in receipt of government support)
