socialism key thinkers Flashcards
1
Q
Karl Marx’s views on human nature
A
- revolutionary socialist view that capitalism is a corrupting influence on human nature
- humans are social creatures but this has been damaged by capitalism
- human nature, originally fraternal and altruistic, has been contaminated by the “false consciousness” of the bourgeoisie & revolutionary socialism will repair this
- “my object in life is to dethrone God and destroy capitalism to liberate human nature”
- e.g. redistribution of wealth, progressive taxation, welfare state
2
Q
Karl Marx’s views on the state
A
- revolutionary socialist view
- state is not politically neutral and will serve the controlling class: a “committee for the bourgeoisie”
- the existing liberal state is a tool of capitalism & must be destroyed via revolution
- existing governments need to be destroyed and replaced by a socialist state: “dictatorship of the proletariat”: raise the proletariat to the position of the ruling classes to win the battle for democracy
- e.g. social welfare programmes & creation of a welfare state: unemployment benefits, affordable housing, food assistance programmes, minimum wage legislation - exploitation of labour under capitalism - redistribution of wealth
3
Q
Karl Marx’s views on society
A
- revolutionary socialist view
- capitalism has created 2 social classes: bourgeoisie and proletariat
- class consciousness is a prerequisite of revolution therefore destroy promoters of “false consciousness”: society should be classless
- capitalist society is defined by class interests: a communist society will be the perfect “end of history”
- e.g. social welfare programmes & creation of a welfare state: unemployment benefits, affordable housing, food assistance programmes
4
Q
Karl Marx’s views on the economy
inevitable
A
- revolutionary socialist view
- exploitation of the proletariat is inevitable: capitalism ensures its own destruction as it nurtures resentful class consciousness among workers who will overthrow it
- collective ownership: redistribution of wealth (“abolish all private property”)
- capitalism is a corrupt and inefficient system and is self-destructive
- e.g. public ownership of public services: nationalisation - formation of the NHS in 1948
5
Q
Rosa Luxemburg’s views on human nature
A
- revolutionary socialist view that capitalism is a corrupting influence on human nature
- human nature is not damaged to the extent Marx alleges: fraternity & altruism still flourish in working class communities punished by capitalism
- capitalism promoted exploitation & is at odds with humanity’s natural, fraternal state
- government needs to be destroyed and replaced by a workers-based society of true democracy
- “all war is male”
- e.g. redistribution of wealth. progressive taxation, welfare state
6
Q
Rosa Luxemburg’s views on the state
A
- revolutionary socialist view
- governments need to be destroyed and replaced by a workers-based society of true democracy: this arises from strike action
- new state should be based on free speech and free elections
- rejected the need for a “revolutionary vanguard” and a “dictatorship of the proletariat”
- “freedom in a state is how free your opponent is”
- e.g. social welfare programmes & creation of a welfare state: unemployment benefits, affordable housing, food assistance programmes, minimum wage legislation - exploitation of labour under capitalism - redistribution of wealth
7
Q
Rosa Luxemburg’s views on society
A
- revolutionary socialist view
- capitalist society is morally indefensible yet alternative societies exist within downtrodden proletariat communities
- sub-cultures provide a model for future societies: workers need to become “directors of society”
- bourgeois legality is nothing but the violence of the ruling class, a violence raised to a societal norm from the outset
- e.g. social welfare programmes & creation of a welfare state: unemployment benefits, affordable housing, food assistance programmes
8
Q
Rosa Luxemburg’s views on the economy
A
- revolutionary socialist view
- capitalism needs to expand to new markets or die but not even imperialism can create enough new markets
- global class consciousness: capitalism will be replaced by an economy based on workers control
- capitalism is more resilient than Marx said: replacing & destroying it will require commitment & solidarity of the proletariat
- “socialism comes as a result of economic necessity and the anarchy of capitalism”
- e.g. public ownership of public services: nationalisation - formation of the NHS in 1948
9
Q
Beatrice Webb’s views on human nature
A
- democratic socialist view that violent revolution/dictatorship of the proletariat would further corrupt human nature
- capitalism caused “crippling poverty” and is a corrupting force in humanity, fostering unnatural levels of avarice and selfishness among men and women
- universal suffrage was key to creating a socialist state
- damage to human psyche by capitalism will be made worse by violent revolution: human nature needs to be ‘guided back’
- “nature still obstinately refuses to co-operate by making the rich people innately superior to the poor people”
- e.g. gradualism: welfare state through training, living wage, healthcare & elderly care - “from cradle to grave” mentality
10
Q
Beatrice Webb’s views on the state
A
- democratic socialist view
- paternalism/philanthropy are not solutions to the problems of poverty & inequality: would be eliminated through trade unionism and extensive state intervention (gradualism)
- if protected by universal suffrage, the existing state could be used to manage a gradual transition to socialism
- “the state should secure for itself common ownership of the means of production and control of each industry or service”
- e.g. welfare state: training, living wage, healthcare & elderly care - “from cradle to grave” mentality
11
Q
Beatrice Webb’s views on society
stifles
A
- democratic socialist view
- poverties and inequalities of capitalist society stifles human potential while fostering regressive competition: focus on tackling poverty
- incremental approach not the bloodshed and chaos of revolution to create a perfect society: gradualism
- a technocratic elite should “impregnate all the existing forces of society”
- religion is not the logic and “not the solution for the problems of poverty and inequality”
- e.g. education reform: Pupil Premium: funding provided to support disadvantaged students in state-funded schools - education as a means of social mobility & equality
12
Q
Beatrice Webb’s views on the economy
A
- democratic socialist view
- drafted the original Clause IV of the Labour Party’s constitution
- gradualism: replace capitalism by common ownership of means of production - this can be done through the existing political/democratic system: extensive state intervention
- a chaotic capitalist economy will gradually ne replaced by one which secures for workers the full fruit of their labour
- incremental approach not bloodshed & chaos of revolution
- e.g. welfare state: training, living wage, healthcare & elderly care - “from cradle to grave” mentality
13
Q
Anthony Crosland’s views on human nature
A
- revisionist socialist view that we need to be realistic about the acquisitive aspect of human nature
- human nature seeks out freedom, enjoyment & worthwhile pursuits: expectation & entitlement
- human nature has a powerful & innate sense of fairness and a natural objection to inequalities of outcome
- e.g. universal healthcare: Affordable Healthcare Act 2010: importance of social institutions to provide support to enable individuals to pursue goals & exercise agency in maintaining health
14
Q
Anthony Crosland’s views on the state
A
- revisionist socialist view
- existing systems can be used to create a socialist state: said the post-war consensus meant the UK had ceased to be a capitalist state
- less focus on public ownership and instead prioritised the end of poverty and better public services
- democratic socialist governments (e.g. Labour 1945-51) prove that the existing state can be used to initiate radical socialist change
- said Marx’s prophecies on the state have been without exception falsified and his conceptual tools are now inappropriate
- e.g. education policies: Pupil Premium: funding provided to support disadvantaged students in state-funded schools
15
Q
Anthony Crosland’s views on society
less binary
A
- revisionist socialist view
- society is now less binary between employers & employees: “infinitely more complex than Marx could have ever imagined”
- society is more socially democratic with the passing of old injustices
- “new classes”: managers and technocrats who don’t fit into the proletariat
- focus on eliminating social privilege
- society is increasingly complicated and altered by the emergence of new groups comprising of “meritocratic” managers and “classless” technocrats
- e.g. investment in infrastructure & public services: transportation, childcare & eldercare enhances social integration and facilitates social interaction - framework for cooperation
