Socialism thinkers

Question 1

Human nature - Marx and Engels

Answer 1

Humans are naturally altruistic. However capitalism instills them with a false consciousness of bourgeourisie values

Question 2

Human nature - Luxemburg

Answer 2

Damaged by capitalism. Humans are not perfect and parliamentary democracy is needed to prevent tyranny

Question 3

Human nature - Webb

Answer 3

Capitalism damaged human psyche - but believed in intellectual and moral human imperfection, particularily in the working class

Question 4

Human nature - Crosland

Answer 4

Innately unfair. Inequalities of outcome and opportunity hinder collective human progress.

Question 5

Human nature - Giddens

Answer 5

Shaped by socio economic conditions. More focused on humans as both individual and collective creatures.

Question 6

Society - Marx and Engels

Answer 6

Capitalism corrupts society and the elite oppress the working class - creating class conflict. A communist society will have absolute equality and societal harmony.

Question 7

Society - Luxemburg

Answer 7

Same as Marx but a DEMOCRATIC communist society will provide absolute equality and social harmony

Question 8

Society - Webb

Answer 8

Under societal state management will provide equality of outcome

Question 9

Society - Crosland

Answer 9

State management will affect societal change and create social justice and equality of welfare

Question 10

Society - Giddens

Answer 10

Will embrace equality of opportunity and communal responses instead of class conflict

Question 11

State - Marx and Engels

Answer 11

Capitalism must be destroyed by rev. Will be temporarily replaced by dictatorship of the proleteriat and will wither away when communism is established

Question 12

State - Luxemburg

Answer 12

Capitalism should be destroyed by revolution and replaced with geniune democracy

Question 13

State - Webb

Answer 13

Should be used to create a socialist society - would be achieved in universal suffrage and would be a gradual process

Question 14

State - Crosland

Answer 14

Should be managed by ‘meritocratic managers’ and ‘classless technocrats’

Question 15

State - Giddens

Answer 15

Should invest in social investment and infrastructure and refrain from economic and social engineering

Question 16

Economy - Marx and Engels

Answer 16

Capitalism is corrupt and ineffecient and should be replaced by an economy where resources are collectively owned and distributed according to need

Question 17

Economy - Luxemburg

Answer 17

Marx’s historical marxism is flawed because capitalism does not need to reach a final stage before its abolished, Communist revolutions could happen in less economicaly developed areas

Question 18

Economy - Webb

Answer 18

Free market economy would be gradually nationalised as workers would obtain common ownership of the means of production

Question 19

Economy - Crosland

Answer 19

Rejected Webb’s gradualism and argued for a moxed economy with Keynesiasm capitalism. Believed capitalism had largely been reformed of its exploitative tendencies

Question 20

Economy - Giddens

Answer 20

A neo-liberal economy with a free market is a more effecient than all socialist economic models and the tax revenues they are generate can finance greater equality of opportunity