Socialist Key Thinkers Flashcards
When did Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels live?
19th Century
What branch of socialism were Marx and Engels representative of?
Revolutionary socialism (Marxism)
What was most important to understanding societal divisions for Marx?
Social class
What are the two famous works of Marx and Engels?
- Communist Manifesto 1848
- Das Kapital 1867
When was communism born? Who gave birth to it?
1848 with the publication of Karl Marx’s communist manifesto
What are the 3 key elements of Marxism?
- Historical materialism (a society’s collective economic activity has always profoundly impacted a society and its institutions throughout history)
- Dialectical change (has always been a struggle between the haves and have nots and this can only change with the complete abolition of capitalism and the establishment of communism)
- Class consciousness (proletariat must be radicalised and must understand their own identity, struggle and opppression as to bring around a revolution against the bourgeois)
What type of society does Marx believe restricts people from reaching their full potential?
A materialistic society
When did Beatrice Webb live?
Mid 19th to mid 20th century
What branch of socialism is Beatrice Webb?
Social democracy (evolutionary socialism)
What was Karl Marx’s background?
Born to Jewish parents in Trier, Germany and went to a private school (upper middle class)
What was Beatrice Webb’s background?
Upper middle class
What was Beatrice Webb’s key work?
‘A constitution of the socialist commonwealth of Great Britain’ 1920
How did Beatrice Webb oppose Marxism?
She rejected class struggle, instead she believed in pursuing socialist goals through democratic means
What type of democracy did Beatrice Webb advocate?
Representative democracy where a skilled governing class could be relied upon to pursue socialist ideals. Direct democracy could not work because the average people are not well informed.
What did B Webb believe about the state?
A vastly expanded state that could deliver socialism to the masses
How did Webb want to manage the economy?
Central planning of the economy is key and the rejection of the free market
How did Marx and Webb differ and how were they similar?
Similar: Both anti-capitalist and advocated for a planned economy
Different: Webb was pro democracy, British vs German, existing system vs Revolution
When did Rosa Luxemburg live?
1871-1919 (executed by German authorities)
What branch of socialism did Rosa Luxemburg belong to?
Revolutionary socialism. She advocated for a communist revolution in Germany, and she did start one known as the Sparticist uprising in Germany in 1919
What was Rosa Luxemburg’s key work?
“Social reform or revolution” 1899
What did Luxemburg believe in?
The need for workers control and a complete abolishment of the capitalist system
What did Luxemburg believe the destiny of capitalism was? Why does this discredit other branches of socialism?
Doom. It will run out of territories and markets to exploit, any attempts to work around it (social democracy) were merely prolonging the life of a doomed system.
Did Luxemburg agree with Marx on class?
Yes. She also believed class consciousness and struggle from the proletariat was vital in achieving a communist society
What differentiated R Luxemburg from other revolutionary thinkers?
She was much more of an anarchist and believed strongly in workers control as opposed to a new ruling communist elite replacing the Bourgeois at the top of the social hierarchy.
When did Anthony Crossland live?
20th C
What branch of socialism was Anthony Crossland?
Social Democracy (pioneered social democracy)
What was Anthony Crossland’s most important work?
“The future of socialism” 1956
How did Crossland assess British society in 1950s?
In terms of Britain, there now existed a welfare state, nationalised industries and bargaining power of trade unions. The appetite for revolution this simply didn’t exist. In fact capitalism has also led to an improvement in living standards.
What did Crossland believe socialism should concentrate on in the 50s and onwards?
Managing capitalism and concentrating on:
- Economic efficiency
- A more community based society
- Individual responsibility should be rewarded rather than just talents and abilities
- Social justice
How did Crossland believe the economy should be managed?
He supported redistribution of wealth and Keynesian economics
What key thing did Crossland expand?
The comprehensive school system, destroy grammar schools and increase access to higher education
When did Anthony Giddens live?
1938 to present
What branch of socialism was Anthony Giddens?
Third Way (post-socialism)
What was Giddens’ major work?
‘The Third Way: The Renewal of Social Democracy’ 1998 (Blair loved it)
What did Giddens believe in?
- Top down intervention has been proved to be both inefficient and ineffective
- State should focus more on investing more in the infrastructure of society (training, education, expert advice…)
- Investing > intervening
- Community is vital
