Tensions/agreements/beliefs Flashcards

1
Q

What are the 4 types of equality ?

A
  1. Equality of opportunity
  2. equality of outcome
  3. Absolute equality
  4. Equality of welfare
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2
Q

Equality of opportunity

A
  • Individuals are entitled to equal chances to make the best of their abilities (positive steps to ensure no barriers)
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3
Q

Equality of outcome

A
  • Proposes that economic rewards should be distributed to the value of an individual’s contribution
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4
Q

Absolute equality

A
  • Individuals should receive the same rewards as long as the contributions made to society are to the best of their ability
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5
Q

Equality of welfare

A
  • Society is inevitably unequal but everyone should be entitled to an equal minimum standard of living which is enabled by the provision of the welfare state
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6
Q

Revolutionary socialists belief on ‘equality of opportunity’ ?

A
  • Equality of opportunity can only occur after a revolution due to capitalism being so corrupt that it is beyond reform
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7
Q

Democratic socialists belief on ‘equality of opportunity’ ?

A
  • Webb argued that equality of opportunity can only be achieved by reforming capitalism to the point that it is truly socialist eg common ownership of society
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8
Q

Social democrats belief on ‘equality of opportunity’ ?

A
  • Crosland believed in a mixed economy with state management based on Keynesian ideas
  • Wished to break down class barriers as they were irrelevant
  • Argued for progressive taxation + to allow an even distribution of opportunities via an expansive welfare state
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9
Q

Third way belief on ‘equality of opportunity’ ?

A
  • Equality of opportunity needs to target the neediest in society (the underclass)
  • Giddens advocated abandoning the universal welfare state
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10
Q

What do all socialists believe in regards to human nature ?

A
  • Human nature is not fixed and is easily shaped (for good and bad) by an individual’s environment
  • Human nature is malleable
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11
Q

What do socialists see society as ?

A
  • Collection of broadly equal individuals who share a common identity and collective purpose
  • Cooperation and collectivism rather than individualism and competition
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12
Q

What do socialists agree about the economy ?

A
  • Concerned about the effect that unchecked capitalism can have on the individual
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13
Q

What underpins society ?

A
  • Fraternity and community (humans regard each other as siblings rather than rivals)
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14
Q

Who argues capitalism can be used for the greater good ?

A
  • Social democracy and in particular the third way
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15
Q

Who are most hostile to capitalism ?

A
  • Revolutionary socialism and democratic socialism
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16
Q

Revolutionary socialism (Vision of humanity)

A
  • Marx and Engels
  • Individuals are by capitalism so therefore capitalism must be abolished by a revolution
  • Following a transitional period, a classless communist society would emerge
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17
Q

Democratic socialism (vision of common humanity)

A
  • Webb argued for a socialist state via the ballot box

- This would include common ownership of the means of production achieved by a bureaucratic elite

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18
Q

Social democracy (vision of common humanity)

A
  • Capitalism should be reformed not replaced
  • Crosland had a vision of : Mixed economy, state intervention based on Keynesian economics and a welfare state to challenge poverty and social inequality
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19
Q

The third way (vision of humanity)

A
  • Giddens argued for : increased emphasis on equality of opportunity via public services, Neo-liberal ideas like free market and moving away from universal welfare to more means tested welfare (eg higher education students contributing towards the cost of their education)
20
Q

Collectivism

A
  • Believe individuals prefer to work together than independently and will work more efficiently within groups than through individual actions
21
Q

Collectivism for social democrats ?

A
  • Workers belong to trade unions that have strong bargaining rights to stop exploitation
  • A NHS provides universal care according to need
  • Widespread comprehensive state education is available for all (equality of opportunity)
  • Key utilities are brought under government control and operate in the collective interest of all
22
Q

Collectivism for revolutionaries

A
  • Marx and Engels argue the workforce should collectively own all industry + all agencies of society should be communal
  • Seen in the Soviet Union in the 1920s
23
Q

Collectivism for Democratic socialists

A
  • Webb and the Fabian society influenced the policy of Atlee’s government eg top down management strategy
24
Q

Collectivism for the third way

A
  • Unions should exist to to preserve fair practice in the workplace but wages should be market driven
  • Advocates healthcare reform (universal healthcare is unsustainable) + advocates prescription charges
  • More equality of opportunity and spending in education eg New labour introduced academies
  • No support for renationalising state utilities
25
Q

Revolutionary socialists view on equality of outcome

A
  • Dismiss it as it is preproposed that capitalism could be rid of exploitation which is impossible
26
Q

Democratic socialists view on equality of outcome

A
  • Webb argued for gradual incremental process so that income would be more evenly distributed
  • This wouldn’t be absolute equality but would be substantially fairer
27
Q

Social democrats view on equality of outcome

A
  • Crosland was against pure equality of outcome as he felt it would weaken the economy by acting as a disincentive to wealth creators
28
Q

Third way view on equality of outcome

A
  • Equality of wage was impractical as it was a disincentive and would damage the economy
29
Q

Revolutionary socialists view on absolute equality

A
  • Marx, Engels + Luxemburg believe that an economy based on common ownership and collectivisation would produce rewards based on each needs
  • Each individual would contribute and then take away what they needed
  • Marx “From each according to their ability to each according to their needs”
30
Q

Democratic socialists view on absolute equality

A
  • Webb believed in high taxation to flatten the differences between classes
  • She didn’t advocate absolute equality and envisaged some wage differences
31
Q

Social democrats view on absolute equality

A
  • Crosland dismissed absolute equality as utopian (preproposed abundant wealth)
  • Accepted that in a meritocratic mixed economy those who contributed more would be rewarded accordingly
32
Q

Third way view on absolute equality

A
  • Giddens dismissed absolute equality as a flawed concept

- Inequality was a natural consequence of society

33
Q

Revolutionary socialists view on equality of welfare

A
  • reject equality of welfare for its failure to remove capitalism
34
Q

Democratic socialists view on equality of welfare

A
  • Webb argued that equality of welfare would be achieved through mass nationalisation of industry
  • Argued that proper state management would ensure equality of welfare via an efficient redistribution of resources
35
Q

Social democrats view on equality of welfare

A
  • Crosland saw the state as a neutral force that could reduce class conflict by breaking down barriers and widening opportunities eg universal public services
  • Enthusiastic for nationalised utilities and the free-market economy
36
Q

Third way view on equality of welfare

A
  • Higher levels of social security and welfare were a disincentive to work and created a dependency culture
  • Benefits should be targeted at the most needy
37
Q

What do evolutionary socialists argue in regards to class ?

A
  • Webb (Democratic socialism), Crosland (social democracy) and Giddens (third way) all have different ways of reconciling social class division
38
Q

What do revolutionary socialists argue in regards to social class ?

A
  • It can only be resolved via a revolution
39
Q

What do all socialists agree on with regards to class ?

A
  • Capitalism creates and reinforces harmful social class divisions that result in societal hierarchies
40
Q

What do Marx and Engels argue with regards to social class ?

A
  • Capitalists are parasites who profit from the work of an exploited workforce
  • Differences in social class cannot be reconciled in a capitalist system so revolution is inevitable
  • Capitalists took the surplus value and alienated the worker from his labour
  • The state reinforced this oppressive relationship via laws, bureaucracy, police forces and the army
41
Q

How does Webb differ from Marx and Engels in regards to social class ?

A
  • Shared the analysis
  • Argued the nature of the state could be altered from serving capitalism to delivering a socialists state
  • This would have universal nationalisation, equality of outcome, progressive taxation and a welfare state which would significantly narrow class division
42
Q

What was Crosland’s view social class ?

A
  • Critical of the collectively minded utilitarianism (action is right if it promotes happiness) of Webb’s ideas + the uniformity of nationalisation
  • Felt this would compromise the freedom of the individual + make the socialists state a “dull functional nightmare”
  • Less class war and more of a fairer distribution of wealth and equality of opportunity
  • Society would eventually become classless
43
Q

What do all socialists argue in relation to workers control ?

A
  • an unchecked free market will allow capitalists will exploit the industrial worker
44
Q

Revolutionary socialism view on workers control

A
  • Marx, Engels and Luxemburg have an element of advocation for workers control for at least a period of control)
  • Marx and Engels saw an interim stage where the workers would rule + a communist society would emerge from the ashes of capitalism
  • There would then be no need for workers control as communism would be free from the exploitation of capitalism
45
Q

What do Webb, Crosland and Giddens envision in regards to workers control ?

A
  • Don’t envision the workers seizing direct control over the economy or the means of production
46
Q

How would Webb solve the ‘evils of capitalism’ ?

A
  • By professional experts where the working class would vote for socialism and gradually socialist governments would be elected
  • The stare would ‘silently change its character from police power to housekeeping on a national scale’
  • The highly trained elite of administration and specialists would then organise society
47
Q

Social democracy and the third way’s view on workers control

A
  • View worker’s control and militant struggle as outdated notions
  • Capitalism had been largely reformed of most of its most exploitative traits
  • Crosland was unwilling to sanction further nationalisation other than a mixed economy
  • The workers lacked the
    skills/expertise to successfully lead or manage their workplace
  • Giddens argued against the mixed economy as nationalised companies couldn’t compete with the wealth the free market creates