US: Socialism

Question 1

What does socialism have in common with liberalism?

Answer 1

• Optimistic about human nature
• Progressive and challenges the state
• Foundational equality
• Rejection of the monarchy

Question 2

Where does socialism disagree with liberals?

Answer 2

• Hatred of private property as all property is inherently theft
• After the industrial revolution and rise of the factory it is impossible for people to remain autonomous
• Liberalism could not account for growing inequality and there is no fulfilment in this current society

Question 3

What do socialists think of human nature

Answer 3

• Upbeat and optimistic: Humans are naturally cooperative (while liberals argue they are more self-reliant)
• Malleable: Liberals see humans as inherently good, whereas socialists believe all behaviour is malleable given the society. Marx + Engels blame the deformation of society

Question 4

What do socialists think about society?

Answer 4

• Individuals are a product of society, it is just a construct to control our destiny
• Class system is central to oppression, defining your prospects from birth. It is a product of the industrial revolution to draw a line between the land owners and workers
• Capitalists leech off the workers and the existing limbs of the state enforce this
• “Economic determinism” our behaviour is determined by our financial class
• Social Justice: the state needs to enforce healthcare, education and minimal wage to ensure there is no gap in opportunity.

Question 5

what do socialists think of the economy

Answer 5

• Class inequality: capitalism promotes competition, going against the natural cooperative human nature. Common ownership leads to equality of outcome
• Wealth redistribution is essential- Tony Benn, “the politics of Robin Hood”
• Laissez-faire capitalism: bad for socialists, low tax and little state interference only leads to inequality
• Collectivism: Progressive taxation and public services, state ownership and regulation of capitalism. Labour’s Clause iV: “commit to the common ownership of the means of production” and subscription to trade unions helps centralise power
• Community gardens, neighbourhood watch schemes already “little platoons” of collectivism

Question 6

What do socialists think of the role of the state?

Answer 6

• Non-Marxists: The large state must always remain to promote cooperation, fraternity and equality
• Marxists” The large state should be temporary then ebb into the background to allow for natural cooperation and communes
• Anarchists: they are not socialists but share many views- the main difference is their complete opposition to the existence of a state at all

Question 7

What do Classical Marxists believe?

Answer 7

• Capitalism must disappear before socialism can be implemented. It is ultimately doomed due to class consciousness (Historicism: the belief that there is an end destination)
• Dialectic: History is driven by the exploitation of the working class, as this creates revolution. Marx + Engels are “determinists” who believe historical destiny is beyond our control
• Revolution: Capitalism must be destroyed with mob violence as you have to completely destroy the state to replace it with dictatorship of proletariat.

Question 8

What do Marxist-Leninists believe

Answer 8

• Lenin/Luxembourg dislike Marx: believe that revolution does not always happen under capitalism as you can develop a “false consciousness” and feel sympathetic
• Democratic Centralisation: Luxembourg does not support dictatorship of the proletariat and Lenin preferred a “vanguard” of the revolutionary elite to execute the revolution and then form the dictatorship
• In all states where Marxist socialism has been practised the large state has never faded away

Question 9

What do Democratic Socialists believe

Answer 9

• Clause IV: aim to allow the workers to own the means of production, rooting Labour party in socialism
• Beatrice Webb: Rejects the revolution of change, “Chaotic, inefficient and counterproductive”. She likes rational and planned societies with “The inevitability of gradualism” and believed socialism would happen without a revolution
• Attlee government: Socialist government within the existing structures of capitalism democratically elected. He introduced welfare state, state education and social housing
• Tony Benn, “politics of Robin hood”, IMF loan and election of Thatcher was a result of Labour government attempting to prop up capitalism. Wanted withdrawal from capitalist clubs (EEC), abolishing HoL and restructuring parties to give members more power than leaders.

Question 10

What do revisionist socialists believe

Answer 10

• Classical revisionism: capitalism has made the situation better across the board and therefore we shouldn’t entirely change it
  Anthony Crossland: classical revisionism with Keynesian influence over markets will create a fairer society. Ironing out “peaks and troughs” (highests and lowests). National governments need to retain autonomy over strategy therefore Europe-wide policy is a disaster
• Third Way: Keynesian economics failed, privatisation seemed a success. Combining social democracy’s wish for greater equality with capitalist economy- deregulate to promote growth
• Antony Giddens, “go with the flow” accept more inequality of outcome as it reflects thriving economy. Ended the Labour commitment to clause IV as the common worker lacks the skills to lead the country
• New Labour wanted to “triangulate” the left and the right

Question 11

Two bullet points to summarise social democrats’ critique of capitalism

Answer 11

1) Capitalism can be humanised

2) Make small adjustments to the current system to achieve fairer distribution

Question 12

One bullet point to summarise Democratic socialists’ critique of capitalism

Answer 12

1) Change can be achieved with a mandate through parliamentary election of a socialist party

Question 13

One bullet point to summarise Marxists’ critique of capitalism

Answer 13

1) Capitalism must be overthrown via a revolution and replaced with communism

Question 14

Summarise Marx’s belief of Historicism/historic determinism

Answer 14

1) Conflict between interests of bourgeoisie and proletariat
2) Class struggle
3) Proletariat begin revolution against oppressors
4) Formation of proletariat dictatorship
5) End of class struggle
6) End of class and therefore, end of history

Question 15

What did Marx believe the economic system should be based on

Answer 15

public ownership and planned economy

Question 16

What is fraternity

Answer 16

The sharing of common interests and beliefs, it implies that a group sharing those beliefs are as close as i they were brothers

Question 17

How does the communist revolution lead to improved fraternity

Answer 17

1) Capitalist system leads to exploitation of workers
2) workers can group together against their oppressors
3) together they up-haul the system and replace it with socialism
4) resulting in common ownership of wealth

Question 18

What is collectivism

Answer 18

Collective human effort is both of greater practical and moral value than the effort of individuals in society and the economy

Question 19

What is the belief of common humanity in socialism

Answer 19

Humans are social creatures with a tendency of cooperation, sociability and rationality. The individual cannot be understood without reference to society as human nature is socially determined.

Question 20

One bullet point to summarise Social democrats solution for equality

Answer 20

1) Use progressive tax and benefits to redistribute income/wealth

Question 21

One bullet point to summarise democratic socialist’s solution to equality

Answer 21

1) The state should run industries backed up by elected socialist politicians

Question 22

One bullet point to summarise Marxists’ solution to equality

Answer 22

1) Capitalists should be overthrown and a classless society should be created

Question 23

Summarise the socialist view of the class system

Answer 23

1) Bourgeoisie incentivised to pay low wages to workers to earn more profit
2) Workers who refuse to work for low wages will be replaced from “reserve army”
3) Profit is kept by bourgeoisie leading the alienation of the workers
4) This creates class conflict

Marx: “The history of all hitherto societies is the history of class conflict”

Question 24

Summarise the thinking of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

Answer 24

• Argued that human nature had been contaminated by capitalism, encouraging selfishness, ruthlessness and greed
• Emphasise the importance of class, ruling class and working class. It was inevitable that capitalism would be overthrown by resentful working class (historisicism)
• Challenged the idea the state is politically neutral, arguing it serves the interest of whichever class controlled economy
• Revolution is not only essential but inevitable and the new state would be the dictatorship of the proletariat
• Afterwards the state would ebb away as communism was established

Question 25

Summarise Rosa Luxembourg’s ideology

Answer 25

• Agreed capitalism promoted exploitation and was at odd’s with human nature, and only revolution could create change
• Like Lenin, she denied that capitalism needed to reach an advanced stage for revolution to occur
• Rather than a vanguard of elite, revolution would rise spontaneously, as mass strike action would ignite a wider revolution
• She rejected the idea of a dictatorship of proletariat, wanting the immediate creation of a new democracy underpinned by common ownership, open debate and elections
• More Marxist than Leninist, seeing socialism as transnational. For this reason, she opposed WW1 wanting a united revolution

Question 26

Summarise thinking of Beatrice Webb

Answer 26

1) Capitalism is the main cause of poverty and inequality, a corrupting force on human nature
2) Neither paternalism nor philanthropy was enough to solve this problem
3) Poverty and inequality were most likely to be eliminated by trade union and state intervention
4) Effective reform would be gradual change rather than revolution
- state should offer, “nourishment and training when young, a living wage when able bodied, treatment when sick and modest but secure livelihood when disabled or aged”

Question 27

Summarise thinking of Anthony Crosland

Answer 27

• Public ownership had gone far enough, it was not an aim of socialism but a means for achieving true equality
• Keynes idea of state-managed capitalism ensures societies have permanent growth and full employment without extending public ownership. This also allowed them to expand the welfare state
• Didn’t agree with Marx, felt societies were more complex and less polarised.
• Mixed economy of private enterprise with key industries owned by the state
• Public spending and better public services rather than public ownership

Question 28

Summarise thinking of Anthony Giddens

Answer 28

• Founder of the Third Way, where he argues that capitalism is irreversible and that there are benefits to free market. Capitalism also worked best with social cohesion, therefore, you should triangulate neo-liberal economics with social democracy’s view of society
• “Post-Fordist” capitalist societies where industry is based on mass production. This spawns tightly-knitted communities. If employment goes down and more people leave those communities they are more likely to be influenced by the elite.
• Invest in infrastructure and education
• Accept that greater inequality of outcome might have to accompany greater equality of opportunity- as markets are needed to generate the wealth for public services

Question 29

Must socialists involve the abolition of private property and capitalism? YES

Answer 29

1) If capitalism remains the workers will live under the false consciousness
2) Private property pitches people against each other, not human nature
3) Private property is theft leading to exploitation and oppression of workers
4) Labour gov under Callaghan led to Winter of discontent because they tried to temper the ideology to conform to capitalism

Question 30

Must socialism involve the abolition of private property and capitalism? NO

Answer 30

1) Attlee government was able to create a welfare system under capitalism therefore showing it is possible. If you increase public spending it is possible to adhere to socialist principles
2) Without private property there is no incentive to work and no economy
3) Capitalism created everything good, if we get rid of it we risk removing that too
4) Labour changed Clause IV but it is still a socialist party in its principles