An ‘Incomplete Revolution’?

Question 1

What did Wood believe about England in relation to capitalism? - An ‘Incomplete Revolution’?

Answer 1

Wood believed that England was the first country to have a fully integrated, domestic capitalist economy. This encompassed both agricultural and industrial elements.

Question 2

Why is Britain generally regarded as being different from other constitutional democracies historically? - An ‘Incomplete Revolution’?

Answer 2

Britain never truly had a revolutionary moment as was the case in alternatives (USA/FRA), meaning that it has developed organically and steadily, yet not fully in regard to ‘traditional’ liberal constitutional norms

Question 3

What aspects are generally regarded as being norms of constitutional government? - An ‘Incomplete Revolution’?

Answer 3

Any from: elected head of state, an executive government ratified by lower house, revising upper chamber, elected executive president, codified constitution, elected second chamber, constitutional courts

Question 4

What are the basic elements of pluralism? How does pluralism explain the success of democracy? - An ‘Incomplete Revolution’?

Answer 4

Pluralism looks at groups operating within a democratic system, seeing them as being ‘rational utility maximisers’. It is underpinned by polyarchy, based around multiple different groups competing for power with different interests, which will produce the best possible outcomes and representation.

Question 5

What form of political system does pluralism best operate in? - An ‘Incomplete Revolution’?

Answer 5

Pluralism best applies to federal systems with coequal branches of government, strong representation of interests, connection with constituents and interest group presence. DISPERSAL OF POWER.

Question 6

How would pluralism fare as a perspective when applied to the UK political system? - An ‘Incomplete Revolution’?

Answer 6

Pluralism is not necessarily applicable to the UK, given that we have a fusion of powers in our government, which holds dominance over Parliament. Lack of multi-level government in UK compared to other countries, too.

Question 7

Describe the views of Gaetano Mosca and Michels respectively on elite theory - An ‘Incomplete Revolution’?

Answer 7

Gaetano Mosca - believed in all societies ‘there is a class that rules and a class that is ruled’
Michels - believes that attempts to organise society creates divisions, at the top of which is an elite.

Question 8

Describe classical elite theory: where does the elite operate and how do people come to be part of the elite? - An ‘Incomplete Revolution’?

Answer 8

Classical elite theory revolves around a domestically-operating elite to which membership cannot be obtained. People are part of this based on intellectual, political or financial power. People can become part of the elite should they inherit power from the previous elite or if the old elite collapses.

Question 9

In elite theory, how does the elite maintain its power? - An ‘Incomplete Revolution’?

Answer 9

The elite maintains its power by organising and formulating society in its own interests, closing off power to any outsiders.

Question 10

How has elite theory been updated to the modern day? How is this elite connected? - An ‘Incomplete Revolution’?

Answer 10

Elite theory has been updated to have competition within the elite and to allow a global elite network to exist, rather than one only contained in a domestic state. This elite becomes connected through links between economic, political and military powers and through personal social intermingling.

Question 11

What are the 3 dimensions of elite integration as held by literature on elite theory? - An ‘Incomplete Revolution’?

Answer 11

Elite integration is built around social homogeneity (shared backgrounds), value consensus (shared ideas about the world) and personal interaction (moving in similar social circles).

Question 12

Describe the Marxist theory of capitalist states - An ‘Incomplete Revolution’?

Answer 12

Marxist theory describes that advanced capitalist systems will have their societies divided between a proletariat and a bourgeoisie (that oppresses the proletariat). The proletariat will rise up against the bourgeoisie and overthrow the capitalist system, replacing it with common ownership of the means of production.

Question 13

What prism do Marxist theorists see all social interaction through? - An ‘Incomplete Revolution’?

Answer 13

Marxist theorists see all social interaction through the prism of class conflict, believing that over history there has always been conflict between a dominant class and an oppressed class.

Question 14

Describe the portion of the Nairn-Anderson thesis which asserts that England had Europe’s most bourgeois revolution - An ‘Incomplete Revolution’?

Answer 14

The Nairn-Anderson thesis asserts that the ‘revolutionary’ element of the Civil War took place within a class (the aristocracy, between capitalist and conservative groups). This did not alter the property system or class system, maintaining aristocratic/bourgeois hegemony as capitalist economy was born.

Question 15

Describe the portion of the Nairn-Anderson thesis which asserts that England experienced the first industrial revolution. What consequences did this have for the ideas of Marxist theorists? - An ‘Incomplete Revolution’?

Answer 15

Nairn and Anderson assert that England experienced the first industrial revolution, creating a bourgeois, manufacturing middle class that owned the means of production. This bourgeois class then embedded themselves within the aristocracy, creating a class conflict with the emerging proletariat.

Question 16

Within the Nairn-Anderson thesis, how did the Industrial Revolution and its development in England allow the aristo-bourgeois class to maintain their power? - An ‘Incomplete Revolution’?

Answer 16

The bourgeoisie had the franchise extended to them, embedding themselves within the aristocratic class. This resulted in aristocrats being elected to Parliament, with the outcome being the production of a combined elite of the aristo-bourgeois class.

Question 17

Describe the portion of the Nairn-Anderson thesis which explains the role of the ‘largest empire in history’ in creating the British nation - An ‘Incomplete Revolution’?

Answer 17

The presence and existence of the Empire resulted in Britain being formed as a nation as the public was unified around jingoistic and imperial ambitions, developing a distinct national consciousness.

Question 18

Explain the portion of the Nairn-Anderson thesis that discusses England’s lack of invasion and the role of this in developing a ‘nation’ - An ‘Incomplete Revolution’?

Answer 18

The Nairn-Anderson thesis explains the lack of invasion of England by a foreign power (unlike Russia, France, or many other countries) across 2 World Wars. This means that England’s social structure remained unaltered.

Question 19

Describe the Nairn-Anderson thesis’ reasoning behind the failure of radical socialism or Marxism taking root in Britain - An ‘Incomplete Revolution’?

Answer 19

The Nairn-Anderson thesis suggests that, following the fall of the Chartist movement, the proletariat became numb to left-wing activism at a time when socialist ideas were on the rise. Furthermore, the creation of the proletariat in the UK came at a time before they could form working collectives and become politicised.

Question 20

Describe Perry Anderson’s assessments of Blair’s reforms to the British state constitutionally - An ‘Incomplete Revolution’?

Answer 20

Perry Anderson argues that, in spite of devolution being seen as a modernising measure, Blair fundamentally maintained the architecture of the British state and the Westminster Model. The HoL remained with hereditary members, PR was not initiated, soft reform to rights were countered by extreme surveillance and invasion of privacy by New Labour governments.

Question 21

Describe Perry Anderson’s concept of ‘neo-labourism’ - An ‘Incomplete Revolution’?

Answer 21

Neo-labourism is a phrase coined by Perry Anderson, describing the pro-capital mindset of the Third Way yet also recognising that this still maintained roots in industry and the working class. This was seen as the heir to Neo-liberalism, which was directed more towards the aspirational middle class.

Question 22

Describe Perry Anderson’s assessment of the Blair-Brown economic legacy. How did the New Labour economic settlement eventually end? - An ‘Incomplete Revolution’?

Answer 22

Anderson viewed the New Labour economic legacy as being essentially an extension of the Thatcher years, albeit with a greater emphasis on public investments and social security. However, this did continue the liberalisation of the economy started by Thatcher. Considering it was built upon sustained growth and consumption, when the 2008 Crisis hit, this triggered the end of this style of economic management, which had also heightened inequality.

Question 23

Describe Perry Anderson’s assessment of the dominant Conservative Party ‘ruling bloc’. What theory can this be linked to? - An ‘Incomplete Revolution’?

Answer 23

Anderson identified that for much of the 20th and then 21st Centuries, the Conservative Party’s leader and leadership was drawn from a narrow class of people attending primary Eton and Oxbridge. This can be seen through the Cameron-Osborne years, Eden, MacMillan and Douglas-Home, linked to elite theory.

Question 24

What departure has there potentially been from the Conservative Party’s elite leadership over time? How did Perry Anderson term this shift? - An ‘Incomplete Revolution’?

Answer 24

Under Heath and Thatcher, non Etonians came to the fore in the Party, with this carried on under Major and then Hague, Howard and IDS in opposition (the first 2 of whom attended Oxbridge, as did the others, apart from Major). Anderson described the shift away from Etonian rule as being the end of the ‘ancien regime’ and the crowning of the ‘petit bourgeoisie’.