Social Democracy

Question 1

Human Nature

Answer 1

• Inequality and class distinctions created feelings of envy, inferiority and resentment.
• Social equality would create greater cooperation and community and enable people to pursue their own goals.

Question 2

Crossland on HN

Answer 2

Human nature has a powerful sense of ‘fairness’ and an innate objection to inequality of outcome.

Question 3

Webb on HN

Answer 3

Capitalism was the principal cause of inequality and a corrupting force in humanity, fostering unnatural levels of avarice and selfishness. Gradual reform would produce a socialist society and shape HN to be more cooperative, altruistic and fraternal.

Question 4

State

Answer 4

• End of capitalism’ cynical character meant a constant expansion of public spending and state welfare and constant progress towards greater equality.
• Offers social protection from insecurity caused by loss of income, health, and other events (such protection is sustained by high degree of
  democratic participation by the population).
• Disagrees with common ownership - Keyneism economics allows socialists to look at other methods to secure greater equality (education).
• KE required govts to retain natural autonomy over their economic strategies (promotes austerity rather than full employment).

Question 5

Crossland on State

Answer 5

• Exemplified the parliamentary-style of socialism in the post-war consensus and he was only interested in improving the life of the working people.
• KEY ROLE - manage the economy using KE. Downplayed public ownership and he prioritised the end of poverty and improving public services:
• Progressive tax and redistributive welfare would promote social equality and equality of opportunity.
• Introduce a state education to break down class divisions better than extending public ownership.

Question 6

Webb on State

Answer 6

• Neither paternalism or philanthropy was a sustainable solution to the problems of inequality or poverty. Most likely eliminated through vigorous trade unionism and extensive state interventionism.
• Harnessing universal suffrage means the existing state could be used to effect a gradual transition to socialism (supports the ‘inevitability of gradualism’).
• Should guarantee a ‘sufficient nourishment and training when young, a living wage when able-bodied, treatment when sick and modest but secure livelihood when disabled or aged.

Question 7

Economy

Answer 7

• Renounced its remaining Marxist links by embracing modern capitalism (hostile but no wish to abolish capitalism)
• Claimed that fostering a progressive evolution of capitalism will result in the evolution of a capitalist economy to a socialist economy.
• Keyenism guaranteed that capitalism was no longer vulnerable to ‘peaks and troughs’.

Question 8

Crossland on Economy

Answer 8

• No need for further public ownership (merely the means).
• Capitalism changed due to Keynes = a mixed economy compromise of private enterprise and ownership, alongside key services and a few state-owned industries.
• State-managed capitalism advanced societies to enjoy permanent economic growth and full employment. Therefore, the state could expand their welfare state and diminish inequality, advancing socialism.

Question 9

Webb on Economy

Answer 9

• Seeks to replace capitalism and private ownership but dislikes the violent nature of revolution (sees it like capitalism because of its unpredictability).
• Believes in a command economy - the ‘fruits of the industry’ are given to the workers, rather than the bourgeois.
• Replacing a society based on private ownership with one based on common ownership.

Question 10

Society

Answer 10

• Support for a process of developing society through existing political structures and opposition to revolutionary means like Marxism.
• Through Keynesian economics, capitalism was more reliable to finance a richer, fairer and more classless society.

Question 11

Crossland on Society

Answer 11

• Noticed a complex change = less binary and polarised between workers and employers with the emergence of new classes (managers and technocrats) whose perspectives differ from traditional workers.
• PRIMARY GOALS = social justice and social equality - eradicate social privilege, minimising inequality and class divides.
• Extending welfare and redistribution policies to ensure that all can benefit the proceeds of economic growth.
• Saw education as a key tool to create a more egalitarian society - believed that comprehensive schools would break down class divisions more effectively than any public extension.

Question 12

Webb on Society

Answer 12

• The poverty and inequalities of a capitalist society continues to depress human potential while fostering regressive competition.
• Advocating an incremental approach to change is preferable than the violent revolutions. Avoidable when a technocratic elite was allowed to ‘impregnate the existing forces of society’.