socialism normal Flashcards
what is collectivism?
it maintains that humans can achieve their political, social and economic objectives more
effectively through collective action than through individual eff ort. Collectivism also implies that
society can only be transformed by collective endeavour – for socialists, it offers a way of achieving
an ideal society
it is one of the most important ideas underpinning socialist ideology, informing other socialist values and pricples such as equality, welfare and common ownership.
what do socialist believe in collectivism?
From a moral perspective, the interests of the group – such as a society or a community – should
take priority over individual self-interest. Collective eff ort encourages social unity and a sense of
social responsibility towards others.
* In practical economic terms, collectivism utilises the capabilities of the whole of society
efficiently, avoiding the wastefulness and limited impact of competitive individual eff ort
inherent in the capitalist economy
why do they emphasize this?
it is rooted in the view of human nature that does argue that all humans are social animals as such they prefer to live in social groups rather than alone.
-humans have the capacity for collective action and can work together to achieve their goals in this sense they are tied by the bonds of fraternity.
what do socialist say about human nature?
-it is moulded by social conditions the experiences and circumstances of a person life. according to the socialist view people can be only defined or understood in terms of the social groups that they belong to.
-socialist do say that membership of a community or society does offer humans true freedom or fulfilment.
how do they collectivism should or could be in place in society?
-socialist do call for a form of state intervention and state planning to promote collectivist goals and ensure the distribution of good and services is not left to free market forces.
-pursuit of collectivism is commonly seen to involve the growth of the state, expansion of the state services and responsibilities and an increase in state spending.
what do marxists say about how collectivism should be endorsed ?
Marxists and state socialists advocate collective action through a centralised state that organises
all (or nearly all) production and distribution. For example, in the USSR after 1929, most industries
were nationalised and all agricultural land was collectivised in order to transform a backward
state into a modern industrial society, using complete state control of the economy to bring about
change. After the Second World War, communist regimes in China and eastern Europe pursued
similar policies of state-controlled collectivism.
what do moderate socialist say about collectivism?
moderate socialists who accept some degree of free-market capitalism in the economy have
pursued collectivism in a more limited way. For instance, the 1945–51 Labour government in the
UK nationalised key industries – such as coal, electricity, and iron and steel – but left much of the
economy in private hands
why is collectivism cristed?
Because collectivism emphasises group action and common interests, it suppresses human
individuality and diversity.
* As collectivist objectives can only really be advanced through the agency of the state, it leads to
the growth of arbitrary state power and the erosion of individual freedoms.
why have socialist moved away from collectivism?
- there is a growing perception that collectivism in developed countries such as the uk was producing a dependency culture and a sluggish uncompetitive economic sector.
-end of the cold war in 1989 and the collapse of the ussr in 199 reinforced this view as it did suffer a ideological defeat.
what do socialist say about common humanity?
The socialist belief in a common humanity is also based on assumptions about human nature.
Socialists see humans as social creatures with a tendency towards co-operation, sociability and
rationality; humans naturally prefer to co-operate with, rather than compete against, each other.
-they argue that humans are naturally inclined to work together for the common good and that co-operative effort
produces the best results for society
what do socialist say about what people benefit from common humanity?
-people who co operate rather than compete with each other do form connection based on understanding, respect and mutual support.
-they channel the capabilities of the whole group or community rather than just the potential of a individual.
what do they say happens if the opposite to common humanity happens (competition)?
- socialist do view competition as wasteful, promotes social divisions and generates conflict, hostility and resentment.
-they set that capitalist economic competition does set one person against each other a process that does encourage people to reject or disregard their common humanity rather than accept it
-it does encourage humans to be self centred and belligerent.
what had the emphasis on common humanity led socialist to conclude?
-human motivation can be driven not just by material considerations but also by a moral view of people role in society.
-people should work hard to improve their society as they have a sense of responsibility.
- a moral incentive to improve society does rest on the acceptance of common humanity.
what doo socilaist say about the economy and the state in relation to rewards and common humanity>
-they accept the need for at least some material rewards to motivate people but they also stress it should be linked to moral incentive.
-co operative effort to boost economic growth not only increases living standards but also does provide funds to finance welfare measures to help the vulnerable and poor.
-the belief in common humanity has led socialist to support and interventionist role for the state.
-Marxist argue that the agency of the state can be used to control economic production and distribution for the benefit of everyone.
-social democrats advocate a more limited form of welfare and redistribution programmes to help those in need.
why do socialist justify equality?
it does ensure fairness:
economic inequality is apparently due to the inequalities in a capitalist society. some socialist do therefore reject equality of opportunity as such a concept does justifies the unequal treatment of people on the ground of innate ability.
-this argument reflect a view that does emphasis people who are born with a potential to be equal.
-other socialist say inequality in the form of differential rewards in inevitable to some extent.
-these socialist do endorse an egalitarian approach to ensure that people are treated less unequally in terms of material rewards and living conditions.
-without this commitment to egalitarianism formal political and legal equality is comprised as the latter does nothing to tackle the inequalities inherent in capitalism.
why do socialist justify equality?
it does reinforce collectivism, cooperation and solidarity within society and the economy
-humans are more likely to cooperate if they share the same economic conditions.
-e.g. Sweden has high levels of social equality as it is based on extensive wealth distribution and social welfare.
-social inequality does encourage conflict and instability.
-societies inequalities are unstable as they are divided into the have and have nots
-if not addressed the section of society would revolt for example shown in Russia in 1917 and in Mexico in 1910-20.
why do socialist justify equality?
social equality is a means of satisfying basic human needs.
-it is essential to human fulfilment
-socialist do call for equal distribution of wealth and resources to promote human fulfilment and realise human potential.
-in terms of the economy they say a free market cannot allocate wealth and resources fairly.
-they say redistribution can only provide for everyone, irrespective of social position.
what do Marxist say about equality?
Marxists, demand absolute equality for everyone in terms of material rewards
and life opportunities. Such equality can be guaranteed only by the controlled distribution of
goods and services, the abolition of private property and the introduction of common ownership
of all means of production. Under this system, the state exercises common ownership and
supervises the distribution of resources to prevent the return of social and economic inequalities.
what do social democrats say about equality?
By contrast, social democrats call for more limited state intervention to achieve relative equality
within society via welfare measures, government spending and progressive taxation. Their primary
aim is to remove absolute poverty and, if this can be achieved, then a certain level of inequality can
be tolerated. For social democrats, the state does not own or control all the means of production
– its role is to adjust distribution to narrow differences in wealth and life chances. In essence, social
democrats seek to reform rather than abolish capitalism and for this reason maintain that material
incentives continue to play an important role in human motivation. As a result, the social-democrat
position on social equality is flexible enough to embrace equality of opportunity.
why do socialist endorse common ownerhsip?
As wealth is created by the communal endeavour of humans, it should be owned collectively, not
by individuals.
* Private property encourages materialism and fosters the false belief that the achievement of
personal wealth will bring fulfilment.
* Private property generates social conflict between ‘have’ and ‘have-not’ groups, such as owners
and workers
what do moderate socialist say about common ownership?
More moderate socialists, including
the Attlee Labour government in the UK (1945–51), have opted for limited common ownership by
nationalising only key strategic industries, including the coal mines, the railways and steel-making,
leaving much of the economy in private hands
what disagreements are there among socialist within equality of outcome?
Equality of outcome maintains that rewards should be based
on an individual’s contribution. Since this will vary from person
to person some inequality will persist but dierences in
rewards will not be as marked as in the free-market system.
Equality of outcome tends to be supported by fundamentalist
socialists (who reject capitalism) as a way of removing the free
market’s influence but opposed by social democrats and the
Third Way as a form of artificial social and economic
‘levelling’.
what disagreements are there among socialist about equality of oppounity?
Equality of opportunity is based on the principle that everyone
should have an equal chance to make the best of their
abilities. There should be a ‘level playing field’ with no artificial
barriers to progress for those with ability, talent and a positive
attitude to hard work. This approach is supported by social
democrats and the Third Way on meritocratic grounds but
rejected by Marxists because it does not seek to remove
capitalism and its structural inequalities.
what do socialist disagree about equality of welfare?
Equality of welfare accepts that human society is inevitably
unequal but also maintains that every individual is entitled to
have an equal minimum standard of living guaranteed by state
welfare provision. Equality of welfare is endorsed by social
democrats and the Third Way because it provides a vital safety
net for the most vulnerable in society. Marxists reject it
because this welfare provision does not seek to remove
capitalism and its structural inequalities.
what do socialist say about absolute equality?
Absolute equality is based on the notion that everyone will
receive the same rewards, providing they make a contribution
to society. Over time, each person will make a broadly equal
contribution. This approach is supported by Marxists as the
basis of a communist society but rejected by social democrats
and the Third Way as impractical and potentially destabilising
why do people reject social equlaity?
t is unjust – in treating everybody the same irrespective of their attributes, it does not reward
people according to their skills and abilities
* it lowers human ambition, motivation and initiative by removing or downgrading material
incentives, leading to economic underperformance
* it restricts the liberties of the individual because it can only be implemented through
extensive state intervention and control
* it stifles diversity and individuality, encouraging a ‘colourless’ social uniformity.
what do socialist say about social class>
the existence of social classes explains the most important divides in society, rather
than the actions of individuals or the essence of human nature itself
what do Marxist say about social class?
or example, Marxists assert that conflict between ruling and revolutionary classes is the
driving force behind such change in society.
why do socialist believe so fundamentally in socialism?
socialism focus on social class i based on ideological commitment to represent the interest of the working class.
-for socialist the working class does bring about a socialist transformation of society and the economy.
what do Marxist say about social class?
-Marxist have traditionally emphasises the fundamental role of class politics based on the economic division between capital and labour.
-they maintain that conflict is inevitable between the owners of productive wealth and those who have to sell their labour to survive.
-under capitalism they argue the state does become an instrument to class rule, with the bourgeiouse using insitions and agencies to maintain their dominance.
-class conflict according to Marxism grow in intensity and does divide society into have and have nots.
- they argue it leads to a proletarian revolution that does overthrow the state and bourgeoise .
-they say that the state will only go away once workers gains have been consolidated and there is an equal society.
what do social democrats say about social class?
- they argue that socialist objective can be achieved through targeted state intervention to narrow class discntions.
-the state does not repsent an instrument to oppressive class rule but does provide the welfare and redistribution schemes by which class inequalities could be reduced.
-they advocate class consensus and peaceful social improvements.
why is class not seen as being as important
in recent decades moderate socialist have adapted their programmes to appeal to non manual workers.
-they did attempt to redefine their brand of progressive politics in terms of classless concerns such as green and feminist issues.
-they do place less emphasis on redress of working class grievances.
what is workers control?
-it does refer to the complete or partial ownership of an economic enterprise by those employed there.
-it has influenced different strands of socialist thought including Marxism and syndicalism.
-it covers a range of schemes that go beyond the right to be consulted by seeking to establish real decision making power for workers in their particular industries or occupations.
how is worker control justified?
-it promotes collective effort and the pursuit of group interests.
-some socialist have argued can maximise human potential by combating alienation at the workplace and undermining the capitalist view of labour as a Meere commodity.
-has significant implication for the economy, they say it is a key factor in the production process seeming as workers are a key factor in production they should have the right to control the mean of production.
-it does aim to either dilute or replace capitalist control for the economy. for example french sysndaclists in the late 19th and early 20th centauries called for the overthrow of capitalism and the introduction of workers control of the economy based on the trade unions and proletarian political isntions.
why is workers control justified?
-can be seen as an important step towards socialist society. at one spectrum moderate workers control in a capitalist society does provide a method of introufding limited reform to the social and economic structure.
-they also say that industrial self management by workers living under socialism reinforced the idea that a socialist society should raise the condition and status of the working class.
what implication does workers control have for the economy?
-some socialist maintain that workers are the key factor in the production process they should have the right to the means of production
-it does aim to either dilute or replace capitalist control of the economy. french syndalists for example in the late 19th and early 20th centauries called for the overthrow of capitalism and the introduction of workers control of the economy based on the trade unions and proletarian political institions.
what do people who endorse workers control say about the role played by the state in a socialist transformation?
Syndicalists are hostile towards the state, regarding it as an
instrument of capitalist oppression and an inefficient bureaucratic structure incapable of initiating
meaningful reform.
-they call for the state body to be forcibly replaced with a form of workers control based on federation of trade union bodies.
ritish guild socialism, a pro-workers’
control movement that emerged in the early 20th century, was internally divided over the role
of the state.
what do people who endorse workers control say about the role played by the state in a socialist transformation?
Although all guild socialists argued for state ownership of industry in the pursuit of
workers’ control, some called for the state to remain essentially in its existing form, whereas others
called for the state to be turned into a federal body composed of workers’ guilds, consumers’
organisations and local government bodies.
what can workers control be seen as an important step towards
- a socialist society
- at one end of the spectrum moderate workers control in a capitalist society provides a method of introducing limited reforms to the social and economic structure. at the other
-ndustrial self-management by workers
living under state socialism (such as the workers’ councils operating in Yugoslavia in the 1950s
and 1960s) reinforces the idea that a socialist society should raise the condition and status of the
working class.
what are the critsims of workers control?
Critics reject such schemes on the grounds that they are utopian and fail to acknowledge that
business needs risk-takers and investors as well as workers. According to this view, workers often
lack the entrepreneurial attributes necessary for success. In taking over the management functions
of appointments, promotions and dismissals, manual employees may adversely affect the
economic viability of their workplace.
what is revolutionary socialism?
Revolutionary socialism rejects the use of democratic methods in the pursuit of a socialist society. alot did believe in this as they argued that
The early development of industrialisation and capitalism brought poverty, exploitation and
unemployment, which was expected to radicalise the working classes who were at the sharp end
of these changes.
As the workers were not part of the ‘political nation’, they had little ability to influence policies in
government systems usually dominated by the landed aristocracy or bourgeoisie.
what is revolutionary socialism based on?
Socialism through revolution is also based on the conviction that the state is a ‘bourgeois’
instrument of class oppression, defending capitalist interests against those of the working classes.
what do revolutionary socialist say will happen if a revolution does not take place?
The primacy of the ruling class is reinforced by key institutions and agencies of the state, such as
the parliamentary system, the mass media and high finance. Piecemeal or gradual change will
not lead to a genuinely socialist society because the ruling class and bourgeois values are too
firmly entrenched. For example, capitalists are adept at infiltrating political parties, representative
assemblies and labour organisations in order to blunt their radicalism.
what do revolutionary socialists argue for?
revolutionary socialism calls for a total transformation of society, so the existing
state has to be completely uprooted and replaced with new revolutionary institutions. Such a
fundamental change often leads to violence; the ruling class is unlikely to give up its power without
a fight. Thus revolutionary socialists in Russia (1918–21), China (1946–49) and Mexico (1910–20) had
to fight bloody civil wars to establish their regimes.
why do revolutionary socialist say that a revolution should take place?
revolutionary socialists maintain that any attempt to ‘humanise’ capitalism, a system
based on inequality and exploitation, would completely undermine the principles and objectives
of socialism.
where is revolutionary socialism evident in the world?
After the Second World War, revolutionary socialism was adopted by many national liberation
movements in Africa, Asia and South America, including the Chinese communists led by Mao, the
Viet Cong directed by Hoàng Văn Thái and the Cuban insurgents under Castro. These movements
concluded that such a strategy was the only way to remove the colonial powers and their domestic
allies and dismantle outdated social and economic systems. The intention was to bring about rapid
modernisation to enable these societies to catch up with the more prosperous and technologically
advanced industrial countries.
what do revolutionary says happens when implemented?
The pursuit of the ‘revolutionary road’ has usually resulted in fundamentalist socialist regimes, such
as those established in the Soviet Union, the People’s Republic of China and Cambodia under the
Khmer Rouge. In all three cases, successful insurrection destroyed the old order, which permitted
the creation of a new socialist society based on state control of the economy. Revolutionary strategy
also encouraged the establishment of rigid hierarchical parties with dominant leaders and the use
of ruthless dictatorial political methods to remove all opposition and introduce totalitarianism.
how is revolutionary socialism seen as longer being as relevant?
the end of the Cold War in the late 1980s and early 1990s delivered a hugely damaging blow to
revolutionary socialism as communism collapsed in the Soviet Union and the satellite states of the
Eastern bloc
what is social democracy and when did it emerge ?
Social democracy emerged after 1945 as western socialist parties embraced electoral politics and
switched to the more limited aim of reforming, rather than abolishing, capitalism.
Ideologically, social democracy attempts to reconcile free-market capitalism with state
intervention,
why do social democrats believe that an attempt to reconcile capitalism with state intervention is best?
Although the capitalist system is a dependable creator of wealth, the way it distributes wealth
produces inequality and poverty.
* State intervention in economic and social affairs can protect the public and remedy the
weaknesses of capitalism.
* Peaceful and constitutional methods should be used to bring about social change.
what is social democracy core values?
Social democracy is chiefly concerned with the just or fair distribution of wealth in society; its
defining core value is social justice. This form of socialism rests on a moral, rather than a Marxist,
critique of capitalism: socialism is morally superior to capitalism. Christian principles have also informed the social-democratic position, notably the Christian socialist tradition in the UK and
‘liberation theology’ in Latin America. Social democracy can encompass a variety of perspectives,
including the acceptance of private-sector productivity and personal responsibility.
what did Eduard Bernstein say?
Eduard Bernstein published a revisionist study, Evolutionary Socialism (1899), which argued
that capitalism was not developing along Marxist lines. Instead of succumbing to economic crises and
promoting ever-deepening class conflict, the capitalist system was proving resilient and adaptable.
Bernstein argued, for example, that joint stock companies had widened the ownership of wealth
through shareholders, rather than concentrating it in the hands of fewer and fewer capitalists.
Bernstein concluded that capitalism was not a brutally exploitative system and it could be
reformed peacefully through electoral politics. He advocated state ownership of key industries, and
legal safeguards and welfare measures to protect the workers
where is social democracy evident in the world?
During the 20th century, western socialist parties increasingly recognised the dynamism and
productivity of the market economy, abandoned their commitment to economic planning and
pursued a revisionist policy of reforming capitalism. The Swedish Social Democratic Labour Party
and the West German Social Democratic Party made this shift officially in the 1930s and 1950s
respectively. The British Labour Party remained formally committed to common ownership
until 1995, but post-war Labour governments never subjected the British economy to extensive
state control.
