SOCIALISM

Evolutionary socialism

• argues change should happen gradually rather than radically, eg through revolution

Revolutionary socialism

• Marxism is a form of revolutionary socialism

• Derived from the ideas of Marx and Engels

• Argues that socialist values cannot coexist within capitalism and there must be a revolution to transform society and the economy

Cooperation

Individuals working collectively to achieve mutual benefit, with the fraternal belief that humans perform best when working together

Fraternity

• humans regarding each other as siblings rather than rivals

• Relationships are not based on competition or enmity but on generosity and solidarity

Core ideas and principles

• common humanity

• Collectivism

• Equality

• Social class

• Workers control

Common humanity

• optimistic view of human nature, believing individuals share a common humanity, are rational and are predisposed to cooperate

• Human nature is shaped by an individuals environment

• View society as a collection of broadly equal individuals with a common identity and purpose

Revolutionary socialism vision of a common humanity

• Marx and Engels argued that individuals are “deformed” by capitalism, as money corrupts those who possess it

• Capitalism must be abolished by a revolution started by the exploited working class

• A classless communist society would emerge based on absolute equality, in which all social and economic activities would be done collectively

Democratic socialism vision of a common humanity

• Webb argued fr a socialist state via the ballot box

• This would include common ownership of the means of production, achieved by extensive state nationalisation run by a socialist bureaucratic elite

Social democracy vision of a common humanity

• argued capitalism should be reformed, not replaced, which was a significant break with democratic socialism

• Crosland had a vision of:

  • Supporting a mixed economy of both nationalised state industry and privately owned companies

  • Economic state intervention based on Keynesian economics to ensure permanent full employment and economic growth

  • Welfare state used to redistribute wealth and challenge poverty and social inequality

The third way vision of a common humanity

• by the 1990s, Gideon’s argued that developed economies faced new challenges for the 21st century.

• He argued for:

  • Increased emphasis on equality of opportunity via public services, especially education

  • Neo-liberal ideas such as the free-market and self-reliance

  • Moving away from universal welfare to means-tested welfare (such as higher education students contributing towards the cost of their education)

Collectivism

• prioritises the group over the individuals

• Socialists believe individuals:

  • Prefer working together rather than individually

  • Will work more effectively within groups

• Collectivism has been used in a variety of ways across socialist thinking and means different things to different socialists

Equality

• for socialists, equality is a multifaceted concept that causes tension and disagreement, however there are 3 aspects they agree on:

  • Foundational equality: all individuals are born with innate human rights that translate to political and legal equality

  • Rejection of natural hierarchies: everyone has the potential to take up any position within society to which they may aspire

  • Equality of opportunity: all individuals should have access to the same life chances

Equality of opportunity

• individuals are entitled to equal chances to make the best of their abilities

• Positive steps should be taken to eliminate artificial barriers to the progress of individual groups

Differences about equality of opportunity

Revolutionary socialism: Marx, Engels, and Luxemburg argued the equality of opportunity can be achieved only after a revolution

Democratic socialism: Webb argued that equality of opportunity could be achieved by reforming capitalism to the point it is a truly socialist society by common ownership

Social democracy: Crosland believes in a mixed economy, wishing to break down class barriers, and argued for progressive taxation and to allow an even distribution of opportunities via an extensive welfare state

Third way: equality of opportunity should target the neediest in society, the underclass. Gideon’s advocated abandoning the universal welfare of Croland’s social democracy for means-tested benefits

Equality of outcome

• proposes that economic rewards should be distributed to the value of an individuals contribution

• In such a system, the difference in rewards will be far smaller than it would be in a free-market economy