History

CAPITALISM:

Summary dot-points:

• Work for wages.

• Creation of wealth.

• Unequal social classes.

• Unmanaged (free) interactions between private individuals / corporations.

• Scottish philosopher Adam Smith.

• Development of factories and mass production during the Industrial Revolution.

→ Created a large class of working poor and a small class of rich producers.

• Private ownership and profit; individual freedom and a free market.

Key terms 

→ Laissez-faire - referring to the ‘unmanaged’ interactions in capitalist society

In-depth dot-points:

• There is a naturally-formed 

SOCIALISM:

EGALITARIANISM:

NATIONALISM:

Summary dot-points:

• Loyalty and devotion to one’s own country.

• Excludes other nations.

• Political and controversial ideology.

• Preferential treatment of their nation.

• Sometimes interpreted as superiority.

• Feeling of common identity and shared passion.

In-depth dot-points:

• Nationalism is NOT the same as patriotism. Nationalism means being devoted to and willing to vigorously support one’s country. Patriotism is much less extreme.

• Patriotism refers to the devotion and expression of love to a particular country along with sharing a sense of unity with others who feel the same. 

• Nationalism involves national identity, pride and a superior feeling towards someone else’s own nation.

• The birth of nationalism can change a society.

• This was evident in Ireland in the mid 19th century. At the time they were ruled by Britain, and had been since 1603.

• In the mid 1800’s, a movement for independence had begun, spurred on by the suffering induced by famine in the 1840’s.

• As part of the formation of their national identity, Gaelic language and culture began to be revived.

• By the 1900’s, they were willing to fight for their independence. This can be seen in the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin.

• In 1922, the Irish Free State was formed, followed by their declaration as a full republic in 1937.

• Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom. 

• Nationalism can be viewed in 3 different ways.

1. It refers to the pride and sense of unity felt by a group of people of the same language, race, history and culture.

• Before the modern era, people tended to think of themselves as belonging to kingdoms, tribes, cities or religions (rather than countries). They had no sense of nationalism.

• This is seen in the formation of the unified countries of Germany and Italy around 1871.

2. It also refers to the movement by which people, once they become conscious of their nationality, attempt to form a nation state.

• The birth of nationalism was closely linked to the decline of the absolute power of monarchies and imperialism. As empires around the world began to break apart and colonies and territories sought independence, the concept of nationalism expanded since people seeked refuge with others they found similar to themselves.

• This was evident after the two word wars. New countries, such as Poland, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavie were created after WWI as the Austrian and German empires broke down. Many countries, such as India, gained their independence (from Britain) after WWII.

3. It refers to the way in which the people and government of EXISTING nations tend to put their own interests first, at the expense of other nations or international interests.

• Indeed, extreme nationalism can lead to support for a nation's military expansion and dominance of other countries. 

• This was evident in the expansion of Nazi Germany under Hitler in WWII

DARWINISM:

Summary dot-points:

• Charles Darwin

→ 19th century English naturalist Charles Darwin questioned the theory of creationism and argued for natural selection.

• Darwin’s theory summarised that:

• There was an ever-changing world.

• There is a common ancestor for all species.

• Organisms change.

• Species adapted to best suit their environment are the ones that survived in short, sure and slow steps.

In-depth dot-points:

• Darwin’s theory of evolution suggests that species gradually change (evolve) over time, that new species come from preexisting species and that all species share a common ancestor. His idea of natural selection implied that small variations within a species increases the individual's ability to compete, survive and reproduce. 

• “Mutation by descent” (later called evolution) suggested that species gradually change over time through a process called natural selection, where new traits arise through adaptations, or are lost due to their futility, and are passed down to the next generation. These accumulated changes can lead to drastic changes or population reduction within species.

• Species with traits better suited to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing those more important and now heritable traits on to their offspring. In contrast, species with traits that are less advantageous are less likely to survive and reproduce, leading to a decrease in the appearance of those traits in the population over time.

• Darwin’s original concept of the phrase ‘survival of the fittest’ meant that those best able to survive by virtue of their genetics are the ones that are best fit for their environment, and those who were not best suited to their environment were the ones who would eventually die off. 

→ This term, ‘survival of the fittest’, would soon be coined by a man named Herbert Spencer in 1864, where he suggested a fight in which the strongest survived at the expense of the weak. This idea then became a pseudoscientific theory named ‘social Darwinism’, where people attempted to use it as a justification for imperialism and slave trade.  This meant that ‘inferior’ races were destined to be the ‘woodcutters and water carriers’.

• Darwin's idea was very highly challenged by society, however it is wrong to say that it shocked all of society. Darwin’s newest publication of his novel “On the Origin of Species” attracted large audiences, where it was taken as offence by those who interpreted the Bible literally. 

→ Darwin’s theory was controversial becasue it challenged the prevailing relgious beliefts of the time, particularly the idea of being on Earth by a ‘divine creator’ as described in the Bible. It was also not easily accepted because of liberalism, which constrainedf the introduction ofnew beliefs, therefore ma