prechewed politics socialism notes (from videos)

what are the origins of socialism?

utopian origins of socialism

Robert Owen (1771-1858): welsh social reformer + utopian socialist

• tested socialist ideas in increasingly grand experiments

• labelled ‘utopian’ socialist by Marx, who argued earliest socialists had goals + methods that, while appealing, were naive + lacking scientific/historical basis

• became factory manager in early 20s + horrified by working/living conditions of employees, extent their lives plagued by alcoholism, theft + violence

Robert Owen: New View of Society (1813)

‘‘each individual man forms his own character…therefore he is accountable for all his sentiments and habits, and consequently merits reward for some + punishment for others”

Owen proposed alternative theory…

“the character of man is, without exception, always formed for him”

• those grown up in poverty w/out access to education + opportunity inevitably shaped into v/ diff people, w/ diff characters to those grown up in supportive, wealthy families.

1799, Owen purchased large cotton mill in New Lanark, Scotland - gave opportunity for him to test out ideas

• employed 2000+ people, lived in isolated village far from neighbouring towns + cities

• when O. became manager - “found the population…similar to that of other manufacturing districts” was “with some exceptions, existing in poverty, crime and misery”

• upgraded the existing housing, built new homes that were vastly superior to those that most mill workers would have enjoyed

• environmental improvements were also made, w/ better sanitation + water supplies, new gardens, allotments + public walkways

• found children young as 5, working 13hrs/day - banned employment of children under 10, reduced working hours for older children to max. 10hrs/day

• started world’s first nursery, required all children to attend newly established school - offered comprehensive curriculum. children not just reading + writing but lessons in geography, history, playing music, dance + sing

• cut adult working hours, asked workers to contribute 1/60 wages to cover medical insurance, pensions, sick pay

  • founded Institute for Formation of Character for adult education, social activities….

• New Lanark had company-owned village store - workers paid in labour tokens, not cash - could be redeemed only at the store. instead of exploiting, Owen used buying power to purchase quality goods at low price - profits used to fund education

• O. invented ‘silent monitor’, painted wood block hanging beside each worker - indicating how hard-working. scores marked down in log-book w/ similar ratings for character + behaviour outside work

• Curfews + random searches prevent theft - patrols made through village at night + drunk fined. Inspectors checked homes kept clean, O. recquired all children be educated by community not families

Classical liberals likely raise concerns about impact on NEGATIVE FREEDOM - mill’s workers were not entirely happy with Owen’s more controversial reforms

O. would have considered reforms to have promoted POSITIVE FREEDOM - won many over when paid wages even when production forced to stop

• didn’t just make changes at N.Lanark bc he thought morally right… also thought happier, healthier workers would produce more even if worked shorter hours

• mill’s financial success led curious visitors globally to come + see experiment

1813-1816, focused on achieving his ends by legislative means

Lobbied in parliament to:

• raise taxes + increase spending on the poor

• ban employment of children under 10

• limit working hours for children under 18

• introduce new national system of public education

Parliament + other factory owners reluctant to support reforms

Report to County of Lanark (1820)

called for creation of new self-sufficient villages of cooperation, 800-1200 people work + live tgt in farming/manufacturing

• families have apartments in large buildings, communal sitting rooms, kitchens, schools + libraries open to all

• children over 3 board at village school, where taught curriculum O. hoped promoted good character

• wages replaced by system of labour notes - treated all work equally - could be exchanged for goods community produced.

O. failed to raise funds needed for new communities - decided to fund one himself.

• travelled to America, purchased town called Harmony, Indiana from religious group that founded it 10 years earlier

• renamed New Harmony - invited anyone interested to join experiment, attracted wide variety of people, from working-class farmers + labourers to scientists, philosophers, teachers, journalists excited by vision

• those who moved in allowed to live free in buildings Owen purchased. Food + commodities produced sent to village store operated as a non-profit. Work rewarded w/ labour notes - exchanged for goods handed to village store

• O. only lived there for few months - spent most of his time travelling world, promoting ideas. town couldn’t agree how to put ideas into practice - had 7 constitutions in just 2 years. lower + upper-class residents often clashed, coming from diff backgrounds/cultures.

• attracted range of religions + cultures that often clashed - “members were too various in their feelings and too dissimilar in their habits to govern themselves harmoniously as one community” (Owen’s SON)

• committees supposed to democratically decide things like what to plant, what to make - often disagreed on simple matters (would have been easier decided by individuals managing own land/factories)

• town failed to attract sufficient no. skilled labourers, who could seek ↑ individual wealth elsewhere. BUT did attract no. people more interested in offer of free accommodation + goods

After NH failure, Owen moved back to Britain, tried to achieve socialist ends by 3 other means:

• cooperative stores

• labour exchanges

• trade unions

Cooperative Stores

• Inspired by NL village shop, co-operative stores began establishment mid 1800s - owned collectively by ordinary members not few rich shareholders, prioritised selling local goods at fair price

• profits reinvested/distributed back out to store’s members in dividends

Labour Exchanges

• 1832, helped found National Equitable Labour Exchange, aim to reward all work equally

• like NH, workers bring produced goods + issues notes factoring in cost of materials + hours worked

• labour notes used to purchase other goods + valued in terms of working hours + materials

Trade Unions

• helped form Grand National Consolidated Trade Union (1834), soon had 1.5mn+ members

• organisation only lasted months - businesses + gov responded fiercly + O. had v/ diff views to many union members

• O. firmly against strikes + violent protest - his utopia only possible if all classes worked tgt

what did Marx and Engels contribute to socialism?

Karl Marx (1818-1883) german philosopher, historian, economist + social theorist - one of most influential theorists in history

Friederich Engels (1820-1895) german philosopher, journalist + businessman - worked closely w/ Marx + edited/translated much of his work

theory of alienation:

Under capitalism, we work in ways that separate us from humanity

• Workers alienated under capitalism, separates them from ‘species-essence’ - from own humanity

• “free conscious activity is man’s species-character”

Capitalism alienates workers from…

• products of their labour

• process of labour

• species-essence (humanity)

• other people

Products of labour

workers spend time making things not useful. to them, bc don’t belong to them. products taken away + sold to others, possibly in shops w prices too high for them to afford

Process of labour

pre-industrial revolution, skilled craftspersons would make items step-by-step/start to finish…factory production line efficient but less fulfilling - workers repeat simpler, alien tasks w/ little meaning

Species-essence (human nature)

“conscious life activity directly distinguishes man from animal life activity” - human labour can be conscious + creative. under capitalism, work is basic + animal-like - means to an end, rather than expression of humanity

Other people

humans all part of global cooperation system - rely on labour + contribution of others. capitalism: fail to see + appreciate these connections, see others as competitors/rivals

Like Owen, M+E believed human character, beliefs + ideas influenced by environment BUT M. criticised O. for treating people as machines that could be improved w/ right rules, lessons + conditions

“social existence determines their consciousness”

• type of society we live in, social class we belong to, daily activities + relationships w./ others that fundamentally shape us

• to build better society, isn’t enough to try to convince wealthy to raise wages, build schools + improve conditions…change requires revolution (fundamentally transforms society by changing way humans work together to produce material goods)

historical materialism

human history is story of increasing productive capacity - way goods are produced impacts all aspects of society

• until Marx history of making seen largely as series unconnected events, driven forward by accidents, key historical figures + influential ideas

• M. said humans clearly progressed through series of stages…each shaped by way it produced material goods

  • primitive communism → slavery → feu

  • dalism → capitalism → ?

• all human societies have had to produce material goods to survive so societies must work out how to best produce essentials of life before can devote time to laws, culture etc.

each stage of history shaped by distinct

• means of production

  • methods society uses to produce material goods

  • determined by the tools, technology, human knowledge + skills available at that time

  • e.g. agricultural production

• relations of production

  • social relations that form as result of this production

  • class divisions develop based on ownership of means of production

  • e.g. feudal lords and peasants

“the history of all hitherto existing societies is history of class struggle”

primitive communism: hunter gatherers cooperate with hunter gatherers

slave societies: slave owners exploit slaves

feudalism: aristocracy explot peasants

capitalism: bourgeousie exploit proletariat

capitalist-dominated superstructure promotes ideology that instills

• false consciousness: proletariat (working classes) unable to see they are being exploited

• “ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas”

historical materialism holds that it is the production of material goods that had most fundamental impact on history development, outweighing ideas, religion, politics etc.

dialectal materialism

all change results from opposing forces - it is class conflict + economic contradictions this creates, that drives history forward

• dialectics: method of reasoning made famous by German philosopher Hegel

M. took idea of incompatible forces driving change but believed it was economic forces, not ideas that drove human progress - applied it to material world

• dialectal materialism: dialectal conflict in economic base (way societies produce material goods) that ultimately drives history forward

• each stage of history built upon conflict - rival classes wanting incompatible things

  • e.g. hunter gatherers v rival tribes, slave owners v slaves, aristocracy v peasants

M. said eventually…

• existing ‘relations of production’ → fetter → new ‘means of production’

• feudal relations, feudal land laws etc. → fettered → growth of new industrial technology

when this happens, society enters “era of revolution” where old ruling class is replaced by new rising class

part two: in summary…

Theory of Labour Value: commodities have use-value and exchange value. which is determined by amount of labour necessary to produce them

Theory of Surplus Value: workers are exploited bc they are forced to sell their labor power for less than full value of commodities they produce

Dialectal materialism: capitalism is rife with dialectic conflict, workers want higher wages and lower working hours, while capitalists must increase efficiency + cut costs to remain competitive, all while relying on others to pay workers enough to buy their products - such tensions can leas to crises caused by overproduction

Class consciousness: Marx said with wages tending to drop to subsistence levels + economic crises becoming ever more severe, it was only matter of time before increasingly large urban proletariat developed class consciousness

Revolution: necessary if workers are to completely abolish capitalist, bc ruling class dominates superstructure + will resist gradual efforts at reform

Socialism + Communism: transitionary socialist stage follows capitalism in which dictatorship of proletariat paves the way for final, communist stage of history - “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs”

core ideas of socialism: in summary…

Equality - foundational + formal equality greatly undermines + real equality of opportunity is not possible w/out greater equality of outcome

Social Class - class is most important division in society, divisions need to be either reduced through taxation + redistribution, or abolished all together

Common Humanity - all humans have common interests - we should look at others as ‘brothers’ and cooperate w/ + support each other

Collectivism - superior to individualism both morally (good to put collective interest above self-interest) + economically (cooperating towards common goals can produce more than wasteful, crisis-prone, free market competition)

Common Ownership - private property creates divisions between ‘haves’ and ‘have notes’ + encourages materialism - common ownership (nationalisation, redistribution etc.) is means through which socialist goals can be achieved

Workers Control: workers alienated under capitalism, should have more influence over work - as is fundamental part of life

what is revolutionary socialism?

what is the end goal of socialism?

• fundamental socialists: believe socialism requires overthrow of capitalism + end of private property, class divisions

• revisionist socialists: believe that fairer, more equal socialist society can be achieved w/out abolishing capitalism

what is the best path to socialism?

• revolutionary socialists: believe socialism requires revolution that completely sweeps away existing system

• evolutionary socialists: believe socialism can be achieved gradually, peacefully + lawfully through existing political system

in summary…

• improved economic conditions + victories by trade unions + elected representatives led evolutionary, revisionist socialists like Bernstein to argue that capitalism could be peacefully reformed - no need for revolution

• Luxemburg disagreed, argued Bernstein wasn’t suggesting diff path to socialism but entirely diff goal - capitalism can’t be improved, is inherently exploitative - state isn’t neutral + must be overthrown

• Dialectic of spontaneity + organisation - mass direct action is essential to revolution - workers must develop class consciousness + can only be done by directly participating, it cannot. be decreed by party leaders

• The Vanguard Party - Luxemburg criticised Lenin’s belief that revolutionary elite was needed to lead + defend revolution + ensure workers developed class consciousness, rather than trade union consciousness

• Socialist democracy - Luxemburg believed that local democracy of workers’ and soldiers’ councils was essential to socialism - she feared that in Russia, dictatorship of proletariat was fast becoming dictatorship of party elite.

what is evolutionary socialism? in summary…

• Evolutionary/democratic socialism - socialist reforms can + must be brought about gradually, peacefully + constitutionally through parliament

• Webbs’ socialism: inspired far more by Owen - thought Marx’s theories were flawed + belief in revolution was utopian

• Inevitability of gradualism - people already taking collective steps towards socialism by forming co-operatives + unions, extension of franchise would allow socialist MP’s to use neutral state to accomplish socialist goals

• Cooperatives - cooperative federalism is superior to cooperative individualism bc factors in needs of community rather than partic. workers

• Trade Unions - still essential to represent producers, who might otherwise go overlooked by consumer co-operatives + local/state governments

• Municipalisation and Nationalisation - to ensure ‘National Minimum’ some services must be available to all - should be run by elected officials + expert civil servants in public interest, paid for by taxes on wealthy

what is social democracy? in summary…

• Social democracy - emerged after WWII as revisionists began to argue that socialism should reform, not abolish, capitalism - characterised by Keynesian economics, a mixed economy + welfare state to redistribute wealth

• End of 19th century capitalism - Grosland argued that new era of managed capitalism was fundamentally diff to system Marx had critiqued

• Limits of nationalisation - Grosland argued soviet russia + Britain’s experience of nationalisation, showed that collectivism did not necessarily result in more free, democratic, equal, classless, prosperous, worker-led society

• Equality as core of socialism - Grosland argued socialist aim with most relevance was equality - nationalisation was only method, not key aim

• Education - Grosland felt that class divisions were created not only by unequal incomes, but ‘interacting triad’ of education, style of life + occupational status - wanted well funded comprehensive to give pupils equal opportunities

• Redistribution + state-managed capitalism - Grosland wanted new wealth taxes to redistribute inherited property/wealth + fund public services - also wanted state to manage economy + promote investment/growth

What is the Third Way? in summary…

• neither the old left not New Right have answers to major revolutions of time - globalisation, transformation in personal life = environment

• Triangulation - Third Way sought to find new solutions by combining social justice of social democracy w/ economic efficiency of Thatcherism

• Economy - ‘new mixed economy’ seeks synergy between public + private sectors - competition state must ensure UK competes globally

• Equality - excessive redistribution discouraes the investment + effort that produces economic growth that funds efforts to expand opportunity

• Social investment state - Better to focus on social inclusion by ending poverty traps with positive welfare + expanding education to invest in human capital

• Communitarianism - people are unique individuals but identity is fundamentally shaped by our community relationships - we have rights AND responsibilities

• Social policy - Gov must play regulative role in both economic + social matters - “"tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime” - cannot ignore consequences of decline of tradition + changes in family life

How do socialists view human nature, society, the state and the economy?

human nature

generally share positive view of human nature - naturally capable of being sociable + fraternal + seek strong community bonds/comradeship

HOWEVER socialists believe that human behaviour is socially determined - right conditions needed for humans to express natural preference for cooperation + collective interest

fundamentalist socialism

revolutionary socialism

• we have abundance to once again live in classless society

• freed from capitalism, moral + ethical incentives will replace material incentives

• capitalism is alienating - work should make us feel our most human

evolutionary socialism

• people showing preference for collective action by establishing new co-operatives + unions

• economic + moral case for socialism can rationally persuade even existing parties to support socialist aims

revisionist socialism

social democracy

• collectivism does not necessarily result in free, equal, democratic worker-led society

• salaried manaers not as exploitative + profit driven as C19th capitalist owners

• co-operation has become fashinoable

the third way

• new individualism - traditional is increasingly challenged by new lifestyles + identities

• communitarianism - individuals shaped by their communities

• welfare state can influence human nature just as much as capitalism

society

generally believe individuals shaped by their society, as result all socialists share concern about societal impact of capitalism + class divisions that arise from it

all socialists hope to promote greater equality + social justice in society - however various branches tend to understand these terms v/ diff

fundamentalist socialism

revolutionary socialism

• class is key division in society - relationship to means of production

• historical materialism - means + relations of production shape each stage’s superstructure

• dialectal materialism - historical change is driven by class conflict

evolutionary socialism

• inspired by owen not marx - brotherhood rather than class war

• balance interests of consumers (co-ops), producers (unions) + citizens (gov)

• national minimum - poverty is a “disease of society itself”

revisionist socialism

social democracy

• equality is core of socialism - social class is still too entrenched

• improving education is key to establishing real equality of opportunity

• narrow, but don’t abolish class divisions - material incentives can still benefit society

the third way

• class is less relevant in increasingly individualistic = post-materialist society

• focus on social inclusion + exclusion over egalitarianism

• rights + responsibilities - welfare can be as harmful as markets

the state

compared to liberals, socialists generally see much greater role for state, engineering more equal society + managing harmful effects of capitalism

however, diff branches vary wildly in what exactly they want state to do + how state should go about doing it

fundamentalist socialism

revolutionary socialism

• revolution - state must be overthrown bc exists. to support ruling class

• dictatorship of proletariat - workers seize state apparatus to pass socialist reforms

• state will ‘wither away’ under communism

evolutionary socialism

• ‘inevitability of gradualism’ - universal suffrage makes peaceful change possible

• state is neutral - elected + appointed experts + appointed experts can run it in interest of workers

• nationalisation and muncipalisation are key

revisionist socialism

social democracy

• not all industries benefit from public ownership

• state can reform capitalism w/ mixed economy, Kaynesian economics + welfare

• state should run public services of such high quality that there’s no diff. w/ private

the third way

• market state - should act as facilitator of growth - keep UK competitive.

• social investment state - provide positive welfare that invests in human capital + creates jobs

• state should play regulative role in both economy + society

the economy

socialists generally agree capitalism has flaws + if left unaddressed social divisions that arise from it will have detrimental impact on society

socialists generally support some form of economic collectivism + degree of state intervention/planning to address flaws of free market capitalism

fundamentalist socialism

revolutionary socialism

• exploitation - workers forced to sell labour power for less than value of their labour

• private property is divisive, unjust + morally corrupting

• “"from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs”

evolutionary socialism

• collective ownership through nationalistion, municipalisation, co-operatives and unions

• clause IV - “…common ownership of means of production…”

• redistribute w/ income taxes + heavy wealth + land taxes

revisionist socialism

social democracy

• capitalism provides economic growth that ultimately raises living standards the most

• C19th capitalism Marx critiqued no longer exists in Britain

• Nationalisation is only single method - equality is core of socialism

the third way

• globalisation makes it difficult to rely upon old interventionist methods

• knowledge economy - must invest in human resources + devolop an entrepreneurial culture

• ‘New mixed economy’ - utilise markets in public interest