strands of socialism
categories:
strand | revolutionary socialism | democratic socialism | social democracy | third democracy/third way |
means | revolutionary: seeks change via revolution | evolutionary: seeks gradual change via democratic, parliamentary route | evolutionary: seeks gradual change via democratic, parliamentary route | evolutionary: seeks gradual change via democratic, parliamentary route |
ends | fundamentalist: believes in the abolition of capitalism n its replacement with socialism | fundamentalist: believes in the abolition of capitalism n its replacement with socialism | revisionist: believes that capitalism should not be abolished, but adapted to support the most vulnerable | revisionist: believes that capitalism should not be abolished, but adapted to support the most vulnerable |
key thinkers | marx n engels, luxemburg | beatrice webb | anthony crosland | anthony giddens |
revolutionary socialists (communism):
seek to create a socialist society via revolution, consider it impossible to achieve it any other way
they reject evolutionary socialist approach » ‘power in a capitalist society is not held by the state or w/ ppl ∴ attempts @ reform via state will always be unsuccessful
seek to completely abolish capitalism n replace it w/ socialism
envisage communist society developed after the revolution » stateless n classless ∴ revolutionary ‘means’ n fundamentalist ‘ends’
social class:
capitalism contains 2 main classes (according to marx n engels):
bourgeoisie: those who own the means of production/industry
proletariat: non-owners of the means of production/those who only own their labour
historical materialism:
def: history is made as a result of struggle between different social classes, rooted in the underlying economic base
2 aspects of society = base n superstructure
base: the economy
superstructure: all other institutions existing in society n the state ie political system, legal system, military, family media, education etc
collectivism:
no state
no classes
common ownership
absolute equality
production according to human need
3 forms of identified Marxism:
classical
orthodox
neo
social democrats:
evolutionary socialists = use the state to change society
wish to tame capitalism rather than replace it » makes them revisionist as their ‘ends’ are more limited than fundamentalist socialists
eg instead of committing to a fully equal society, they seek to just reduce inequality
wish for a ‘more socialist’ society by nationalising key industries n using progressive tax system to fund welfare state
in support of keynesian economics n govt intervention in the economy » evolutionary ‘means’ n revisionist ‘ends’
associated with the following ideas:
capitalism is the only reliable means of generating wealth, but it is morally defective at distributing wealth because of its tendency towards poverty n inequality
the defects of the capitalist system can be rectified through economic and social intervention, the state being defender of the public interest
social change can and should be taught about peacefully n constitutionally
collectivism (objectives):
the mixed economy, a blend of public n private ownership. nationalisation reserved for the ‘commanding heights of the economy’
economic management , seeing the need for regulation of capitalism for sustainable growth
welfare state » principal means of reforming/humanising capitalism
» capitalism only needs modification, not abolition
third way:
evolutionary form of socialism = seek to use the state to change society
aka neo-revisionists » they go beyond revisionism of social democracy n seek to connect socialist aims to a market economy
have redefined many socialist ideas, progress for equality as inclusion or equality of opportunity
they also value the power of the community over class, but argue community involves reciprocal rights n responsibilities ∴ evolutionary ‘means’ n revisionist ‘ends’
categories:
strand | revolutionary socialism | democratic socialism | social democracy | third democracy/third way |
means | revolutionary: seeks change via revolution | evolutionary: seeks gradual change via democratic, parliamentary route | evolutionary: seeks gradual change via democratic, parliamentary route | evolutionary: seeks gradual change via democratic, parliamentary route |
ends | fundamentalist: believes in the abolition of capitalism n its replacement with socialism | fundamentalist: believes in the abolition of capitalism n its replacement with socialism | revisionist: believes that capitalism should not be abolished, but adapted to support the most vulnerable | revisionist: believes that capitalism should not be abolished, but adapted to support the most vulnerable |
key thinkers | marx n engels, luxemburg | beatrice webb | anthony crosland | anthony giddens |
revolutionary socialists (communism):
seek to create a socialist society via revolution, consider it impossible to achieve it any other way
they reject evolutionary socialist approach » ‘power in a capitalist society is not held by the state or w/ ppl ∴ attempts @ reform via state will always be unsuccessful
seek to completely abolish capitalism n replace it w/ socialism
envisage communist society developed after the revolution » stateless n classless ∴ revolutionary ‘means’ n fundamentalist ‘ends’
social class:
capitalism contains 2 main classes (according to marx n engels):
bourgeoisie: those who own the means of production/industry
proletariat: non-owners of the means of production/those who only own their labour
historical materialism:
def: history is made as a result of struggle between different social classes, rooted in the underlying economic base
2 aspects of society = base n superstructure
base: the economy
superstructure: all other institutions existing in society n the state ie political system, legal system, military, family media, education etc
collectivism:
no state
no classes
common ownership
absolute equality
production according to human need
3 forms of identified Marxism:
classical
orthodox
neo
social democrats:
evolutionary socialists = use the state to change society
wish to tame capitalism rather than replace it » makes them revisionist as their ‘ends’ are more limited than fundamentalist socialists
eg instead of committing to a fully equal society, they seek to just reduce inequality
wish for a ‘more socialist’ society by nationalising key industries n using progressive tax system to fund welfare state
in support of keynesian economics n govt intervention in the economy » evolutionary ‘means’ n revisionist ‘ends’
associated with the following ideas:
capitalism is the only reliable means of generating wealth, but it is morally defective at distributing wealth because of its tendency towards poverty n inequality
the defects of the capitalist system can be rectified through economic and social intervention, the state being defender of the public interest
social change can and should be taught about peacefully n constitutionally
collectivism (objectives):
the mixed economy, a blend of public n private ownership. nationalisation reserved for the ‘commanding heights of the economy’
economic management , seeing the need for regulation of capitalism for sustainable growth
welfare state » principal means of reforming/humanising capitalism
» capitalism only needs modification, not abolition
third way:
evolutionary form of socialism = seek to use the state to change society
aka neo-revisionists » they go beyond revisionism of social democracy n seek to connect socialist aims to a market economy
have redefined many socialist ideas, progress for equality as inclusion or equality of opportunity
they also value the power of the community over class, but argue community involves reciprocal rights n responsibilities ∴ evolutionary ‘means’ n revisionist ‘ends’
