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Socialism - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Crosland disagreed with Webb's analysis as he thought common ownership would infringe upon individual freedom, instead he focused on the inequality of the class system, which capitalism has exacerbated, and its corrosive effects on human nature, causing feelings of resentment, envy, and inferiority.
        
        Giddens disagreed with Webb, he argued for 'communitarianism', a coupling of the individualism of the free market with a focus on community, which would increase well-being and the sense of responsibility towards others.
        
        Giddens was critical of how social democracy had inadvertently created a dependency culture, he focused on the state offering different opportunities for the individual so that they might escape state dependency and poverty.
  - - - Late SD argued that the state should play a role in managing the economy, using Keynesian economics to manage growth and ensure full employment.
        
        Crosland saw a positive role for private enterprise and believed in a mixed economy. The state would tax the revenues of capitalism, via corporation and income tax, to fund a welfare state.
        
        Giddens rejected the 'cybernetic model' of socialism, where the state acts as the artifical brain that manipulates the economy and society.
        
        Giddens opposed both the nationalisation advocated by Webb and the Keynesian solutions of Crosland, he felt both ideas failed to acknowledge that the free-market was more efficient and successful than state-managed capitalism.
        
        To avoid the dependency culture that Giddens associated with social democracy, the Third Way argued for a less extensive welfare state, preferring what Giddens called 'positive welfare', where the state offered a hand-up not a hand-out.
        
        Giddens believed in a 'social investment state' where the proceeds of economic growth are invested in the infrastructure of society, this would vastly improve equality of opportunity.
- - - - Social class:
        
        Social class is central to socialism
        
        Underpins 3 key elements of marxism:
        
        Historical materialism - historical and social development can be explained in terms of economic and class factors.
        
        The economic system (capitalism) influences or 'conditions' other aspects of society.
        
        Dialectic change - each stage of human history has its economic system and class structure.
        
        Within each stage, dialectic change is propelled by the struggle between exporters and the exploited.
        
        This only ends with the establishment of a communist society.
        
        Revolutionary class consciousness - the exploited class must acquire a revolutionary class consciousness to overthrow their oppressors.
        
        The proletariat must become a 'class for itself', aware of its interests and determined to pursue them.
      - Human nature:
        
        HN is socially determined and can only be expressed under communism.
        
        Humans are sociable, rational, and cooperative, with the capacity for significant personal and social development.
        
        Humans are productive and capable of leading satisfying lives based on fulfilling work, where the conditions for free creative production exists.
        
        Under capitalism, workers are alienated from:
        
        The product of their labor because they don't own what is produced.
        
        Their work colleagues due to capitalism's competition ethos and division of labor.
        
        The production process because it doesn't represent the human power of creative transformation.
        Their human capabilities and potential since they can't freely create and enjoy the beauty.
        
        Under communism, workers are freed to realize their true human potential by engaging in many different activities.
      - 'Let the ruling classes tremble at a communist revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. they have a world to win. Working Men of All Countries, Unitel'
        
        'The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles'
    - - The economy:
        
        Luxemburg believed that any evolutionary or revisionist socialist strategy would leave the capitalist system of economic exploitation intact.
        
        Revolution was, therefore, necessary to effect true change.
        
        According to Luxemburg: 'The masses are the decisive element. They are the rock on which the final victory of the revolution will be built.
      - Human nature:
        
        In The Mass Strike, the Political Party, and the Trade Unions(1906), Luxemburg argued that class consciousness would develop naturally from within the workers themselves.
        
        Proletarian discontent against state control would erupt in numerous unsuccessful and successful strikes, culminating in a spontaneous mass strike that would radicalize the workers and bring about a socialist revolution.
        
        Unlike Lenim, she didn't believe that a small, disciplined party was needed to lead workers in revolution.
      - Social reform: evolutionary socialism and revisionism aren't possible as capitlaism is based on economic exploitation.
      - Class consiousness: struggle by the proletrait creates the class consiousness needed to overthrow the capitalist society.
  - - - The state:
        
        The gradual growth of state power was evidence that collectivism would bring in a new socialist age.
        
        The expanding state has 'silently changed its character... from police power to housekeeping on a national scale'.
      - The 'inevitability of gradualness: establishing socialism peacefully by passing democratic reforms gradually through existing parliamentary institutions.
      - Society:
        
        The state's ability to deliver socialism would depend heavily on highly trained specialists and administrators to organise society and the economy.
      - The ''economic side of democracy': the expansion of the state, rather than its overthrow, will deliver socialism
      - Human nature:
        
        Webb believed that workers were limited, selfish, and uninformed, so democracy should be representative.
        
        Representative democracy was preferable because it would lead to a skilled 'socialist' governing class subject to democratic constraints.
    - - Modern capitalism lacks inherent contradictions: these are required to drive social change or bring about a revolution; managed capitalism can deliver greater social equality.
      - State-managed capitalism: the state must manage capitalism to deliver greater social equality, provide a more egalitarian distribution of rewards, status, status, and privileges and remove class barriers.
      - The economy:
        
        Governments pursuing Keynesian economics could maintain high employment, ensure low inflation and promote continuous growth.
        
        Rather than collapsing, as Marx predicted, capitalism had produced rising living standards.
      - The economy:
        
        Economic expansion is required to fund welfare and social spending to imporve living standards for those at the bottom of society, while preserving those of the more affluent.
      - The state:
        
        High levels of government spending are required on welfare services and the redistribution of income and wealth.
  - - - The rejection of state intervention: social democracy must be modernized due to the impact of globalization, the new knowledge economy, and more individualistic aspirations.
      - The 'social investment' state: Giddens rejected the economic and social engineering that underpinned the state welfare and redistribution programs of previous social democratic governments.
      - The state:
        
        Equality of opportunity over equality. For this marker-driven system to be fair, everyone needs an equal opportunity to better themselves through their ability and effort.
        
        Government action would be required to control the inevitable widening inequalities of outcome
      - The state:
        
        State welfare and redistribution foster a culture of dependency.
        
        Instead, a 'social investment' state is needed, a 'contract' between the state and the citizen.
        
        The state benefits from growth so must invest in infrastructure and education.
        
        The people must take advantage of this and help themselves.
      - The economy:
        
        The free market is the most efficient system of production and it encoirages desirable personal qualities, such as responsibilities
      - Human nature:
        
        Community and responsibility, rather than class conflict, are important to offset the negative effect of the free market and promote social cohesion, shared values and individual and social responsibility.