Summary
Summary SOCIALSIM WORKER CONTROL TENET EDEXCEL A LEVEL POLITICS
- Institution
- PEARSON (PEARSON)
Key knowledge, dichotomies, key thinker and key words for this specific idea
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By: ryanchan2003026 • 2 year ago
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P295-297Socialism: WORKER CONTROL
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TENET
Summarise the core beliefs (and the reasons for them) in 3-5 bullet points
Unchecked free market will exploit industrial worker
- Worker’s control – where the average worker manages the workplace themselves through workers councils and committees, the workers
own the means of production – they own the work they do and can control it.
- Workers are exploited - Alienated from product, Low job security – army of people who could take their jobs, economically oppressed, low
wages, long hours, bourgeoisie takes profit, Bored and unfulfilled, No decision-making power, State reinforces inequality, Divided –
prevented from class consciousness
What key thinkers and examples can be used to support this tenet? What points do they make?
- Through socialism, the concept is multifaced e.g. Marx, Luxemburg, Engel’s advocate workers control, Webb, Crosland and
Giddens don’t predict the workers seizing direct control of the economy
- Revolutionary socialism – immediate aftermath of revolution, Marx envisaged transitional period, exploited workers were in
control. This stage – society and economy re-embrace forgotten cooperative, collective and fraternal values and remove
destructive capitalist ideas,
- Worker’s control = Short period between revolution and stateless, classless, communist society and economy will emerge
- No need for workers control in communism as workers free from exploitation of capitalist competition
- Evolutionary Socialism - Democratic socialists – Webb didn’t believe in workers control – dismissed workers as incapable of
responsibility. She was critical of 1920s socialism that advocated state nationalisation under workers control, workers lacked
intellectual capacity to organise enterprise. Labour party had aim of common ownership but didn’t entail workers controlling
means of production. Webb has negative view of human nature, working class = intellectually inferior and needed paternal
guidance
- Evils of capitalism – wouldn’t be solved by workers but workers could vote for socialist governments and experts to
refashion state so it could manage the workers, not oppress them. The state would gradually change involving highly trained
elite of administrators and specialists to organise society – not the workers
- Social democracy and the third way – viewed workers control and militant class struggle as outdated (interferes with
personal freedom, no choices). Believe capitalism had reformed its exploitive traits, Crosland liked mixed economy (just coal and
gas, everyone relies on them and not much competition, minimal nationalisation) but no further nationalisation as it would
threaten freedom and be economically counterproductive. Gaitskell 1950s Labour aimed for this but left of party didn’t allow it.
- Third way - Giddens renewal of social democracy said workers control was impractical like Webb and Crosland – workers lacked
skills/expertise to manage workplace. Giddens against mixed economy as nationalised companies were uncompetitive with
wealth from free markets. Neo liberal belief. That free market is more efficient/prosperous than mixed and state controlled.
Wanted to channel money from free market to social justice and solidarity (to workers at bottom)
- Tony Blair, influenced by Giddens had vague commitment to social justice, he accepted neo-liberal reforms of privatisation,
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