In this document you will find my notes detailing the content and context of the Socialism ideology within the UK, it's links to the Labour Party and what Thinkers are associated with the ideology, with context about their life and what they believe within the idelogy.
Political, social and economic values can be achieved through collective action faster than
individual effort.
Morally, the interests of the group outweigh the interests of the individual. This encourages
social unity and responsibility to others.
Economically, it utilizes everyone’s abilities, avoiding the wastefulness of competition.
Humans are social animals and prefer to live in groups.
Human nature is moulded by social conditions. People can only be defined as to what social
group they belong to. This leads to membership of a community and that offers true
freedom.
State intervention is necessary for collectivist goals such as distribution of goods and
services. Collectivism leads to growth of the state and expansion of state services and
responsibilities.
Marxists believe in a centralized state for production and distribution. In the USSR in 1929,
industries were nationalized and agricultural land was collectivized, producing a modern
industrial society.
Moderate socialists believe in some form of free-market capitalism, and pursue collectivism
in a limited way. In 1945, Labour nationalized key industries like coal, electricity, iron and
steel, but left the economy in private hands.
Health Care National Health Service, funded by general taxation, provides free care based on
need.
Industrial Workers organized in trade unions with bargaining rights over terms and
relations conditions.
Housing Subsidised homes provided by local govt.
Education The state run the school system, which is free and available to everyone.
Industry Key industries under state control to operate in the national interest.
Criticism: Collectivism emphasizes group action and common interests but suppresses
human individuality and diversity.
Criticism: Collectivist objectives can only be achieved through agency of the state which
leads to the growth of arbitrary power and erosion of individual freedoms.
Socialists have attached less importance to so collectivism as critics stated it created a
dependency culture in the economic sector. This was relatively evidenced in the USSR
collapse in 1991.
Common Humanity
Humans are social creatures who prefer to co-operate than compete. The individual cannot
be understood without reference to society.
Co-operation produces the best societal results. People who co-operate form better
connections of understanding and respect. They can use the capabilities of the whole group
rather than just one individual.
To socialists, capitalism and competition sets people apart, creating social divisions This
creates people who are self-centered.
Human motivation is not driven by material gains but to improve society for everyone.
, Most socialists understand the need for some material reward to motivate people. But they
stress this is linked to moral incentives. Co-operation can boost economic growth and
provide funds for the welfare state.
Common humanity has led socialists to believe in an interventionist role for the state. The
state can control production and distribution.
Equality
Economic inequality is due to capitalism. Socialists reject equality of opportunity because it
justifies the unequal treatment of those who do not have the same abilities.
Other socialists believe that because it is natural to have different abilities and skills,
inequality in material rewards is inevitable. They endorse an egalitarian approrach to
inequality to ensure people are treated less unequally.
Human beings are more likely to work towards the common economic good if they share the
same social conditions.
Social inequality encourages conflict and instability. Societies with inequality are unstable
because they are divided into rich and poor. Eventually, the disadvantaged will revolt, like in
Russia 1917.
Social equality satisfies basic humans needs. And so they call for the equal distribution of
resources to promote human fulfillment. The free-market cannot allocate wealth and
resources fairly because they want a profit.
Revolutionary Socialists, called Marxists, demand absolute equality in terms of material
rewards and life opportunities. This can only be guaranteed through controlled distribution,
abolition of private property and introduction of common ownership.
Social Democrats call for a more limited state intervention via welfare measure, govt
spending and taxation. Their aim is to remove poverty, after that, a small amount of
inequality can be tolerated. The idea is to adjust distribution to narrow wealth and life
chances.
Common ownership
Wealth is created by the communal work of humans and should be owned collectively.
Private property encourages materialism and creates the idea that wealth brings fulfillment.
Socialists have either argued that private property needs to be entirely abolished or that
common ownership needs to apply in a limited way. Moderate socialists believe in the
limited common ownership, only nationalizing key industries.
Equality of Outcome Rewards should be based on an individual’s
contribution. As this will vary among people,
some inequality will exist but difference in
rewards will not be marked.
Equality of outcome is supported by
fundamentalist socialists as a way of removing
free-market influence. Social democrats believe
this is a form of artificial levelling.
Absolute Equality Everyone will receive the same rewards,
providing they make their contribution to
society. Each person will make a broadly equal
contribution. This is supported by Marxists as
the basis of communism but is rejected by
social democrats.
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