Very detailed notes on the 2022 A-Level advanced information for the Socialism core political idea in Paper 1 of the course. The notes include case studies, tables of arguments that can be used in essay planning, and overall necessary knowledge that earned me an A* in the 2022 exams.
Classical Marxist Democratic socialism Social democracy Third Way
Marxisx-lenninism
History
• The term ‘socialist’ derives from the latin word ‘sociare’ meaning to combine or share
• As an ideology it has traditionally be de ned as an opposition to capitalism and by the attempt
to provide a more humane and socially worthwhile alternative
• At the core of socialism is the vision of human beings as social creatures united by their
common humanity
• Socialists believe that equality is an essential guarantee of social stability and cohesion and that
it promotes freedom in the sense it satis es material needs and provides needs for personal
development.
• Socialism has many disagreements over how it can be achieved and the ends they wish to
create.
• Socialism truly arise in the 19th century in response to the social and economic conditions
generated in Europe by the growth of capitalism
• Socialist ideas were linked to the growing class of industrial workers who su ered poverty
• Due to the oppressive conditions towards workers in the 19th century, early socialists
subscribed to Utopianism (unlimited possibilities for human development in founding
experimental communities based on sharing and cooperation.
• In the late 19th century socialism was transformed by the better conditions for the working class
in the advance of political democracy and the franchise therefore socialist parties adopted legal
and constitutional tactics.
• By WW1 socialism was torn between those who wanted to achieve their aims through the
ballot, and those and those who proclaimed the need for revolution.
• The Russian revolution 1917 entrenched the split adopting the term Communism (common
ownership) while reformist socialists described their ideas as socialism or doable democracy
(balance between market and the state rather than abolition of capitalism).
• Since the late 20th century socialism has su ered a number of reverses leading to the ‘death of
socialism’ the most dramatic of these being the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe
1989-91.
1. Fundamentalism - abolish capitalism
Classical Marxism - Marx/Engles, Rosa Luxembourg
Marxist-Leninism - Lenin, Stalin, Mao
2. Revisionism - humanise capitalism
Democratic socialism - Beatrice Webb, Eduard Bernstein
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, Social Democracy - Tony Crossland
3. Neo-revisionism - A middle way between Thatcherism and Social democracy
The Third Way - Antony Giddens
Key Features (generally apply for all)
• A high value of collective human e ort (collectivism) with the view that cooperation is more
e cient than competition and also that cooperation is more morally worthy than individual
self-interest
• Value the importance of society (common humanity) with the views that humans by nature
have a tendency to cooperate, be social and rational and also that human behaviour is socially
determined with social conditions explaining individual behaviour
• Social class is an important explanatory factor in individuals behaviour as the economic
system of capitalism creates an inevitable class structure of society and that the state in
capitalism is a class state which attends to the interests of the higher class.
• Belief that equality is an important goal and is understood as; equality of outcome, equality of
opportunity, equality of welfare and absolute equality.
• Belief that control of the state and the economy is key to achieving socialist aims
Human nature
Agreement Disagreement
Most socialists agree that capitalism distorts out However, revisionist socialists (especially third way)
human nature producing competitive individuals are more positive about the extent to which the
who su er from alienation. individual can thrive within capitalism.
Most socialists argue that our human nature is However, there is disagreement about the extent to
fundamentally plastic/malleable and that human which society needs to be reformed for humanity to
beings would ourish more in an equal society. fully ourish.
Most socialists argue that human beings are However, the extent to which collectivism and
cooperative creatures with shared interests and that solidarity is centred varies, with marxists putting
we achieve more together than we do alone class solidarity at the centre of their analysis and
(collectivism). revisionists tending so see things in more
individualistic terms.
Most socialists believe humans are motivated by However, few social democrats would contemplate
moral interests over material gains. the outright abolition of material incentives and
insist on the need for balance of some kind of in-
between moral and material.
Most socialists believe in achieving equality of However, social democrats believe in relative social
outcome and the need for equality with equality with redistribution of wealth through the
egalitarianism. welfare state and a system of progressive taxation.
However, marxists believe in absolute social
inequality brought about by the abolition of private
property and the collectivisation of productive
wealth.
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