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Edexcel Socialism revision notes
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Detailed notes which allowed me to achieve an A* throughout the year. Includes: detailed notes on key principles detailed notes on key strands thinkers profiles
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Voorbeeld van de inhoud
SocialismSocialism
Human nature
Collectivism Humans can achieve their political, social and economic objectives more effectively through collective
action than through individual effort.
Socialists endorse collectivism for two fundamental reasons.
Collective effort encourages social unity and a sense of social responsibility towards others.
In practical economic terms, collectivism utilises the capabilities of the whole of society
efficiently, avoiding the wastefulness and limited impact of competitive individual effort.
Humans are social animals; as such, they prefer to live in social groups rather than alone. It follows
that humans have the capacity for collective action and can work together in order to achieve their
goals. In this sense, they are tied together by the bonds of fraternity.
Fraternity Fraternity- literally a ‘brotherhood’ – humans bound together by comradeship and a common
outlook, because they share the same basic nature and interests, while differences due to class,
religion, nationality and ethnic background are far less significant.
Human nature is moulded by social conditions – the experiences and circumstances of a person’s life.
People can only be defined or understood in terms of the social groups they belong to. Membership of
a community or society offers humans true freedom and fulfilment.
Criticisms of collectivism:
Collectivism emphasises group action and common interests, it suppresses human
individuality and diversity.
As collectivist objectives can only really be advanced through the agency of the state, it leads
to the growth of arbitrary state power and the erosion of individual freedoms.
Since the 1970s, socialists generally have attached less importance to collectivism. This is due to a
growing perception that collectivism in developed countries such as the UK was producing a
dependency culture and a sluggish, uncompetitive economic sector
Common Socialists see humans as social creatures with a tendency to co-operation, sociability and rationality;
humanity/ humans naturally prefer to co-operate with, rather than compete against, each other.
co-operation In fact, the individual cannot be understood without reference to society, because human behaviour is
socially determined
Competition (notably under capitalism) is wasteful, promotes social divisions and generates conflict,
hostility and resentment. Socialists maintain that capitalist competition sets one person against
another, a process that encourages people to reject or disregard their common humanity (and social
nature) rather than accept it. It encourages humans to be self-centred and belligerent.
Human motivation can be driven by moral as well as material considerations. Here, the moral case
for hard work is based on the argument that people want to contribute to the betterment of their
society or community because they have a sense of responsibility for other humans, particularly the
least fortunate. The moral incentive to act rests on the acceptance of a common humanity. Most
contemporary socialists accept the need for at least some material rewards to motivate people, but
they also stress that these should be linked to moral incentives.
Differences between socialists views of collectivism:
Marxists and state socialists advocate collective action through a centralised state that
organises all (or nearly all) production and distribution. For example, in the USSR after
1929, most industries were nationalised and all agricultural land was collectivised in order to
transform a backward state into a modern industrial society, using complete state control of
the economy to bring about change
, Socialism
Moderate socialists accept some degree of free-market capitalism have pursued
collectivism in a more limited way. For instance, the 1945–51 Labour government in the UK
nationalised key industries – such as coal, electricity, and iron and steel – but left much of
the economy in private hands.
State
State Most socialists call for some form of state intervention and state planning to promote collectivist goals and
ensure that the distribution of goods and services is not left to free-market forces.
The pursuit of collectivism is commonly seen to involve the growth of the state, the expansion of state
services and responsibilities, and an increase in state spending.
However, in practice, different strands of socialism vary in their commitment to collectivism.
Marxists and state socialists advocate collective action through a centralised state that organises
all (or nearly all) production and distribution.
For example, in the USSR after 1929, most industries were nationalised and all agricultural
land was collectivised in order to transform a backward state into a modern industrial
society, using complete state control of the economy to bring about change
Moderate socialists who accept some degree of free-market capitalism have pursued collectivism
in a more limited way.
For instance, the 1945–51 Labour government in the UK nationalised key industries – such as
coal, electricity, and iron and steel – but left much of the economy in private hands.
Society
Equality Social equality ensures fairness - economic inequality is due to the structural inequalities in a capitalist
society, rather than innate differences of ability among people. Socialists tend to reject equality of
opportunity because as it justifies the unequal treatment of people on the grounds of innate ability.
This argument reflects a view of human nature that emphasises people are born with the potential to
be equal.
Social equality reinforces collectivism - social equality reinforces collectivism, co-operation and
solidarity within society and the economy. Human beings are more likely to co-exist harmoniously in
society and work together for the common economic good if they share the same social and
economic conditions. For example, modern Sweden has high levels of social equality based on
extensive wealth redistribution and social welfare
Social equality is a means of satisfying basic human needs - social equality is a means of satisfying
basic human needs that are essential to a sense of human fulfilment. Given that all people’s basic
needs are the same (such as food, friendship and shelter), socialists call for the equal, or more equal,
distribution of wealth and resources to promote human fulfilment and realise human potential.
Most socialists agree that the free-market economy, driven by the profit motive, cannot
allocate wealth and resources fairly to all members of society. In their view, only the
redistributive mechanism of the state can provide for everyone, irrespective of social position,
and combat the divisive effects of the free market.
Criticism of social equality:
it is unjust – in treating everybody the same irrespective of their attributes, it does not reward people
according to their skills and abilities
It lowers human ambition, motivation and initiative by removing or downgrading material incentives,
leading to economic underperformance
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