Socialism - Summary, Tensions & Socialism Today

	Human Nature:	The State:	Society:	The Economy:
Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels:	Human nature, originally fraternal and altruistic has been contaminated by capitalism by instilling a ‘false consciousness’ of bourgeois values. Revolutionary socialism can repair this	The existing liberal-bourgeois state is a tool of the dominate capitalist class; it must be destroyed by revolution and replaced by a new socialist state: the dictatorship of the proletariat	Capitalist society is sickeningly, yet fatally defined by class interests and class conflict. A communist society will be the perfect ‘end of history’	Capitalism is corrupt, inefficient and ultimately self-destructive. It should and will be replaced by an economy based on collective ownership
Rosa Luxemburg:	Human nature has not been damaged to the extent Marx stated. Fraternity and altruism still flourish in working class communities punished by capitalist economies	The existing capitalist state must be destroyed by revolution but one arising from strike action. The replacement state should be a genuine democracy complete with free speech and free elections.	Capitalist society is class-ridden and morally indefensible yet alternative societies or sub-cultures exist within downtrodden proletarian communities.	Capitalism is more resilient than Marx allowed. Its necessary destruction and replacement by an economy based on worker’s control will require determination and solidarity among the proletariat.
Beatrice Webb:	The damaged caused by capitalism upon humans can only be solved through a violent revolution. Humanity needs to be guided back gradually to its original cooperative condition.	If harnessed to universal suffrage the existing state can be used to effect a gradual transition to socialism.	Poverty and inequalities of a capitalist society will continue to depress human potential whilst fostering regressive competition.	A chaotic capitalist economy will be gradually replaced with one that secures the rights of workers based on common ownership for means of production.
Anthony Crosland:	Human nature has a powerful sense of fairness and an objection to the inequalities of outcome.	Democratic societies governments (Labour 1945-51) prove that the existing state can be used to effect radical socialist change.	Society is increasingly complicated due to the emergence of other classes such as ‘mangers and classless technocrats’.	A mixed economy with limited public ownership and a Keynesian capitalism will allow for greater public spending to secure equality.
Anthony Giddens:	Human nature has been shaped by changing socio-economic conditions. Pro-fairness still exists but it now competes with a sense of aspiration.	The existing liberal state should be improved by decentralising political power while encouraging greater political participation.	Society has undergone embourgeoisement. Egalitarians must harness rather than deny these forces.	A neo-liberal economy with privatisation and deregulation will provide huge tax yields. This would lead to an increase in public spending = greater equality of opportunity.

Tensions Within Socialism:

• Human Nature: Yes most socialist believe that human nature is malleable and improvable yet some socialists like Marx believe that is susceptible to whichever economic system it lives under. A false consciousness is created that can only be cured by revolution. Some socialists like Giddens argued that human nature can prosper under capitalism yet still share the same core ideas of socialism such as collectivism.
• Society: Socialists mainly disagree on whether society should be improved gradually or with force. Marx wanted a revolution whilst someone like Webb wanted evolution. Most socialists nowadays tend to want evolution with private property but some groups such as the Socialist Workers Party believe that it should be taken by force.
• The State: They believe that the state is vital to the promotion of core socialist values. Marx believed that the capitalist state must be destroyed and replaced with the dictatorship of the proletariat whilst democratic socialists like Webb and other revisionists believed that the existing state should steer society towards socialist beliefs requiring constitutional reform.
• The Economy: Fundamentalist socialists like Marx and Webb believe that socialism is incompatible with a capitalist society based on private property. Democratic socialists believe that a non-capitalist economy will be created gradually through a series of elected socialist governments. Social democrats believe that the economy should be mixed. Third way revisionists believe that the economy should be neo-liberal, privatised and deregulated creating a bigger amount of public spending.

Socialism Today:

• By the start of the 21^st century, many commentators argued that socialism was redundant, and liberalism would be the end of history. Many argued that socialism had lost it’s way (e.g Labour and it’s abandonment of clause 4)
• Even socialism’s support for collectivism seemed ill at ease with trade unionists who had been surpassed by the number of property owners. Indeed now embourgeoisement was taking place with a property based society.
• Revisionism seems to see socialism work with capitalism and this was seen in France when Hollande won in 2012.
• Crisis for capitalism following the 2008 economic crash saw core socialist ideas creep back into the mainstream and now seem ‘the norm’ in the UK with Corbyn who wants to restore socialism to the front line of politics.
• Even in the USA, Bernie Sanders made a plausible bid for the Democrat party with mainly socialist beliefs.
• As long as capitalism is around, socialism will always exist but socialism is not a desire to remove capitalism rather a call for a society that shapes individuals and promotes cooperation and equality.
• Socialism has caused bad in the world too. In Cuba 8000 deaths were politically motivated in a socialist country.
• Socialism continues to be hazardous and potentially disastrous but tends to provoke reactions that are passionate and polarised. It can be said that the only way forward for socialism to further improve and find new ways of achieving its goal in a mainly capitalist world.