Core Values of Socialism
- Created by: cg97
- Created on: 20-05-15 09:57
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- Core Values of Socialism
- Collectivism
- Socialists want a free market and agree with the idea of a centralised state to an extent
- In the past 30 years, socialism has moved away from collectivism although traces of it still remain:
- Workers part of Trade Unions
- NHS
- State Education
- The move away from collectivism was because it was believed to:
- Hold back enterprise
- Suppressed instincts
- Did not allow economic prosperity
- Common Ownership
- This idea has its roots in the Christian ideas of pooling and sharing resources - it is an alternative to private ownership
- Socialists believe that no one has the right to claim that property exclusively belongs to them as it deprives others of its use
- Socialists believe property ownership results in inequality and exploitation of those who do not own property
- Common ownership = economic equality which:
- Creates natural state of society
- Serves broader society (Utilitarian)
- Economic Equality
- Belief everyone to be born with equal rights and reject the idea that society may have a natural order
- They believe in equality of opportunity and varying degrees of equality of outcome
- Socialists recognise that we are all individuals with different abilities so inequality = inevitable BUT they want everyone to have the same opportunity
- e.g. Welfare = minimum standard of living for everyone
- Social Justice
- Applies to the way in which the rewards from the economy are distributed
- Revolutionary Socialists and Marxists: Capitalism will never produce fair distribution because it is inherently unequal and relies on incentives
- Moderate socialists: Believe fair distribution can be achieved through modification (minimum wage legislation and trade union rights)
- Class Conflict
- Social Democrats: Virtually ignored class as a key consideration
- Democratic Socialists: Seek to modify capitalism through state intervention and through welfare provision
- Non-Revolutionary Socialists: Aim to create govs that operate primarily in the interests of the working class
- Revolutionary Socialists: Believe that capitalism is at the heart of class conflict. In order to eliminate class conflict, capitalism must be replaced with a socialist system
- Collectivism
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