Collectivism

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Collectivism 

Follows from socialist view on human nature, economy and society

Society - organised on a class basis - with a ruling class and an exploited working class

As social beings - humans have to act collectively to cope with this situation

Collectivism came to mean a rejection of the free market, private property and capitalism

It implied - state ownership of productive assets and state regulation of the economy

For Socialists - peoples consciousness is produced by social conditions, rather than innate human nature. Nurture more important that nature

Humans are naturally cooperative

Achieves more in both moral/practical economic terms than competition 

In many ways - provides a way towards an ideal society

Key mechanism for collective action - the state. Marxist view - a state created by the working class will (for the first time) act in the best interests of the vast majority of society. Viewed objectively it will act in the interest everyone, including the former ruling class

From the mid-19C - socialists promoted the state as the means to achieve the transformation of society. All variants agreed on this

Revolutionaries wanted to have a new workers' state

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