Socialism: Key Thinkers

Theorists Concepts Beliefs Publications

ROBERT OWEN (1771- Community 1. He is utopian, 1816- A New
but can be View of
Classical described as an Society
Marxism ethical or even
Ethical Christian
socialism socialist
2. Set up
experimental
ethical capitalist
enterprise at New
Lanark in Scotland
and New Harmony,
1858) USA. Neither was
successful due to
being unrealistic
and over-
optimistic view of
human nature.
3. Owen didn't share
the class conflict
analysis of the
Marxists, nor did
he advance a
state-sponsered
system of common
ownership.
4. Advanced a moral
indictment of
market capitalism
which he proposed
should be replaced
with a society
based on small-
scale cooperative
communities in
which property
would be
communally owned
and essential
goods freely
distributed.
5. His principle was
that capitalism
exploits
consumers and
workers because
they are powerless
 individuals, if both
groups can come
together as
cooperative
organisations,
they can
counterbalance
the power of
capitalist
enterprises.

KARL MARX (1818-83) Equality 1. Communist 1846- The

theory of German
Common distribution; Ideology
ownership From each
Class according to his 1848-
politics ability, to each Communist
Manifesto
Revolutiona according to his
ry socialism needs.
2. Historical 1859- A
Communis change is the Contribution to
m product of class the Critique of
Classical conflict. Political
Marxism 3. Class is linked Economy
Orthodox to economic
power, as 1867,1885,
communism 1894- Capital
defined by the
individuals
relationship to
the means of
production.
4. Envisaged the
abolition of
private
 property and
wanted to
create a
classless,
communist
society instead
of capitalism.
5. Marx imagined
a proletarian
revolution in
which the class-
conscious
working masses
would rise up
and overthrow
capitalism.
6. Political power
reflects class
interests.
7. Marx criticised
Fourier and
Owen as
utopians.
8. Historical
materialism: A
Marxist theory
that holds that
material or
economic
conditions
ultimately
structure law,
politics,
culture, etc.
9. Marx was
influenced by
Hegels
dialectic
theory.
10. Marx
explained
historical
change by
reference to
internal
contradictions
within each
mode of
production
arising from
private
 property.
11. Marx
identified four
stages of
history: a)
tribal society,
b)slavery,
c)feudalism, d)
capitalism.
12. Marx
predicted an
end of history
which would
occur when
there was no
struggles
between the
oppressor and
oppressed.
13. Marxs
critiques on
capitalism are
based on
alienation.
14. Considere
d capitalism to
be unstable.
15. Dictators
hip of the
proletariat:The
transitionary
phase between
the collapse of
capitalism and
the
establishment
of communism.

EDUARD BERNSTEIN Evolutionar 1. His ideas 1898-

(1850-1932) attempted to Evolutionary
y socialism
revise and Socialism
Revisionist modernise
socialism orthodox
Marxism due to
changing
circumstances.
2. Main opposition
to classical
 Marxism.
3. Considered
revisionism,
but his theories
came to
dominate
European
socialism, while
Marxism turned
into a distinct
movement far
removed from
socialist
principless.
4. Rejected Marx's
assertions that
class conflict
would intensify,
culminating in
revolution thus
creating a
workers' state.
5. Socialist
principles
would be best
advanced
through
democratic
parliamentary.
6. The
appropraite
role of
socialists would
be to form
democratic
parties, to seek
election to
power and then
implement
reforms in the
interests of the
working class.
7. Viewed
capitalism as
complex and
differentiated,
ownership of
wealth had
widened,
companies
 were jointly
shared etc.

Common 1. Expressed a 1902- What Is

VLADIMIR LENIN (1870- belief in to be Done?
ownership
1924) socialism being
Revolutiona built through 1916-
ry socialism nationalization. Imperalism, the
Orthodox 2. A belief in the Highest stage of
communism need for a new Capitalism
kind of political
party or 1917- The State
vangurd party. and Revolution
3. Unlike Marx,
Lenin did not
believe that the
proletariat
would
spontaneously
develop
revolutionary
class
consciousness,
working class
were deluded
by bourgeoisie.
4. The party
should be
organised by
democratic
centralism.
5. Served as first
leader of USSR
from 1917-21.
6. Rejected
bourgeoisie
parliamentarian
ism.

LEON TROTSKY(1879- Revolutiona 1. Theory of 1937- The

1940) permanent Revolution
ry socialism
revolution Betrayed
which
suggested that
socialism could
 be established
in Russia
without the
need for the
bourgeois
stage of
development.

RICHARD TAWNEY (1880- Equality 1921- The

Community 1. Tawney dismissed Acquisitive
Ethical the idea of equal Society
socialism opportunities as a
tadpole 1931-Equality
philosophy
emphasising a
surivival of the
fittest mindset.
2. The Christian
ethic that has
inspired UK
socialism is that
1962) of universal
brotherhood, the
respect that
should be
accorded to all
individuals as
creations of God.
3. Condemned
unregulated
capitalism.
4. Stresses on
fellowship and a
sense of
community.

ANTONIO GRAMSCI Neo- 1. The class system 1929-35-Prison

Marxism is upheld not Notebooks
simply by unequal
economic and
political power,
but also by
bourgeois
hegemony- the
spiritual and
cultural
supremacy of the
 (1891-1937) ruling class.
2. Bourgeois
assumptions and
values need to be
overthrown by the
establishment of a
rival proletarian
hegemony.

HERBERT MARCUSE Neo- 1958-Eros and

(1898-1979) Marxism 1. Portrayed Civilization
advanced
industrial 1964-One-
society as an Dimensional
all- Man
encompassing
system of
repression that
subdues
argument and
debate, and
absorbs all
forms of
opposition.
2. Draws on Marx,
Hegel and
Freud ideas.

FRIEDRICH ENGELS Common 1. Envisaged

(1820-95) ownership the
Revolutiona abolition
ry socialism of private
Communis property
m and
Classical wanted to
Marxism create a
classless,
communis
t society
instead of
capitalis
m.
2. Material
ist
conceptio
n of
history.
 3. The
desire for
profit
would
drive
capitalis
m to
strive to
tear down
every
barrier to
intercours
e

CHARLES FOURIER Community 1. Marx's description

(1772-1837) Ethical of communism, the
socialism ultmate goal of his
type of scientific
socialism, owed
much to the
community-based
ideas of Fourier
2. He saw
socialism
as a
means by
which
people
could re-
kindle the
communit
y spirit
that had
been
threatene
d by the
growth of
capitalis
m.
3. Industriali
sation
was the
worst
evil of
capitalis
m as it
drained
workers
of their
creative
 abilities
and
encourag
ed
competiti
on
between
them.
4. Fourier
insisted
that in
small
communit
ies
everybod
y was
entitled
to a
minimum
standard
of living
and
children
would be
well-
educated.
5. Human
nature-
Intensely
optimistic
view of
the
potential
of human
nature to
create
genuine,
co-
operative
communit
ies.
6. Ideas are
considere
d
utopian
.

ANTHONY CROSLAND Revisionist 1. Attacked view

(1918-77) socialism that most
effective way of
 achieving
socialist aims was
through
nationalisation of
major elements of
the economy.
2. Crosland argued
that capitalism
should be allowed
to flourish as long
as it created
wealth effectively
and didn't exploit
workers.
3. Rejects class-
based analysis of
society, arguing it
is outdated in
pluralist world.
4. Saw socialism as
a collection of
values rather
than a slavish
attachment to a
set of
institutions.
GEORGE LUKACS (1885- Neo- 1. Presents Marxism
1971) Marxism as a humanistic
philosophy,
emphasising the
process of
reificiation
through which
capitalism
dehumanises
workers by
reducing them to
passive objects or
marketable
commodities.