POS 210 Exam 2
Why did Lenin, Stalin, and Mao have to adjust Marxism?
They had to because Marx theorized an advanced industrial nation. Thought there were going to be lots of factories and bourgeoise class with sharp class distinction. Lenin Stalin and Mao tried to make a socialist society out of not advanced societies. More agrarian. Had to adjust the model.
neoclassical liberalism
govt should be as small as possible in order to leave room for individual freedom. Night watchman to protect person and property of individuals from force or fraud
Eduard Bernstein
"the ultimate end of socialism is nothing, but the movement is everything" Moral criticism (ideas matter, not just economics) 2)Political criticism (is govt the enemy?) 3)Economic criticism
G. W. F. Hegel
master slave dialect. History is evolution of human spirit
Rand Paul
modern day libertarian
Herbert Marcuse
one dimensional man The people recognize themselves in their commodities; they find their soul in their automobile, hi-fi set, split-level home, kitchen equipment. The very mechanism which ties the individual to his society has changed, and social control is anchored in the new [false] needs which it has produced."
Describe Hegel's master-slave dialectic
Recognition and power. Master and slave. Slave has power over the master because the slave has the capacity to recognize the master's power. Slave has power too. Ties into marx's understanding between history and people who own the means of production and don't.
Mao Zedong
Revised marxism for china -Focus on peasants, Will is more important than material conditions, China is a "proletariat nation"
Describe Hegel's conception of history
Saw history as the story of spirit's self-realization. Unfolding or evolution of the mind. Potentials waiting to be actualized and developed. Idealist interpretation history is the spirit's struggle to overcome obstacles in search from freedom.
Distinguish between utopian and scientific socialism
Scientific Socialism: Marx. Two antagonistic classes. Bourgeoisie and proletariat: wage laborors. Marx thought utopian socialists failed to see the class basis of society Utopian: Owen. Less successful.
What are Eduard Bernstein's critiques of revolutionary Marxism?
Socialism doesn't come through revolution. It should be evolutionary and gradual. Critical of the revolution because he thought the way you achieved socialism would be the socialism you end up with aka violent revolution= violent socialism. Political critique- in Marxism government is always going to be the enemy controlled by the bourgeoise
Describe the differences between welfare-state liberalism and socialism
Socialism: Replace capitalism, Create publicly owned enterprises, Freedom is attained by group (proletariat / working class) Welfare Liberalism: reform capitalism, protect workers through gov regulation, freedom is attained by the individual
Division among Western socialists about Stalin
Some though Stalin was good and some thought he was evil
Fabian Socialists
The British brand of socialism emphasizing the non-revolutionary, peaceful, piecemeal, and gradual transition from a capitalist to a socialist society.
the basic socialist beliefs
passion for equality, collective ownership rather than private property, solidarity of social life, poverty is the result of oppression
Trade union consciousnes
A phrase used by Lenin to denote the kind of "false conciousness" that effects workers in advanced capitalist countries.
John Rawls
Associated with (Nozick-libertarian Night watchman government to protect from force and fraud.) Aligned with welfare liberalism. If you put people behind a veil of ignorance about how society should be structured, people would agree to a difference principle allowing economic differences as long as least well off is benefited by differences. Govt intervention.
Describe the main features of Marx's critique of ideology
Capitalist ideology: Serves bourgeoisie interests Erases class conflict Falsely claims to be universal
Robert Owen
Crime is not the result of original sin but a deformed social system. Capitalism sends the wrong message. New system of production is the cure.
Describe the steps in the revolutionary sequence as Marx envisions them
Economic Crises: Capitalism has recessions and depressions that capitalists shrug off but these crises will become more frequent and worse as capitalism grows and expands Immiseration of the Proletariat: an inescapable phenomenon where bourgeoisie can handle the crises but the proletariat cannot. They turn to stealing and begging unable to find work. Revolutionary class consciousness: Workers realize this is not their fault and there are not enough jobs. Wealthy kids are warm and educated. Proletariat are poor and cold. Seizure of state power: Revolt starting with strikes, riots, and boycotts to overthrow ruling class. Dictatorship of the proletariat: having seized state power the workers will rule in their own interest. Prevent bourgeoisie from regrouping and will do anything to prevent this. A dictatorship by the proletariat Withering away of the state: starts a transitional period from capitalism to communism. Communism: communist society forms.
Describe the four functions of socialism as an ideology
Evaluation -> how do we evaluate societies: by class Orientation -> we orientate to each other in relation to class Explanation -> world is divided into classes
Otto von Bismarck
German. created the modern welfare state. Believed it was a way to oppose socialism. Created the first social insurance state
Describe what Marx thinks is wrong with capitalism, and what was "good" about capitalism
Good: Capitalism contains the seeds of its own destruction. Will lead way to socialism. Has been good to the past with bourgeoise has been a progressive force creating the world as it is. Bad: Capitalism is out modeled and outlived its usefulness. It creates alienation and it is self-subverting it keeps people from being kind and caring and instead makes them cold and calculated
Democratic centralism
Lenin's attempt to combine democracy with central control of the revolutionary vanguard party. The party should encourage debate and discussion within its ranks before decisions are made, lenin said.
Describe Mao Zedong's contributions to and reinterpretation of Marxism-Leninism
Mao does 3 things in response to marxist-leninism: 1. Proletariat as the nation. 2. Pro peasants=good 3. Political will desire to make a change is crucial to socialism
Which politicians might be considered current libertarians?
Margaret Thatcher Ronald Reagan
Describe the main features of Marx's "materialist conception of history"
Marx saw history as the story of class struggles over opposing material, or economic, interests and resources. Importance of material production. Men must make the food they eat and the clothes they wear before they do anything else. Material forces of production: What you use and social relations of production: How humans organize themselves.
alienation
Marx. Separated from each other and labor. Workers under capitalism are alienated from their own creative potential
What is Robert Nozick's view of a legitimate government? What should it do?
Minimal state is legitimate because no one's rights are violated by its creation. Any state that does more than protect he people must violate someone's rights and is unjust. GOVERNMENT SHOULD PROTECT AGAINST FORCE AND FRAUD.
Gary Johnson
Modern Day Libertarian
What is Isaiah Berlin's definition of negative freedom?
Negative Freedom: Freedom from restraint. Space in which government is not telling you what you can and cannot do. The space outside govt control. Libertarians/Neo-Classical/Manchester Liberals: Same thing. All favor freedom from restraint.
Describe the socialist view of freedom
Obstacle: class divisions, economic inequalities, unequal life chances, false consciousness Agent: common/working people Goal: fulfillment of human needs, for example, satisfying work, fair share of product
Why did Lenin believe that a vanguard party was needed?
Peasants suffer from false consciousness Working people suffer from "trade union consciousness" or the belief that unions and legislation will solve the worker's problems Vanguard party necessary to teach workers about their true class interests
Isaiah Berlin
Positive freedom: "to offer political right or safegaurds against intervention by state to men who are half dressed is to mock their condition" Negative freedom: is principally concerned with the area of control, not with its source...a liberal minded despot [might] allow his subjects a large measure of personal freedom..."
How did Stalin adjust Marxism-Leninism?
Vanguard Party: necessary to tell people how they should think (aka the communist party). Stalin says the vanguard a vanguard and that is Stalin.
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Compare welfare vs neoclassical liberals' views of society and individuals
Welfare liberalism: individual liberty most important and gov can promote it. Neoclassical liberalism: gov should be as small as possible. Night watchman govt to protect the person and property of people against force and fraud.
Christian Socialist Movement
based on the bible. Some passages outlaw capitalism
Murray Rothbard
free market anarchism is desireable and practical. No coercion from govt means people can live as they choose and education, transportation, defense, etc. Can all be better funded. "Whatever services the government actually performs could be supplied far more efficiently and far more morally by private and cooperative enterprise."
false conciousness
situation in which people in the lower classes come to accept a belief system that harms them; the primary means by which powerful classes in society prevent protest and revolution THE PROLETARIAT HAS IT.
negative and positive liberty
t.h. Green welfare liberalism. Positive freedom is our ability to realize and achieve our higher selves in cooperation with others
T.H. Green
welfare liberalism. Remove obstacles that block free growth and development of the individual. Positive and negative freedom. Self interest rightly understood
Affirmative action
welfare liberals advocated for them for education and work for groups that have suffered from discrimination (ex. Women, poc, ect)
Friedrich Engels:
•Marx's co-author, collaborator, patron. After Marx's death in 1883, reshapes Marxism. Argued Marxism = unchangeable, scientific account