To what extent do different socialists agree on the role of the state?
What to do to improve:
Use more examples to further support the points made in your arguments. This
ensures you get marks for justifying your argument, so well substantiating it and also
for using recent examples which highlights political engagement to the examiner.
It is also important to be able to use more sophisticated language and analysis to
further get full marks.
Although most types of socialists including social democrats, Marxists and Neo- revisionists
support and agree on the fundamental ideas core to socialism such as equality, they
disagree on the role of the state with socialists including social democrats endorsing a more
limited role of the state which Marxists completely disagree on. This therefore highlights that
the different strands of socialism disagree on the role of the state in society.
Firstly, social democrats adopt a more limited role for the state and support a mixed
economy with both state owned and privately owned enterprises with only a few industries
nationalised as done in the Attlee government from 1945-51. This idea is further argued by
Anthony Crosland who believed that this was the best way to generate economic growth and
would eventually lead to prosperity. However, this idea of a limited role for the state is
criticised by Marxists who believe in a centralised state that organised all production and
distribution for example in the USSR after 1929. Therefore, social democrats and Marxists
do not agree on the role of the state in a society. Marx and Engels would further disagree
with the concepts of social democracy as they firmly believe that an individual cannot
achieved their full potential under a system like capitalism but communism and socialism
essentially is the road to it and once the state ‘withers away’ only then can an individual fully
express themselves.
Secondly, the third way also takes a different view of the state’s function as neo-revisionists
promote the concept of a competition state to develop the national workforce’s skills and
knowledge. They emphasise the importance of education as it provides and individuals with
better job prospects which can further be seen in new labours government slogan which was
‘education, education, education’. Neo revisionists do not agree on immense state
intervention which can be seen through the thinker Anthony Giddens who rejected state
intervention and accepted free market in the economy with a emphasis on community rather
than class conflict which was argued by Marx and Engels who argued for a class
consciousness. Marxists would completely oppose the principles of the third way as they
believe that any attempt to humanise capitalism, a system based upon inequalities and
exploitation which the third way does is wrong as it does not get rid of the fundamental flaws
inherent in the system. Marx and Engels would further oppose the third way as they believe
the abolishment of private property which the third way does not support due to them
supporting a market state. Therefore, Neo-revisionists further disagree with Marxists over
the role of the state.
Thirdly, Neo- revisionists unlike Marxists and revolutionary socialists do not oppose great
individual wealth as they as acknowledge that it leads to the betterment of society. They also
believe that state should only provide welfare to socially marginalised groups and enable
people by providing assistance to help them improve their own situation. The labour prime
minister tony Blair summed up this approach by calling it ‘a hand up, not a hand down’.
Similarly social democrats would further agree with welfare measures to narrow differences
in wealth and to equal life chances. This is also argued by Crosland who fully adopts welfare
measures and supports the idea of the redistribution of wealth. Therefore, social democrats
agree with Neo-revisionists that the state has to some degree provide welfare measures for
the less fortunate.
What to do to improve:
Use more examples to further support the points made in your arguments. This
ensures you get marks for justifying your argument, so well substantiating it and also
for using recent examples which highlights political engagement to the examiner.
It is also important to be able to use more sophisticated language and analysis to
further get full marks.
Although most types of socialists including social democrats, Marxists and Neo- revisionists
support and agree on the fundamental ideas core to socialism such as equality, they
disagree on the role of the state with socialists including social democrats endorsing a more
limited role of the state which Marxists completely disagree on. This therefore highlights that
the different strands of socialism disagree on the role of the state in society.
Firstly, social democrats adopt a more limited role for the state and support a mixed
economy with both state owned and privately owned enterprises with only a few industries
nationalised as done in the Attlee government from 1945-51. This idea is further argued by
Anthony Crosland who believed that this was the best way to generate economic growth and
would eventually lead to prosperity. However, this idea of a limited role for the state is
criticised by Marxists who believe in a centralised state that organised all production and
distribution for example in the USSR after 1929. Therefore, social democrats and Marxists
do not agree on the role of the state in a society. Marx and Engels would further disagree
with the concepts of social democracy as they firmly believe that an individual cannot
achieved their full potential under a system like capitalism but communism and socialism
essentially is the road to it and once the state ‘withers away’ only then can an individual fully
express themselves.
Secondly, the third way also takes a different view of the state’s function as neo-revisionists
promote the concept of a competition state to develop the national workforce’s skills and
knowledge. They emphasise the importance of education as it provides and individuals with
better job prospects which can further be seen in new labours government slogan which was
‘education, education, education’. Neo revisionists do not agree on immense state
intervention which can be seen through the thinker Anthony Giddens who rejected state
intervention and accepted free market in the economy with a emphasis on community rather
than class conflict which was argued by Marx and Engels who argued for a class
consciousness. Marxists would completely oppose the principles of the third way as they
believe that any attempt to humanise capitalism, a system based upon inequalities and
exploitation which the third way does is wrong as it does not get rid of the fundamental flaws
inherent in the system. Marx and Engels would further oppose the third way as they believe
the abolishment of private property which the third way does not support due to them
supporting a market state. Therefore, Neo-revisionists further disagree with Marxists over
the role of the state.
Thirdly, Neo- revisionists unlike Marxists and revolutionary socialists do not oppose great
individual wealth as they as acknowledge that it leads to the betterment of society. They also
believe that state should only provide welfare to socially marginalised groups and enable
people by providing assistance to help them improve their own situation. The labour prime
minister tony Blair summed up this approach by calling it ‘a hand up, not a hand down’.
Similarly social democrats would further agree with welfare measures to narrow differences
in wealth and to equal life chances. This is also argued by Crosland who fully adopts welfare
measures and supports the idea of the redistribution of wealth. Therefore, social democrats
agree with Neo-revisionists that the state has to some degree provide welfare measures for
the less fortunate.
