The five key thinkers
The exam names five. You must use at least two, and use them to support a divide between strands, not just as a label. Open each thinker for their view on the state, human nature, the economy and society.
ME Marx and Engels Revolutionary›
Historical materialism. The system, not the individual, is the problem, and only revolution can fix it.
Human nature
We are social, creative beings, our "species being". Capitalism alienates us from our work, our products, each other and ourselves. End capitalism and our co-operative nature returns.
The state
The state is an instrument of class rule that protects capitalism. After revolution there is a brief dictatorship of the proletariat, then the state withers away.
The economy
Capitalism exploits workers by taking the surplus value of their labour. A reserve army of labour keeps wages low. The system produces its own gravediggers.
Society
All history is the history of class conflict. The proletariat will overthrow the bourgeoisie, ending class society in a final, classless community.
"The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle." Marx and Engels
Use them for: revolution versus evolution, the economy, alienation, class, and the fate of the state.
RL Rosa Luxemburg Revolutionary›
Revolutionary, but with a libertarian, democratic streak that Marx lacked.
Human nature
More libertarian than Marx. People are capable of spontaneous, grassroots class action, coming together as a class to act together.
The state
Warned that a proletarian dictatorship could crush freedom. She insisted there is no democracy without socialism and no socialism without democracy.
The economy
Capitalism drives war and waste, demanding products people do not need. Exploitation runs so deep that gradual reform is not enough.
Society
Anti-revisionist. The working class must emancipate itself through mass action; a revolution is still required to end capitalism.
"Freedom is always the freedom of the one who thinks differently." Rosa Luxemburg
Use her for: divisions within revolutionary socialism, freedom and democracy, and the limits of evolution.
BW Beatrice Webb Evolutionary›
The Fabian. Socialism arrives gradually, peacefully, and by permeating the institutions of the state.
Human nature
Optimistic. People can be improved and work is central to a good life. Nature does not make the rich innately superior to the poor.
The state
Expand the state, do not overthrow it. Permeate its institutions. An early architect of the welfare state and a blueprint for the NHS, and co-author of the original Clause IV.
The economy
The state should manage the economy. She argued for a national minimum, including a minimum wage, and coined the term collective bargaining.
Society
The inevitability of gradualism. Poverty is structural, so the structure of society must change, step by step, not by revolution.
"Nature still obstinately refuses to cooperate by making the rich innately superior to the poor." Beatrice Webb
Use her for: the evolutionary route, the role of the state, gradualism, and the welfare state.
AC Anthony Crosland Social democracy›
Managerialism. Manage capitalism through the state to deliver real, lasting equality.
Human nature
Humans stay competitive even as opportunities are equalised. We draw identity and belonging from community and country.
The state
State-managed capitalism is both achievable and desirable. Deliver equality through state schooling, housing and income support, within the rule of law.
The economy
By 1951 the welfare state meant Britain was no longer purely capitalist. Nationalisation alone does not create equality, so manage capitalism rather than abolish it.
Society
His four justifications for equality argue for relative equality of outcome, not uniformity. Equality does not mean everyone the same.
"We do not want complete equality of incomes, since exceptional talent deserves a differential reward." Anthony Crosland
Use him for: equality of outcome versus opportunity, the mixed economy, and social democracy versus the Third Way.
AG Anthony Giddens Third Way›
The Third Way. Socialist ends through the energy of the market.
Human nature
Structuration: people shape society and are shaped by it. We are increasingly free to choose, and more communitarian than collectivist.
The state
Welfare should be mended, not ended: a hand-up, not a hand-out. An enabling state pairs rights with responsibilities.
The economy
Supports markets, enterprise and dynamism, and stakeholding over shareholding. Equality of opportunity matters more than equality of outcome.
Society
A high-opportunity, high-risk global society. Change is incremental, and there is no single agent of history like Marx's proletariat.
"The new mixed economy looks for a synergy between public and private sectors." Anthony Giddens
Use him for: whether the Third Way is still socialist, equality of opportunity, welfare reform, and individualism.
Match the thinker to the idea
Click a name, then click its signature idea.
Quick check
Map them yourself
Draw the five thinkers along a line from revolution to the Third Way, and note who agrees with whom. Share it in a room to mark it together.