Using Socialist key thinkers in essays
It is made very clear in the Edexcel mark scheme, that use of two or less key thinkers for each ideology will mean that an essay must be capped at level 2 – a maximum of 9/24. This is regardless of how good the rest of the essay may be.
Don’t fall into this trap by ensuring that you know the main ideas of each thinker. This blog post intends to outline these and also show you the best way to use them to strengthen your ideologies essays. It’s important to make your essay ‘strand based’ and then use the thinkers as ‘examples’ to support the area of agreement or disagreement that you are discussing.
Time for the thoughts of the ‘thinkers’ -they have been chosen by the exam board as they all add something to the development of the ideology. I’ve chosen Socialism to start with – their thoughts differ significantly and many would argue that Giddens’ ideas are a million miles away from the original thoughts of Marx. The points below outline their main ideas – specific terms outlined in the specification are in bold.
Karl Marx:
Marx wanted a classless society where the means of production are owned collectively - known as common ownership. He critiqued capitalism, arguing that it inevitably leads to exploitation and class struggle.
His concept of historical materialism emphasizes the role of economic factors in shaping society and history. Essentially, everything that we do is influenced by capitalism, examples being law, culture, and justice.
Marx also introduced the idea of alienation, where workers become disconnected from the products of their labour and the labour process itself under capitalism. He called this ‘worker class consciousness’ and believed this was essential in the development of a socialist state.
Rosa Luxemburg:
Luxemburg focused on the revolutionary potential of the working class. She criticized reformist movements (evolutionary forms of socialism), instead advocating for revolutionary action.
She emphasized the importance of mass strikes and direct action as means to challenge capitalist exploitation and oppression.
Luxemburg also contributed to the understanding of imperialism and its role in capitalist expansion and exploitation.
Beatrice Webb:
Webb played a significant role in the Fabian Society. The Fabians believed in achieving socialism through gradual reform rather than revolution – she called this the ‘inevitability of gradualism’
She was instrumental in the development of the British welfare state, believing in the power of state intervention to address social inequality and improve the lives of the working class.
Webb's ideas influenced the creation of the Labour Party in the UK and laid the groundwork for the welfare policies implemented in the 20th century.
Anthony Crosland:
Crosland was a prominent figure in the British Labour Party, in what has come to be known as ‘Old Labour’ and a key proponent of revisionist socialism. He argued for a shift away from traditional Marxist ideas towards a more pragmatic and modern approach.
Crosland emphasized the importance of social equality and the redistribution of wealth through progressive taxation and social welfare programs.
He believed that a mixed economy, combining elements of capitalism and socialism, could deliver social justice and economic prosperity.
Anthony Giddens:
Giddens was the economic advisor to Tony Blair and is associated with the "Third Way" movement. It aimed to reconcile traditional socialist values with the realities of a globalized world.
He argued for a "new social democracy" that embraces market mechanisms while maintaining a commitment to social justice and equality.
Giddens emphasized the importance of individual empowerment, social investment, and the need for flexible, adaptive policies in response to changing economic and social conditions.
The main thing to remember here is that you’re not writing an essay about the thinkers - you’re writing one about the strands of the ideology - either revolutionary socialism, or more evolutionary strands such as Social Democracy or the Third Way. Similarities and differences between them form the main basis of your paragraph, and the thinkers feature as specific examples. See the example paragraph attached below to give you an idea of what I mean.
You can apply these ideas to all of the ideologies essay questions - hope this helps!
