19.5 Calls by Reform By Group 7: Daniel Larios, Blake Wetzsteon, Sam Hatton, Lexie Greenfield

SWBAT: Describe the different types of early reforms that came in reaction to laissez-faire capitalism during the industrial revolution. They argued that laws could not do enough to remedy inequalities. The only way to distribute wealth more evenly, they thought, was to change the ownership and operation of the means of production. The means of production include the capital and equipment used to produce and exchange goods – for example, land, railroads, mines, factories, stores, banks, and machines.

Key Terms

Key Terms Socialism : a political and economic system. Utopian socialists : an English humanist. Bourgeoisie : a polysemous French term that can mean “those who live in the borough”. Authoritarian Socialism : a collection of political economic systems describing themselves as socialist. Communism : a theory or system of social organization in which all property I owned by the community and each person contributes and receives according to their ability and needs. Democratic Socialism : a political ideology that advocates political democracy along side social ownership of the means of production.

Socialists

Robert Owen The most influential utopian socialist in Great Britain who lived from 1771 to 1858. Owen quit school at age 10 and went to work. By the age of 19, he managed a large cotton mill.

Socialism

Socialism Governments own the means of production and operate them for the welfare of all people. Sir Thomas More was an English humanist described such a model community in 1516 in his utopia and was named a utopian socialist. In Great Britain the most influential utopian socialist was Robert Owen, who lived from 1771 to 1858. Owen believed, however, that workers should not be completely dependent on their employers. He encouraged workers to form unions.

The Theories of Karl Marx

The Theories of Karl Marx Karl Marx, a journalist and the most important of these critics, was born in Prussia in 1818. Marx’s radical political views made him unpopular in his own country. Marx stated that each stage of history involved inequality, and therefore struggle, between those who owned property and those who did not. Marx argued that all wealth is created by labor. Most of the wealth goes to the owners in the form of profits, which Marx called surplus value.

The Theories of Karl Marx cont. Marx believed that pure communism was inevitable outcome of human history. In Marx’s time, the terms communism and socialism were used in many different ways. In 1848, with a fellow German, Friedrich Engels, Marx published the Communist Manifesto, a pamphlet outlining his ideas. Forced to leave, he eventually settled in London, where he lived his death in 1883.

Variations of Socialism

Variations of Socialism In the mid-1800’s, socialists in several European countries began forming political parties to put their ideas into practice. The ideas of Marx and Engels influenced many of these parties. Marxist, or radical, socialists generally believed in the necessity of revolution to overthrow the capitalist system. They wanted to establish a system in which government owned almost all means of production and controlled economic planning.

Variations of Socialism cont. Another group of socialists, though influenced by Marx, believed that socialism could develop gradually through education and democratic forms of government. These moderate socialists believed that when enough people became educated about socialism, they would elect socialist representatives to their government. Then government would take over the means of production peacefully. Under democratic socialism, unlike under authoritarian socialism, the people retain basic human rights and partial control over economic planning through the election of government officials.

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