Social democrats believe that ‘ethics’ in the political sense means keeping moral conduct at a certain stage or level, often being forced by a set of rules that run on a basis of authority and those who not abide by them, loose their authority. E.g. Machiavelli argued that in politics, the end justifies the means, but has been attacked as immoral by socialists and modern liberals, both of who place ethics at the heart of their ideologies.
It is difficult to find an ethical element in Marxism. Marx and Engels abandoned the role of moral and religious beliefs in politics claiming that the scientific analysis of politics and economy offered a new type of politics based on fixed, immutable laws of history and society. This gave political and social life based on economics, and historical and social forces made a victory of socialism, then communism, expected.
Marx’s claim to scientific authority was challenged and partially demolished by the Australian Professor Sir Karl Popper. All his arguments are based on presenting a hypothesis, backed up by evidence from which deductions about the world is made. The evidence supporting the hypothesis can be unlimited, but can be demolished by a single piece of evidence against it; consequently the scientific methods proceed through dialectic in which the hypothesis is displayed and supported with examples.
In other words he argued that all science is based on presenting a hypothesis which can be tested by new experiments or new discoveries and can be if necessary be falsified and destroyed by new discoveries. Popper said True science must be ‘testable’ and ‘falsified’ by further experiments, research and new discoveries. If something cannot be tested or is constantly shifting to avoid falsification it is not scientific. E.g. Ghosts.
In this case, Marx’s laws of history had been falsified as history had not turned out the way they (Marx and Engel’s) had predicted. E.g. predictions about the inevitable collapse of capitalism and replacement by communism. Simply advanced industrial societies have not been haunted by the ‘spectre of communism’. Marxism has constantly re-invented itself to avoid being falsified as so liberalism.
Therefore Marx did not present hard rules, these were just opinions. E.g. Karl Popper accused Marx of ‘historicism’, the mistaken belief that the endless difficulty of human history can be reduced to ‘laws’.
On the whole there is no monopoly on truth or on how the world is going.
Therefore modern social democrats make no secret that their views are based on faith and not science.
Marx, as a young Hegelian presented an ideology based on 3 foundations which were that man is shaped by his environment, history has laws and is moving towards a clear conclusion and finally politics and economics are the same, to control one we must control the other. In his early works he argued that human nature depends on the social and economic conditions therefore on the environment.
These had evolved over time, therefore so did human nature.
Social democracy is based on faith of human nature. Their objections to capitalism are moral not scientific. I.e. humans are sociable and joined by bonds of love and comradeship. Capitalism sets people against each other. Therefore it is immoral and we must oppose moral things.
There has always been a strong religious element in social democracy. E.g. Robert Owen and his modern village, the Fabians were always drawn to socialism because it was close to morality as found in the bible. ‘Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s goods’. Therefore ‘Thy love thy neighbour and thy love thyself.’
Marx as well had a critique of capitalism whereby, it rested on alienation. This suggests that capitalism has separated people from their original or essential natures, that is, from their ability as workers to develop skills and understanding through the experience of free productive labour. Given that, the capitalist system is based on production of exchange, it alienates humans from the product of their labour. They therefore work to produce not what they need or what is useful, but ‘commodities’ to be sold for profit. In addition they are alienated from the labour process, as most are forced to work under the manager’s supervisation. On top of that, work is not social, so individuals are encouraged to be self-interested and are furthermore alienated from other human beings. Finally, workers are alienated from themselves. Labour is condensed to a meagre commodity and work becomes a depersonalized activity instead of a creative one. In current Marx’s ideas, nevertheless, capitalism is more often analysed in terms of class conflict and exploitation. Marx also emphasised in the last stage of the 4 stages that capitalism, dominated between the 2 class levels the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat.
However the first revisionist Edward Bernstein stated that Marx was proven wrong by history as capitalism had not destroyed itself. The workers condition had improved. He believed that the middle class Bourgeoisie were not just capitalist but also included civil servants, doctors lawyers teachers, they all served the community, therefore capitalism need not be destroyed but harmonised. It should be reformed to make it more human by taking larger industries and services into public ownership, regular industries via prices and income policies, protecting workers rights. All this could be done by peaceful democratic reform.
Therefore the first aim of social democrats should be to promote democracy, and then put forward candidates for election, and then finally achieve socialism via peaceful reform.
The Western Social Democrats have tended to be ‘revisionist’ in whom their aim is to humanize capitalism, not over-throw it.
Alternatively Marx argued that a socialist society could only be achieved via revolution. A revolution is defined as a major transformation in society and politics, a new order replacing the previous order in which violence was involved, but not always. Marx was inspired by the French Revolution.
Revolutions tended to involve the rich exploiter class, being overthrown by those they exploited.
(Directed from Saint-Simon’s idea). In the early stages of capitalism, the workers had no peaceful means of improving things because politics was exclusive to the middle and upper classes.
Revolution reflected the socialist view on the state. Alternatively liberals and conservatives see the state as protecting freedom, but socialists see the state as crushing freedom on behalf of the exploiters who were the Bourgeoisie. Therefore revolution is the only workers’ option.
Furthermore Marxists do not promote democracy. They see democracy as a ‘Bourgeoisie Con-trick’, an attempt to lead the masses away from revolution and agree to be exploited through ‘throwing them scraps’ like the right to vote, allowing trade unions and limited controlled reforms, to allow exploiters to hold power. E.g. Russia 1905-1911 Piotr Stolypin – he was hated because he allowed workers’ to vote and joined unions therefore defused them.
One of the objectives of social democracy is a mixed economy i.e. state ownership of key industries and services and private ownership elsewhere. This meant a blend of public and private ownership which stands between free market and capitalism and state collectivism.
Marxists believe in the state collectivisation. They believe that private property divides people and creates a social dialectic, between those with private property and those without. This problem would only be solved by those without property overthrowing those with property. Some people exist only to produce property for others therefore they are property.
Therefore abolishing all private property will restore humans to equal freedom.
Also, if a society could be created in which all property was owned jointly and there was just one class. History would end in a perfect harmonious community. E.g. South Africa.
The 2nd objective was Keynesian economical theory whereby, there is central management of the economy to maximise profit. The social democrats sought to regulate or manage capitalist economies in order to maintain growth. This relates in with Marx’s view on value which is related to Keynesian economics. The value of the product depends upon a combination of how useful it is and the labour that has gone to produce it. Produce enters the world through labour therefore it is immoral to give produce its own value detached from the labour that it’s produced.
The 3rd objective is where socialists are attracted to a welfare state as the principle means of reforming capitalism. As mentioned before Marx believed that capitalism gives a false value arising from exploitation since capitalism sets people against each other. Capitalism is basically competition for profit in a free market. This relates to Marx’s prediction since capitalism cannot contain its forces it is heading towards a final crisis which is a final mega depression from which it cannot recover. (Many thought it had come in 1929)
In conclusion, both Social Democrat and Marxist ideas seem to differ enormously but unite on issues like capitalism to the extent on the effect of human nature, and economical issues down to Keynesian ideas and finally on sate ownership and intervention.
But overall both hold opposing views as Social democracy emphasises ethical socialism, while Marxism stresses scientific socialism. Social democrats believe in revisionism while Marxists believe in fundamentalism. Social democrats consider evolution while Marxists, revolution. Social democrats believe to humanize capitalism, while Marxists abolish it. Democrats believe in redistribution of wealth through taxation while Marxists believe in common ownership. Social democrats highlight relative equality while Marxists, absolute equality. Social democrats support a mixed economy while Marxists, state collectivisation. Social Democrats believe in political pluralism while Marxists believe in the dictatorship of the proletariat. Finally Social Democrats believe in economic management and a liberal-democratic state while Marxists believe in central planning and a proletarian people/state.