To what extent has "new" Labour abandoned traditional socialist principles
To what extent has "new" Labour abandoned traditional socialist principles Many consider "New" Labour to be operating under a deceptive title due to the fact that the party has abandoned so many of the principles traditionally associated with Labour policies. The foundation of the long-established socialist principles, which formed the basis of "old" Labour policies, was clause IV of the 1918 Labour constitution. "Common ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange" was the single socialist slogan which underpinned the ethos of old Labour; equality. The welfare state was a major component of old Labour's manifesto. Clement Attlee who won labour its first overall majority in 1945, was responsible for implementing the "cradle to grave" welfare system which aimed to ensure the poor had equal access to basic public services. It was as part of this system that benefits for the unemployed and the National Health Service were introduced. Since Old Labour was set up and funded by the trade unions, close relations with the trade unions were essential. Resultantly, the Labour party argued for policies which benefited the working class, such as better working conditions and the establishment of a minimum wage. Another policy supported by old labour and introduced by Attlee was nationalisation of the major industries such as iron, steel, gas and coal. This policy
A Study of Carl Rogers' Theory of Personality
An Study of Carl Rogers' Theory of Personality Introduction Actualizing Tendency Rogers (1959) maintains that the human "organism" has an underlying "actualizing tendency", which aims to develop all capacities in ways that maintain or enhance the organism and move it toward autonomy. This tendency is directional, constructive and present in all living things. The actualizing tendency can be suppressed but can never be destroyed without the destruction of the organism (Rogers, 1977). The concept of the actualizing tendency is the only motive force in the theory. It encompasses all motivations; tension, need, or drive reductions; and creative as well as pleasure-seeking tendencies (Rogers, 1959). Only the organism as a whole has this tendency, parts of it (such as the self) do not. Maddi (1996) describes it as a "biological pressure to fulfill the genetic blueprint". Each person thus has a fundamental mandate to fulfill their potential. Self The human organism's "phenomenal field" includes all experiences available at a given moment, both conscious and unconscious (Rogers, 1959). As development occurs, a portion of this field becomes differentiated and this becomes the person's "self" (Hall & Lindzey, 1985; Rogers, 1959). The "self" is a central construct in this theory. It develops through interactions with others and involves awareness of being and functioning. The
Examine the history of and different types of Anarchism
Transfer-Encoding: chunked Anarchism Introduction The word ‘anarchy’ comes from Greek and literally means ‘without rule’. The term has been in use since the French Revolution. It was used to describe a breakdown of order. This remains the case today. The word only acquired positive associations when Pierre-Joseph Proudhon declared in his book What is Property?, published in 1840: ‘I am an anarchist’. Anarchists advocate the abolition of law and government in the belief that a more natural social order will develop. Some anarchists have supported violence to bring an end to the existing social order but most reject this. The first thinker associated with anarchism is William Godwin, author of An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice, published in 1793. Godwin himself would have rejected the label ‘anarchist’. During the 19th Century, anarchism came to constitute a key element of the emerging socialist movement. In 1864, the followers of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon joined with the followers of Karl Marx to set up the International Working Men’s Association or First International. The International collapsed in 1871 on account of growing antagonism between Marxists and anarchists, led by Michael Bakunin. In the late 19th Century, anarchists sought support from the landless peasants of Russia and southern Europe. Through the anarcho-syndicalist movement, they
Describe and account for the decline of the Green Party
The UK Green Party's 15% vote share in the 1989 European Elections was the best result achieved by any Green Party (ever), but whilst Green candidates from countries across Europe were elected, Britain's 'First-past-the-post' voting system denied the UK any Green representation. Under a fully proportional system, the Greens would have returned 12 MEPs. More than anything else, the continued use of 'First-past-the-post' in elections at all levels has kept the Green Party on the fringe of British politics. Following the outcome of the 1989 elections, even the party's strongest supporters were more inclined to vote tactically rather than 'waste' it on the Green Party. And the party went into decline. By the time of the next European Elections in 1994, a greatly depleted Green Party still managed to field a full slate of candidates. As in the 1992 General Election, the press and broadcasting media focused almost entirely on the three main parties and virtually ignored the Greens. The party polled 3.4% of the vote, and saved a handful of deposits. Had the media covered their campaign, the party might have gained an extra percentage point or two, and saved a great many more deposits. Between the years of 1990 and 1995 the membership of the Green Party dropped from almost 20,000 to under 4000. Since then it has experienced a modest but steady recovery, currently approaching
How democratic was Britain by 1918
How democratic was Britain by 1918? Kirsty Adams A country is democratic only when all of their citizens have access to the political process and their voting system is fair. Also, it is democratic when the government is accountable to the voters and voters have the right of choice in elections. Democracy is a government of the people, by the people, for the people. This included: fairness, accountability, choice, access to information, party organisation, the right to vote and the opportunity to become an MP. The political system round about the 1850's was full of corruption and unfairness. Elections were ran by bribery because MP's used to pay voters off and because voting was just a matter of raising your hand candidates would be able to see who voted for them or not. The political system favoured the wealthy in many ways: there was a requirement that no man could stand for election unless he owned land worth £610. Also, it was mainly the rich that could vote so the country was basically being run by the better off. However, gradually democracy was extended in the political system. This was done by a series of reforms. Fairness was incorporated when the secret ballot was introduced by the ballot act 1872. No longer could Mp's openly bribe people however, it didn't stop them trying. Also, the redistribution of Acts ballot in 1885 got rid of the rotten boroughs and
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein Einstein, Albert (1879-1955), German-born American physicist and Nobel laureate, best known as the creator of the special and general theories of relativity and for his bold hypothesis concerning the particle nature of light. He is perhaps the best-known scientist of the 20th century. Einstein was born in Ulm on March 14, 1879, and spent his youth in Munich, where his family owned a small shop that manufactured electric machinery. He did not talk until the age of three, but even as a youth he showed a brilliant curiosity about nature and an ability to understand difficult mathematical concepts. At the age of 12 he taught himself Euclidean geometry. Einstein hated the dull regimentation and unimaginative spirit of school in Munich. When repeated business failure led the family to leave Germany for Milan, in Italy, Einstein, who was then 15 years old, used the opportunity to withdraw from the school. He spent a year with his parents in Milan, and, when it became clear that he would have to make his own way in the world, he finished secondary school in Arrau, Switzerland, and entered the Swiss National Polytechnic in Zurich. Einstein did not enjoy the methods of instruction there. He often missed classes, using the time to study physics on his own or to play his beloved violin. He passed his examinations and graduated in 1900 by studying the notes of a
How Similar was Thatcherism To Traditional Conservatism?
How Similar was Thatcherism To Traditional Conservatism? When Margaret Thatcher came to power in 1979, she didn't just inherit a country on the brink of economic and societal collapse, but more importantly, one that needed change, sustainable change to stabilise the problems of the 1970's and past governments. The change she ushered through was moulded around a distinct ideology set on principles and beliefs that stemmed from the values of Traditional Conservatism and Classical Liberalism, however fundamentally, it was a modern day progression of the values laid down by the original thinkers of Conservatism . Because of this it becomes inherently clear that 'Thatcherism' is merely a modern day equivalent of traditional social conservatism, and in fact not that different. The first major point when assessing the difference between the two variations of Conservatism is linked to economic principles, which is a pivotal contrast between the two. A major element of Thatcherism was Deregulation, which in essence was less state intervention within the economy and a process of privatisation of major industries. This was in reaction the heavily regulated economies of the past which arguably was a major factor in the economic crises of the late 70's as most major industries were heavily subsidised by the state and this led to great inefficiencies within the economy. Although this
Communism VS Democracy
Communism VS Democracy Communism and Democracy Communism, a concept or system of society in which the major resources and means of production are owned by the community rather than by individuals. In theory, such societies provide for equal sharing of all work, according to ability, and all benefits, according to need. Some conceptions of communist societies assume that, ultimately, coercive government would be unnecessary and therefore that such a society would be without rulers. Until the ultimate stages are reached, however, communism involves the abolition of private property by a revolutionary movement; responsibility for meeting public needs is then vested in the state (Daniels 177). As a concept of an ideal society, communism is derived from ancient sources, including Plato's Republic and the earliest Christian communes. In the early 19th century, the idea of a communist society was a response of the poor and the dislocated to the beginnings of modern capitalism. At that time communism was the basis for a number of utopian settlements; most communistic experiments, however, eventually failed. Most of these small-scale private experiments involved voluntary cooperation, with everyone participating in the governing process (Daniels). Later the term communism was reserved for the philosophy advanced by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in their Communist Manifesto and the
To what extent do the similarities between classical and modern liberalism outweigh the differences?
Evie Stretch To what extent do the similarities between classical and modern liberalism outweigh the differences? Liberalism is an ideology based on five core principles of individualism, freedom, reason, justice and tolerance. It has two main strands, classical and modern, which can be distinguished historically with classical liberalism coming first in the 18th Century and modern liberalism building on it from the mid 19th Century. There has been a progression of liberal thinkers from Locke to Mill to Rawls. Though the two strands have many similarities they also have differences. Both classical and modern liberalism agree that negative liberty is necessary within society. Negative liberty is a removal of external constraints on the individual, giving them freedom of choice or ‘freedom from’. According to Mill and Jefferson, liberty is one of our inalienable natural rights. Negative liberty therefore demands a minimal state with no interference. In real terms this means that a person has a right to make their own decisions without state intervention. However the difference between classical and modern liberals concerning liberty is that classical liberals consider negative liberty to be sufficient whereas modern liberals think it is not as we also need positive liberty in order to prevent individuals from being exploited. With only negative liberty there can still
Why 19th Century Liberals Feared Democracy
A fear of democracy runs throughout liberalism Democracy is derived from two Greek works, ‘demos’ meaning ‘the people’ and ‘kratos’ meaning ‘rule’. Democracy therefore means rule by the people, implying both popular participation and a government which acts in the public interest. In its unrestrained form democracy leads to tyranny but in the absence of democracy ignorance and brutality will prevail. Therefore this hybrid nature of democracy explains why liberals have been ambivalent about its benefits. Very few liberals reject democracy, on the other hand no liberals accept democracy uncritically. Earlier political theorists such as Plato and Aristotle viewed democracy as a chaotic rule of masses at the expense of wisdom and property. Nineteenth century liberals echoed this idea as they saw democracy as dangerous. They were concerned that democracy could threaten individual liberty. Democracy is necessarily collectivist, in that it places political authority in the hands of the ‘people’ who are not a single entity but are turned into a collection of individuals or groups . This contradicts the liberal principle of individuality and atomistic society. Thereby this might lead in the interests of individual citizens being ignored. Indeed people have different opinions and opposing interests often resulting to political instability and conflict. The
