Question 1

Robert Own and Charles Fourier advocated small-scale communities of jointly owned productive property.

Accepted Answer

Robert Owen and Charles Fourier both advocated for the creation of small-scale communities based on jointly owned productive property.

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT an example marketization?

Accepted Answer

Marketization refers to the process of increasing the role of markets in the economy, and turning a market economy into a planned economy is the opposite of this. Therefore, B is not an example of marketization. A, C, and D are all examples of marketization.

Question 3

What name did those who opposed Lenin and his methods regroup under?

Accepted Answer

Those who opposed Lenin and his methods regrouped under the name of social democrats. Marxists and communists were more aligned with Lenin's ideology, while utopian socialists had a different approach to socialism altogether.

Question 4

In which way does a planning system function?

Accepted Answer

In a planning system, a central authority decides what to produce and how to allocate resources to production. This can be seen in planned economies where the government controls the means of production and decides on the distribution of goods and services. It is different from a market-based system where prices and quantities are determined by the forces of supply and demand, or a laissez-faire system where businesses make their own decisions without government intervention. Option C (Government owns and makes everything) is also incorrect as it suggests a command economy where all resources are owned and controlled by the government. Option D (Businessmen plan their economic strategy and carry out their plans to the best of their ability) is a description of a market-based system where firms compete against each other and consumers determine the success of businesses through their buying decisions.

Question 5

What was Canada's first important social democratic party?

Accepted Answer

The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) was Canada's first important social democratic party, founded in 1932. It later evolved into the New Democratic Party (NDP) in 1961. The Canadian Communist Party and Social Credit Party were also political parties in Canada, but they were not considered important social democratic parties.

Question 6

Marx's famous slogan declared "from each according to income,to each according to need."

Accepted Answer

Marx's famous slogan actually declared "from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs."

Question 7

Social democrats today can be hard to distinguish from reform liberals.

Accepted Answer

Social democrats and reform liberals share many similar policy goals, such as promoting social justice and reducing economic inequality. As a result, their platforms often overlap, making it difficult to distinguish between the two.

Question 8

Marx's idea of equality is best summed up in the famous slogan that begins "From each according to his ability." How does the slogan end?

Accepted Answer

Marx's slogan ends with "to each according to his needs." This emphasizes the idea that resources should be distributed based on what people need rather than what they want or are able to pay for. By focusing on people's basic needs, Marx believed that society could achieve greater equality and reduce the gap between the rich and poor.

Question 9

Ray wants to be a medical doctor but faints at the sight of blood.Jody graduated from med school at the top of her class,but would be most content working outdoors as a rafting guide.What does this example NOT demonstrate?

Accepted Answer

The example does not demonstrate the difficulty of relying on equality of opportunity because both Ray and Jody had the opportunity to pursue their desired careers, but their individual abilities and ambitions led them in different directions. Therefore, the example highlights the differences in individual abilities and ambitions but not the difficulty of designing a system based on equality of result or relying on equality of opportunity.

Question 10

François-Noël Babeuf organized a communist uprising in 1796.

Accepted Answer

François-Noël Babeuf organized a communist uprising in 1796, which is called the Conspiracy of Equals. Babeuf advocated for the abolition of private property and the establishment of a society based on equality and collective ownership of the means of production. However, the conspiracy was discovered by authorities, and Babeuf and many of his followers were arrested and executed. Despite its failure, the Conspiracy of Equals inspired later socialist and communist movements.

Question 11

Socialism could only be created by the political victory of the industrial working class.Who reached this conclusion?

Accepted Answer

This conclusion was reached by Karl Marx in his political and economic writings, particularly in his book "The Communist Manifesto" and in his critique of capitalism in "Das Kapital". Marx believed that the working class, as the main producers of wealth in society, had the potential to overthrow the capitalist system and establish a socialist society based on common ownership of the means of production.

Question 12

By definition,no socialist could support any form of free enterprise.

Accepted Answer

Socialism as an economic and political system can vary widely in its application, and some forms of socialism, such as social democracy, can support or incorporate elements of free enterprise alongside strong regulatory measures and social welfare programs.

Question 13

Which of the following Marxist beliefs would be at odds with Lenin's beliefs?

Accepted Answer

Marx believed that communism would first emerge in highly industrialized societies experiencing severe class conflict, but Lenin believed that socialist revolution could happen even in countries with less industrialization and lower levels of class conflict, as long as they had a strong revolutionary party to lead them.

Question 14

What is the term for the transition from a centrally planned economy to a market economy?

Accepted Answer

Marketization refers to the process of transitioning from a centrally planned economy to a market economy. This typically involves privatizing state-owned enterprises, removing price controls, and reducing government intervention in the economy. Nationalization refers to the opposite process of bringing private assets or industries under public control, while capitalization and syndicalism are unrelated concepts.

Question 15

According to Lenin,why had capitalism not yet spent itself,as Marx predicted?

Accepted Answer

Lenin believed that capitalism had not yet spent itself because it had found ways to overcome the problem of overproduction through imperialist expansion. In other words, capitalism had spread to new markets and territories, allowing it to continue to grow and develop despite the presence of internal contradictions and crises. Marx had predicted that capitalism would eventually collapse under the weight of its own contradictions, but Lenin argued that imperialism had delayed this process by creating new opportunities for capitalist expansion.

Question 16

What did Bakunin and the anarchists disagree with Marx on?

Accepted Answer

Bakunin and the anarchists disagreed with Marx on the role of the state, as Marx believed in the eventual withering away of the state and the transition to a classless society, while the anarchists believed in the immediate abolition of the state. They also disagreed on the importance of the masses, with Bakunin believing in the importance of individual freedom and action rather than relying on the masses to achieve revolution.

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT an example of modern social democratic planning?

Accepted Answer

Dictating amounts of key resources to be produced by the industry is an example of central planning, not modern social democratic planning which focuses on using government policies and programs to address social and economic inequalities while still maintaining market-based economies.

Question 18

What is the term for a state takeover of an industry or business?

Accepted Answer

Nationalization is the term used to describe the state takeover of an industry or business. This typically involves the government taking control of the assets, operations, and management of the industry or business, often with the goal of increasing public ownership and control. Privatization, on the other hand, involves the transfer of ownership and control from the public sector to the private sector. Syndicalism is a political ideology that advocates for the establishment of a society in which workers and their unions have control over the means of production and distribution. Deregulation involves the removal of government regulations and restrictions on industries and businesses, often with the aim of increasing competition and reducing barriers to entry.

Question 19

The policies of social democrats have evolved over the last century.In which way have they NOT changed?

Accepted Answer

Social democrats have not changed to give priority to socialism over democracy. The social democratic movement emerged as a compromise between the socialist and capitalist systems, seeking to redistribute wealth and power through democratic means, rather than imposing socialism through violent revolution. Social democracy still prioritizes democracy over a complete takeover by the state or socialism.

Question 20

Socialism is based on common ownership to avoid conflicts with central planning.How can a society where assembly line workers own the building where they work be considered a socialist society?

Accepted Answer

The society described is based on syndicalism, which is a type of socialism where workers own and manage the means of production themselves, without centralized planning. While this is not the only form of socialism, it fits within the broader philosophy of socialism as it prioritizes common ownership and democratic management of resources.

Quiz 12: Socialism and Communism