Capitalism, socialism and communism as ideas of the industrial age, and what happened where they were tried
Grade 10 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence
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Cards A to D. Card A, a primary source: Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations (1776), Book IV, as printed in 1909. Smith is writing about a person who chooses where to put his money to work: "…he intends only his own gain, and he is in this, as in many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention." Card B, a primary source: Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the Communist Manifesto, in Samuel Moore's English translation of 1888. Section I: "The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles." Section II: "…the theory of the Communists may be summed up in the single sentence: Abolition of private property." Engels's 1888 preface says the Manifesto was drawn up in German in January 1848 as the platform of the Communist League. Card C, a summary in our words, written today: Under capitalism, the bulk of the means of production (farms, factories and tools) is privately owned and controlled, and markets allocate goods. Under socialism, the bulk is under social, democratic control; some proposals keep markets. A dictionary of 1924 listed no fewer than forty definitions of socialism. Card D, a summary in our words: In 1782 Arkwright set up Manchester's first steam-powered spinning mill, because demand for cotton was rising. By 1802 the town had more than 50 mills. In 1831 its population was 188,000, double what it was 20 years earlier. Enslaved people forced to grow cotton in the southern United States met Manchester's demand for raw cotton. In 1833 new laws banned mill work for children under nine.
Card A is one sentence from The Wealth of Nations. Ari asks what it can show about how Smith thought markets work.
- How markets worked in 1909, since the passage was printed in that year
- That markets need no rules, since people serve society unintentionally
- His invisible-hand idea, though one sentence cannot show his whole argument
- How many people owned factories in 1776, since Smith wrote in that year
Card B is the Manifesto in an 1888 translation. Bo asks what a reader should keep in mind about it as evidence.
- It speaks for the whole socialist movement, since it is the most famous socialist text
- It answers The Wealth of Nations directly, since it was written 72 years later
- It reports what happened in communist countries, since this translation dates from 1888
- It is a platform for one group, written in German in 1848, read in translation
Card D reports Manchester's mills and population. Esme asks if it shows that the new factories made workers' lives better.
- Yes; a town that doubled in 20 years was drawing workers who found it better
- No; it shows growth in mills and people, not wages, health or hours
- Yes; the 1833 law shows the mills had become safe by then
- Yes; card C says markets allocate goods, so workers gained from the markets
Which claim about private property do cards A, B and C support, Kira asks?
- Socialism and communism are the same idea, since card B and card C both mention ownership
- Smith wanted to abolish private property, as the Manifesto's authors did
- The Manifesto gives the whole case against capitalism, since it names private property
- Capitalism rests on private ownership, which the Manifesto's authors wanted to abolish
A student says the invisible hand means a government should do nothing. What does card A show, Luz asks?
- Card C agrees, since capitalism lets markets allocate goods without a central plan
- It shows an unintended effect of self-interest; it says nothing of government
- Smith opposed government action, since the hand works without direction from anyone
- The 1776 market worked without rules, since Smith described what he saw around him
Cards C and D: Noah asks which fact on card D fits the capitalist description on card C.
- The 1833 laws, which show markets ran without rules before
- Privately owned mills built because demand for cotton was rising
- A state plan for how many mills to build in Manchester
- Enslaved people growing the cotton, since capitalism is defined by that labor
Card B was written in 1848 and card D reports Manchester's mills. Pia asks how the two may fit together.
- Card B describes the 1833 laws that card D reports for children in the mills
- The Manifesto caused the 1833 laws that card D reports for children under nine
- Card D supports card B's claim that history is class struggle, since mills had owners and workers
- Card D shows industrial growth of the kind the Manifesto's authors wrote about
Card D says Manchester's 1831 population of 188,000 was double that of 20 years earlier. Ren asks what the growth shows.
- About 94,000 more people in 20 years, which says nothing yet about wages
- Even growth of about 4,700 a year, since the card gives a 20-year total
- About 188,000 more people in 20 years, since the card gives that figure
- Rising wages, since a town that doubles must pay more to attract workers
Card C says a dictionary of 1924 listed at least forty definitions of socialism. Tala asks what that count can show.
- Forty is a count of countries that had tried socialism by the year 1924
- People used the word in many senses, so a claim must say which one
- The count shows the word was already losing its meaning by 1924 for most users
- Socialism had forty working systems by 1924, one for each definition
Card D says Manchester's first steam-powered spinning mill opened in 1782 and the town had more than 50 mills by 1802. Zee asks what the two counts show.
- Mill building grew fast, from one steam-powered mill to more than 50 in 20 years
- More than 50 steam-powered mills by 1802, since the first one opened in 1782
- The 1833 laws slowed mill building after 1802, as the card shows by its dates
- Mills needed no new workers, since machines did the spinning in each of them