Capitalism, socialism and communism as ideas of the industrial age, and what happened where they were tried

Grade 10 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   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.

2. 1.

   Card B is the Manifesto in an 1888 translation. Bo asks what a reader should keep in mind about it as evidence.

   • It is a platform for one group, written in German in 1848, read in translation
   • 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
3. 2.

   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
   • 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
   • No; it shows growth in mills and people, not wages, health or hours
4. 3.

   A student says card C shows that socialism rejects markets. What does card C say, Jun asks?

   • Socialism has forty definitions, so no claim about it can be made from card C
   • Capitalism and socialism both put the bulk of factories in private hands
   • Some socialist proposals keep markets, so it does not reject them outright
   • Capitalism keeps markets, and socialism rejects them in each proposal it lists
5. 4.

   Which claim about private property do cards A, B and C support, Kira asks?

   • The Manifesto gives the whole case against capitalism, since it names private property
   • Smith wanted to abolish private property, as the Manifesto's authors did
   • Capitalism rests on private ownership, which the Manifesto's authors wanted to abolish
   • Socialism and communism are the same idea, since card B and card C both mention ownership
6. 5.

   A student says the invisible hand means a government should do nothing. What does card A show, Luz asks?

   • 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
   • 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
7. 6.

   Card A is from 1776 and card B from 1848. Milo asks what the 72-year gap lets a reader say about the two.

   • Smith answered the Manifesto, since he wrote about class struggle before it did
   • The Manifesto came later, so it could respond to Smith; he could not respond to it
   • The Manifesto refutes Smith, since it is later and rejects private property
   • 72 years is short, so both texts describe the same economy and the same problems
8. 7.

   Card B was written in 1848 and card D reports Manchester's mills. Pia asks how the two may fit together.

   • 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 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
9. 8.

   Card D says Manchester's 1831 population of 188,000 was double that of 20 years earlier. Ren asks what the growth shows.

   • Rising wages, since a town that doubles must pay more to attract workers
   • 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
10. 9.

    Card C says a dictionary of 1924 listed at least forty definitions of socialism. Tala asks what that count can show.

    • People used the word in many senses, so a claim must say which one
    • Socialism had forty working systems by 1924, one for each definition
    • The count shows the word was already losing its meaning by 1924 for most users
    • Forty is a count of countries that had tried socialism by the year 1924
11. 10.

    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.

    • Mills needed no new workers, since machines did the spinning in each of them
    • Mill building grew fast, from one steam-powered mill to more than 50 in 20 years
    • The 1833 laws slowed mill building after 1802, as the card shows by its dates
    • More than 50 steam-powered mills by 1802, since the first one opened in 1782