Lesson plan
Maximum programme
In Marxist praxis, a maximum programme consists of a series of demands aiming to achieve socialism. The concept of a maximum programme comes from the Erfurt Programme approved at the Congress of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) held in 1891 in Erfurt, and later mirrored by much of the Socialist International of 1889–1916. The Erfurt Programme was composed of a maximum and a minimum programme (consisting of immediate social demands). In the short term, Marxist parties were to pursue only the minimum programme of achievable demands, which would improve the lives of workers until the inevitable collapse of capitalism. "Minimalist" groups believed that the achievement of a minimum programme would enable them to become mass parties and pursue the maximum programme. Alternatively, maximalist socialists declared that they sought to implement the maximum programme, which in their view would lead to the achievement of the socialist state.…
Article summary
In Marxist praxis, a maximum programme consists of a series of demands aiming to achieve socialism. The concept of a maximum programme comes from the Erfurt Programme approved at the Congress of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) held in 1891 in Erfurt, and later mirrored by much of the Socialist International of 1889–1916. The Erfurt Programme was composed of a maximum and a minimum programme (consisting of immediate social demands). In the short term, Marxist parties were to pursue only the minimum programme of achievable demands, which would improve the lives of workers until the inevitable collapse of capitalism. "Minimalist" groups believed that the achievement of a minimum programme would enable them to become mass parties and pursue the maximum programme. Alternatively, maximalist socialists declared that they sought to implement the maximum programme, which in their view would lead to the achievement of the socialist state.…
Key claims
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
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- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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