Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for Social sciences for Baccalaureate

Proudhonism and the Labor Movement

Proudhonists favored private property and a peaceful, progressive evolution, distinct from the revolutionary concepts of Marxism. They rejected the use of strikes to achieve favorable labor laws for workers.

At the Basel Congress, Mikhail Bakunin made his appearance. Having founded the International Alliance of Socialist Democracy, he gained the support of numerous national sections and requested accession to the First International, which materialized that year.

Ideological Divergence

This triggered several debates between the two great theorists of the labor movement, revealing an unbridgeable gulf between their ideologies. Key differences include:

• State Conception: Marxists aimed for the conquest of the state

The Application of Science and Policy

Marxist historical materialism investigates human society without ideological assumptions, based on empirical individuals and the relations established between them.^[7] Unlike approaches that show capitalism as a static system or as a product of natural evolution, historical materialist research reveals its historical character and therefore transitional nature in the development of mankind.

Marx and Engels applied this new conception of history to analyze political and social events of the past and their time. This led to a new wave of socialism, where the taking of sides by communism and proletarian class struggle compounded the scientific study of bourgeois society and the transition from this to a communist...

The Liberal Revolution and the Cortes of Cádiz

The political developments in occupied Spain created a revolutionary process and a confrontation between the pro-French and the patriots. Within the patriot camp, a division emerged between liberals and absolutists. This revolutionary process had three centers of action:

• The Boards (Juntas): These were formed to address the power vacuum caused by the French invasion. These local boards were organized at the provincial level, which then reported to the Central Board. The boards were composed of bishops, military commanders, writers, lawyers, and other prominent figures.
• The Guerrilla Movement: The failures of the regular Spanish army led to another kind of resistance. The guerrilla movement arose

Restoration Europe: The Post-Napoleonic Era

The Restoration began following the defeat of Napoleon in 1815. This period was defined by a sharp divide between those who supported the return of the Old Regime and those who opposed it.

Supporters of the Restoration

The proponents of the Restoration included:

• Kings, nobility, and clergy: They sought to regain the power and privileged positions held during the Old Regime.
• Intellectual traditionalists: They insisted on the divine origin of power and the legitimacy of kings as the sole rulers. Key figures included Bonald and Haller.

Opponents of the Restoration

The opposition consisted of diverse groups with varying motivations:

• Farmers: They resisted the restoration of feudal rights.
• Merchants and manufacturers:

The Principles of Free Trade

Free trade is the economic doctrine that advocates for no state intervention in international trade. This approach allows the flow of goods to be governed by the comparative advantages of each country and the competitiveness of enterprises. It assumes that this will result in a proper distribution of goods and services and an optimal allocation of economic resources worldwide.

The Transition from Mercantilism to Liberalism

The relationship between the state and the economy during the nineteenth century was guided by the progressive dismantling of mercantilist practices developed by the absolute state and influenced by the manorial system. In theory, economic liberalism proposed the withdrawal of the state from the...

The Legislative Process: Drafting Laws

Initiative

• The Executive Power (PE) can present projects on any issue.
• The population cannot submit projects involving:
  1. Constitutional Reform
  2. Taxes (Tributos)
  3. Management
  4. Questions of Sovereignty
  5. Criminal Matters
• Legislative Members have the exclusive initiative for projects concerning troop contributions and recruitment.
• Senators are necessarily the Chamber of Origin for drafts concerning federal co-participation.

Sanctioning the Bill

This stage involves the Legislative Power (PL) chambers, which act as the Chamber of Origin and the Review Chamber. Being the Chamber of Origin is advantageous for the project's progression.

If the Chamber of Origin grants partial approval, the project proceeds to the Review Chamber....

Historical Materialism

Historical materialism is a theory about society which posits that the basis of all social order lies in production. Humans differ from animals when they begin to produce their means of subsistence, thereby indirectly producing their material life. To achieve this, humans must work, with work being the cause of production. This work has always been social and collective, thus creating a series of links and relationships between all agents of production, known as social relations.

Production Factors

Production is the activity that creates material assets and is conditioned by the nature of the objects being processed. This production involves two key elements: the work process and the relations of production. These two elements...

Bilingualism refers to the use of two or more languages by an individual or a community, or to communication between speakers of different languages. The term bilingualism designates very different cases:

Individual bilingualism

Individual bilingualism is the use of two languages by the same person. There is symmetrical bilingualism when a person speaks both languages equally; the opposite is asymmetrical bilingualism. Bilingualism can be instrumental when someone learns a second language for practical reasons. We also distinguish passive bilingualism, when one understands another language but does not speak it or does not want to speak it, from active bilingualism, when one both understands and uses the other language.

Territorial bilingualism

Territorial

Core Economic Definitions

An organization is a group of people organized and coordinated to work on a common goal.

A company is an economic unit that processes raw materials to develop products, meeting consumer needs and earning money by selling its products or services.

Economics is the social science that manages resources for all types of work, developing and converting them into goods and services to meet the economic needs of people.

A human need (or necessity) is the feeling of lacking something, a certain discomfort that generates the urge to fulfill what we need.

Business Fundamentals

Elements Involved in Business:

• Factors of Production: Nature, Labor, Capital, Entrepreneurship.

Actors Involved in Business:

• Households
• Companies
• The State

Types

Public Services in Spain

The public sector's role has been instrumental in the growth of service activities in Spain over the last few decades. The generalization of the so-called welfare state has made public spending on education, health, and other social services an essential part of national budgets.

The Public Administration

In Spain, the State is organized territorially into municipalities, provinces, and autonomous regions, with services provided at local and regional levels. These services are often concentrated in urban centers, which act as administrative capitals serving the rest of their provinces and communities.

Social Protection and Key Services

Spain operates as a welfare state, or social state, meaning the government has assumed...