Moses Hess Utopian Socialist

"Socialism in its conceptual origins is an Anglo-French creation, but its classical formulation was achieved by Marx in Germany. This three-fold movement, involving the principle countries of western Europe, is the theme to which George Lichtheim turns his attention in his new history of early socialism. Beginning with the utopians and egalitarians of revolutionary France, and dealing in turn with the major figures of French socialist and communist thought--Fourier, Proudhon, Saint-Simon, and many minor ones, with the economists and theorists who shaped the socialist movement in England before 1848, and finally, with Germany's "pre-Marxist" thinkers and with Marx himself, the author offers a pioneering analysis of the interrelation between socialist theory and the historical circumstances in which it arose and flourished. Socialism was not, of course, a homogeneous movement, and it is the particular merit of Mr. Lichtheim's discerning and eloquent presentation that it preserves all the richness and complexity of the political history of those tumultuous decades before 1848. In particular, the author throws new light on the distinctive meanings--then and later--of the terms "socialism" and "communism." Mr. Lichtheim offers an analysis of the major theoretical formulation of socialism, but at the same time he sets them in larger philosophical and historical contexts in which they belong. This is intellectual history of the highest order, and a major contribution to the study of European political philosophy." -- Publisher's description

Moses Hess is a major figure in the development of both early communist and Zionist thought. The Holy History of Mankind appeared in 1837, and was the first book-length socialist tract to appear in Germany, representing an unusual synthesis of Judaism and Christianity that showed the considerable influence upon Hess of Spinoza, Herder and Hegel. In due course many of Hess's ideas would find their way into the work of Karl Marx, and into subsequent socialist thought. The distinguished political scientist Shlomo Avineri provides the first full English translation of this text, along with new renditions of Socialism and Communism, A Communist Credo; and The Consequences of a Future Revolution of the Proletariat. All of the usual reader-friendly series features are provided, including a chronology, concise introduction and notes for further reading, in a work of special relevance to students of politics, modern European history, and the history of Zionism.

"Koltun-Fromm's reading of Hess is of crucial import for those who study the construction of self in the modern world as well as for those who are concerned with Hess and his contributions to modern thought.... a reading of Hess that is subtle, judicious, insightful, and well supported." -- David Ellenson Moses Hess, a fascinating 19th-century German Jewish intellectual figure, was at times religious and secular, traditional and modern, practical and theoretical, socialist and nationalist. Ken Koltun-Fromm's radical reinterpretation of his writings shows Hess as a Jew struggling with the meaning of conflicting commitments and impulses. Modern readers will realize that in Hess's life, as in their own, these commitments remain fragmented and torn. As contemporary Jews negotiate multiple, often contradictory allegiances in the modern world, Koltun-Fromm argues that Hess's struggle to unite conflicting traditions and frameworks of meaning offers intellectual and practical resources to re-examine the dilemmas of modern Jewish identity. Adopting Charles Taylor's philosophical theory of the self to uncover Hess's various commitments, Koltun-Fromm demonstrates that Hess offers a rich, textured, though deeply conflicted and torn account of the modern Jew. This groundbreaking study in conceptions of identity in modern Jewish texts is a vital contribution to the diverse fields of Jewish intellectual history, philosophy, Zionism, and religious studies. Jewish Literature and Culture -- Alvin H. Rosenfeld, editor Published with the generous support of the Koret Foundation

Moses Hess is a major figure in the development of both early communist and Zionist thought. The Holy History of Mankind appeared in 1837, and was the first book-length socialist tract to appear in Germany, representing an unusual synthesis of Judaism and Christianity. The distinguished political scientist Shlomo Avineri provides the first full English translation of this classic text, along with new renditions of Sozialsmus und Kommunismus and Ein Kommunistisches Bekenntis. All of the usual student-friendly series features are provided, including a chronology, concise introduction and notes for further reading.

Socialism, Utopian and Scientific needs no preface. It ranks with the Communist Manifesto as one of the indispensable books for any one desiring to understand the modern socialist movement. It has been translated into every language where capitalism prevails, and its circulation is more rapid than ever before.