Twentieth Century Marxism

This book outlines and assesses the Marxist tradition as it developed in the twentieth century, and considers its place and standing as we move into the twenty-first century. It is divided into three parts examining Marxism historically, geographically and thematically: Part 1 analyzes early Marxism in Russia and Europe as it developed after the death of Marx. Lenin, Trotsky, Luxemburg, Kautsky, Bernstein and the school of thought associated with them are all examined Part 2 deals with thinkers, debates and movements that followed the early Marxism focused on in part one, and includes chapters on Marxism in Europe, the Soviet Union, Africa, Asia and Latin America Part 3 is concerned with more contemporary debates in relation to Marxism and its standing and role today. The chapters in this section consider various themes including the relationship between theory and practice in Marxism, democratic procedure and liberties, Marxism as an economic critique of capitalism and Marxist methodology. Twentieth Century Marxism is not an introspective discussion of Marxism that would be of interest only to a limited number of specialists. Rather, it provides a thoughtful and stimulating contribution to debates about the role of Marxism today and its future direction.

In spite of the significance of the Mexican political left, which has surged in recent years, little information has been available to English-language readers. In this important book Barry Carr describes the Mexican leftist movement's attempts to come to grips with the Mexican Revolution of 1910-20 and the ruling party that resulted, and its own efforts to radicalize and organize Mexican workers. Carr offers intriguing new material on the Mexican Communist party's international relations, especially with its counterpart in the United States, and on the Mexican background to the assassination of Leon Trotsky in 1940. He also examines the non-Communist left as it has emerged since 1960. Based on archival sources, Marxism and Communism in Twentieth-Century Mexico is the first study of the entire spectrum of the Mexican left to appear in any language.

This monograph is the first academic work to apply a neo-Marxist approach to 20th-century Canadian social realist novels, pursuing a refreshingly (neo-)Marxist approach to such issues as Bakhtinian notions of the novelistic form and dialogism as applied to Canadian socio-political novels influenced by various socialisms, socialist-feminist concerns, economic and sexual politics, and the genre of social realism. In so doing, it demonstrates that Marxist socialism is as relevant today as it was in the 1930s, just as social realist novels continue to thrive as a critique of capitalism. Readers will find valuable insights into the social significance, formal innovations, moral sensitivity, aesthetic enrichment, and ideological complexity of Canadian social realist novels.

Useful to both students and scholars of the social sciences and humanities, this book provides a guide to fundamental issues in twentieth-century Marxist thought. Outlining the two distinct and incompatible critiques of vulgar Marxism-- Marxist-Leninism and humanistic Marxism--that gained prominence in the aftermath of World War I, this book presents both an historical overview of these two dominant traditions and a critical analysis of their philosophical roots. Challenging the viewpoints of Marxist thought which have prevailed in this century, Richard Hudelson, argues that the supposed philosophical breakthroughs claimed by both Marxist-Leninism and humanistic Marxism rest upon flawed reasoning. With a careful critique of these prevailing views he presents his own view which while receptive to the social scientific work of current analytical Marxism, de-emphasizes the importance of philosophy in the study of Marxism. Hudelson contends that developments in contemporary philosophy of science will allow for an appreciation of the scientific Marxism of the Second International without recourse to the philosophical theories of humanistic Marxism and Marxist-Leninism. Also, using some of the more recent developments in the philosophy of science, this book makes possible a fruitful exchange between analytical Marxism and Marxist-Leninism. Divided into three parts, the book first presents a historical introduction which identifies positions and arguments of historical significance. This is followed by an analytical look at various arguments to determine where the strongest position lies. Finally, the author offers some concluding remarks on the significance of his analysis for current directions within Marxist philosophy.

Marxism in a Lost Century retells the history of the radical left during the twentieth century through the words and deeds of Paul Mattick. Three biographical themes receive special attention -- the self-taught nature of left-wing activity, Mattick’s publishing endeavors, and the nexus of men, politics, and friendship.

The current resurgence of Marxism is based on new sources of inspiration and creativity from movements that seek democratic, egalitarian and ecological alternatives to capitalism. The Marxism of many of these movements is neither dogmatic nor prescriptive, but rather, open, searching, utopian. It revolves around four primary factors: the importance of democracy for an emancipatory project; the ecological limits of capitalism; the crisis of global capitalism; and the learning of lessons from the failures of Marxist-inspired experiments. Marxisms in the Twenty-First Century challenges vanguardist Marxism featured in South Africa and beyond. Featuring leading thinkers from the Left, the book offers provocative ideas on interpreting our current world and serves as an excellent introduction to new ways of thinking about Marxism to students and scholars in the field. Many anti-capitalist traditions and themes - including democracy, globalisation, feminism, critique and ecology inform and shape the contributions in this volume.