Bevir The Making of British Socialism

Course Book
ISBN: 978-1-4008-4028-1
Verlag: De Gruyter
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 368 Seiten

A compelling look at the origins of British socialism

The Making of British Socialism provides a new interpretation of the emergence of British socialism in the late nineteenth century, demonstrating that it was not a working-class movement demanding state action, but a creative campaign of political hope promoting social justice, personal transformation, and radical democracy. Mark Bevir shows that British socialists responded to the dilemmas of economics and faith against a background of diverse traditions, melding new economic theories opposed to capitalism with new theologies which argued that people were bound in divine fellowship.

Bevir utilizes an impressive range of sources to illuminate a number of historical questions: Why did the British Marxists follow a Tory aristocrat who dressed in a frock coat and top hat? Did the Fabians develop a new economic theory? What was the role of Christian theology and idealist philosophy in shaping socialist ideas? He explores debates about capitalism, revolution, the simple life, sexual relations, and utopian communities. He gives detailed accounts of the Marxists, Fabians, and ethical socialists, including famous authors such as William Morris and George Bernard Shaw. And he locates these socialists among a wide cast of colorful characters, including Karl Marx, Henry Thoreau, Leo Tolstoy, and Oscar Wilde.

By showing how socialism combined established traditions and new ideas in order to respond to the changing world of the late nineteenth century, The Making of British Socialism turns aside long-held assumptions about the origins of a major movement.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Bevir, Mark

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Ideologien Marxismus, Kommunismus
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Europäische Geschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xi

List of Abbreviations xiii

Chapter One: Introduction: Socialism and History 1

Chapter Two: The Victorian Context 22

Part One: The Marxists 43

Chapter Three: Ernest Belfort Bax 45

Chapter Four: Henry Mayers Hyndman 65

Chapter Five: William Morris 85

Chapter Six: The Social Democratic Federation 106

Part Two: The Fabians 129

Chapter Seven: Theories of Rent 131

Chapter Eight: George Bernard Shaw 152

Chapter Nine: Sidney Webb 173

Chapter Ten: Permeation and Independent Labor 195

Part Three: The Ethical Socialists 215

Chapter Eleven: Welfarism, Socialism, and Religion 217

Chapter Twelve: American Romanticism and British Socialism 235

Chapter Thirteen: Ethical Anarchism 256

Chapter Fourteen: The Labour Church Movement 278

Conclusion: Socialism, Labor, and the State 298

Bibliography 317

Index 337

Über Autor(innen)

Mark Bevir is professor of political science at the University of California, Berkeley. His books include Democratic Governance (Princeton).