A collection of readings from Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Rosa Luxemburg, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, Leon Trotsky, and Antonio Gramsci which reflect the experience of the labour, socialist, and communist movements that did so much to shape modern history.
The readings collected here—of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Rosa Luxemburg, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, Leon Trotsky, and Antonio Gramsci— reflect the experience of the labor, socialist, and communist movements that did so much to shape modern history. A dedication to working-class revolution gives coherence to the influential philosophical, economic, sociological, and historical works of these writers.
Paul Le Blanc's introductory essay probes the structure and dynamics of Marxism as a political orientation, tracing connections among components that can be found in the readings: the theory of capitalist development, the theory of the labor movement, the strategy of revolution, the conception of the transition to socialism. Others identified with the Marxist tradition—such as Plekhanov, Kautsky, Stalin, Mao—are also discussed, and attention is given to perspectives of such varied critics of Marxism as Sidney Hook, Bertram D. Wolfe, James Burnham, Daniel Bell, Robert Heilbroner, and C. Wright Mills. Historical reflections are blended with discussion of the durability of capitalism, the disappointment of hopes for workers' revolution, the "collapse of communism," issues of race and gender, the environment, and challenges of the twenty-first century.
This is an extremely valuable volume. It gathers in one place material from various sources and makes it accessible to the serious student. The scholarly apparatus—bibliography, short biographies, and introductory essays— make it especially useful both for the general reader and for teachers in the field. It should make a useful contribution in our struggle for human freedom."
—Prof. Dennis Brutus, University of Pittsburgh
"Paul Le Blanc's understanding of Marxism as both a 'strategic perspective and tactical orientation,' as theory and practice, provides a timely corrective to the continued emphasis on Marxism as theory, restoring a rich tradition of struggle....I will require the book for my courses on cultural studies, the rhetoric of agitation and control, and graduate seminars on topics ranging from postmodernist social theory to feminist media studies."
—Prof. Carol A. Stabile, University of Pittsburgh
