Suchergebnisse

Defends Marxist theory against Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe (who replied in number 166 to a criticism of their work by Norman Geras in 163), while maintaining that there remains in Marxist conceptions of politics a reductionism that still needs correction. (Abstract amended)

It has been said that the normal English reaction to uncomfortable facts of life, such as Marxism, is an embarrassed but determined silence. That anyone should experience a desire to enquire into ideas as such, and to probe into the motives influencing them, seems extraordinary. Marxism is, however, subjected to a close study in this book, first published in 1957, and the collected essays attempt the task of combining certain elements in the heritage of modern culture with the insights of Marxism. There can be no vital thinking for our age that does not do justice to both traditions.

Marx described the usual image of capitalism presented by bourgeois ideology as not so much falsifying the facts, but interpreting them in a superficially plausible way which reverses their actual meaning. Without this perspective, the social sciences inevitably present a one-sided analysis of the events they study, whose effect is to disguise the actual workings of capitalism. Marxism, the major alternative form of analysis, should be included in the curricula of every U. W. H. Stoddard.

Introduction : our time and the Age of Marx -- Into the twenty-first century : the new parameters of global politics -- Twentieth-century Marxism and the dialectics of modernity -- After dialectics : radical social theory in the North at the dawn of the twenty-first century

A response to Ronald Aronson's "Toward a Relativized Marxism" (1996/97 [see abstract 9816196]) suggests that Aronson's declaration for the death of Marxism is an indication of his own incomplete break from a particular type of Marxism -- classical modernist. While other Marxists have abandoned this stand, Aronson betrays his continued affiliation to it in his messianic declaration of its death. Aronson's shared predilection for rigidity with classical Marxism is taken to be symptomatic of a desire for historical certainty & a common cultural formation. It is contended that, rather than allowing Marxism to evolve & to change in line with new political & theoretical conditions, Aronson seems intent on confining it to official & now inadequate representations. To avoid this end, it is concluded that Marxists can best preserve the heroic moment of the past by moving forward without denying it. 4 References. D. M. Smith

The claim that Marxism is responsible for the economic & political collapse of the communist states is refuted. Rather, it is argued that the stage of the "liberation" of Marxism is approaching. The phases of the transformation of state socialism into the actual conflict between forces & relations of production are examined using the example of the steel factories in Hungary. Contemporary ideological discourse in Hungary celebrates democracy while the ex-Party apparatchiks are becoming a capitalist class, & the oppositional parties disseminate chauvinism & anti-Semitism. It is predicted that the sale of public enterprises & rapid incorporation into the world market will create new forms of exploitation & underdevelopment. Solutions should be sought in new forms of democratic socialism. A. Devic

Traces the history of Marxist theory & explores some reasons for its failure. It is argued that Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels based their claim of socialism as a scientific theory on their own prophesies of a future proletariat & bourgeoisie class system that would inevitably lead to revolution & subsequent classlessness. Events in 19th-century Europe proved the theory incorrect, as the middle class grew & wealth among the capitalists became more dispersed. Further, it is argued that WWI destroyed the claim that "working men have no country" as men displayed their patriotism by fighting in the war. Next, the Bolshevik revolution & the rise of communism in the USSR are critiqued as means of returning credibility to Marxism because they demolished its theoretical structure: the proletariat had not brought about socialism through revolution, nor was the USSR an advanced capitalist country. Finally, Marxism as an analytic tool is dismissed. I. Sharp

Describes the origins & development of Marxism in Ireland. It is observed that Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels took a great interest in the political & economic developments in Ireland & publicly advocated Irish independence. However, the consequence of the postfamine years prevented the formation of revolutionary movements until the 1860s, with the emergence of Finianism. James Connolly is identified as the first authentic Marxist voice in Ireland, who was very much a part of the second international tradition of Marxism & in regular contact with its European leaders. While Marxism was repressed during WWI & in the years after state formation in the 1920s, the 1960s brought renewed interest of a young generation. This movement fragmented by the 1970s & Marxism remained in decline through the 1980s. In the late 1990s, Marxism is finding a growing audience in Ireland & seems likely to experience a modest revival. 24 References. D. M. Smith