Western Marxism And The Soviet Union

The ‘Russian Question’ was an absolutely central problem for Marxism in the twentieth century. Numerous attempts were made to understand the nature of Soviet society. The present book tries to portray the development of these theoretical contributions since 1917 in a coherent, comprehensive appraisal. It aims to present the development of the Western Marxist critique of the Soviet Union across a rather long period in history (from 1917 to the present) and in a large region (Western Europe and North America). Within this demarcation of limits in time and space, an effort has been made to ensure completeness, by paying attention to all Marxist analyses which in some way significantly deviated from or added to the older theories.

This synoptic essay considers the nature and evolution of the Marxist theory that developed in Western Europe, after the defeat of the proletarian rebellions in the West and the isolation of the Russian Revolution in the East in the early 1920s. It focuses particularly on the work of Lukcs, Korsch and Gramsci; Adorno, Marcuse and Benjamin; Sartre and Althusser; and Della Volpe and Colletti, together with other figures within Western Marxism from 1920 to 1975. The theoretical production of each of these thinkers is related simultaneously to the practical fate of working-class struggles and to the cultural mutations of bourgeois thought in their time. The philosophical antecedents of the various school within this tradition - Lukcsian, Gramscian, Frankfurt, Sartrean, Althusserian and Della Volpean - are compared, and the specific innovations of their respective systems surveyed. The structural unity of 'Western Marxism', beyond the diversity of its individual thinkers, is then assessed, in a balance-sheet that contrasts its heritage with the tradition of 'classical' Marxism that preceded it, and with the commanding problems which will confront any historical materialism to succeed it.

Marxism after Marx is the only one-volume comprehensive examination of the work of every major Marxist thinker. The book is divided into five main sections: the German Social Democrats, Russian Marxism, European Marxism between the wars, China and the Third World, and contemporary Marxism in Europe and the United States. Each section contains a valuable list of readings and a complete bibliography. Written by one of the most respected scholars in the field, Marxism after Marx is a detailed, lucid history of Marxist ideas, a reliable guide to the most influential body of thought in our age. -- Book cover.

Divided into three parts examining Marxism historically, geographically and thematically, 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.

A stinging critique of Western Marxism, counterposing its complicity with imperialist logic against a resurgent anti-imperialism Western Marxism: How It Was Born, How It Died, How It Can Be Reborn is a paradigm-shifting book that provides a trenchant critique of the Western left intelligentsia. It reveals how its dominant ideological orientation—characterized by defeatism, utopianism, and anti-communism—is rooted in the political economy of imperialism. Internationally acclaimed theorist Domenico Losurdo thus provides a fresh and challenging perspective on purportedly radical thinkers who have been widely promoted in the imperial core, including those affiliated with the Frankfurt School, French Theory, and operaismo, as well as Hannah Arendt, Giorgio Agamben, Michael Hardt, and Slavoj Žižek, among others. His critique also has wide-reaching implications for trend-setting discourses inspired by this coterie of intellectuals, from postcolonial and decolonial theory to subaltern studies and beyond. Far from being a negative undertaking, however, this book is grounded in the positive project of reigniting anti-imperialist Marxism. As a complement to the Italian edition of Western Marxism, this first-ever English translation also features the unprecedented publication of a major lecture that demystifies “Western Marxism” and its role in imperialists’ efforts to denigrate the achievements of actually existing socialism. Raising the stakes of what it means to produce critical theory, Western Marxism will surely provoke wide debate and a reevaluation of hallowed canons.

Explore the intricate world of "Western Marxism" in the "Political Science" series. This book delves into the evolution and impact of critical theories in Western societies, providing deep insights into contemporary political thought and social movements. Whether you're a professional, student, or curious reader, "Western Marxism" elevates your understanding of complex ideas. 1: Western Marxism - Introduces the origins and key principles distinguishing Western Marxism from its Eastern counterpart. 2: Louis Althusser - Analyzes Althusser's contributions, focusing on structuralism and ideology. 3: Critique of Dialectical Reason - Examines Sartre's work on dialectics and historical materialism in Western discourse. 4: Karl Korsch - Investigates Korsch's revisionist theories and their influence on Western thought. 5: Praxis - Explores praxis as a crucial element in Western Marxist thought, linking theory and practice. 6: Raya Dunayevskaya - Surveys Dunayevskaya's contributions to Marxist humanism and reinterpretations of Marx. 7: Marxist aesthetics - Examines Marxism's influence on Western artistic movements and cultural criticism. 8: 20th-century French philosophy - Traces Marxism's impact on French philosophers like Foucault and Derrida. 9: Marxist schools of thought - Maps out diverse interpretations within Western Marxism. 10: For Marx - Revisits Althusser's work and its implications for understanding Marx. 11: Philosophy in the Soviet Union - Analyzes Marxist philosophy's evolution in the Soviet context. 12: Main Currents of Marxism - Traverses key intellectual currents within Western Marxism. 13: Marxist humanism - Explores the humanist dimensions of Western Marxist thought. 14: Young Marx - Examines Marx's early writings and their influence on Western Marxism. 15: Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 - Analyzes Marx's early explorations of alienation and labor. 16: Marxist philosophy - Synthesizes diverse strands of Western Marxist philosophy. 17: György Lukács - Investigates Lukács's contributions to Western Marxism, focusing on reification and class consciousness. 18: Orthodox Marxism - Examines orthodox Marxism's foundational tenets and their adaptations in Western thought. 19: Dialectical materialism - Explores dialectical materialism in Western Marxism, contrasting historical interpretations. 20: History and Class Consciousness - Revisits Lukács's work on ideology, consciousness, and revolutionary praxis. 21: Outline of Marxism - Provides an overview of key Marxist principles in Western contexts. "Western Marxism" offers essential insights and validations across critical theories, making it a must-have for any library or curriculum. This intellectual journey is key to understanding contemporary political and social dynamics.

-- Douglas Kellner, University of Texas, Austin

The essays in this volume trace an intellectual odyssey, a search for a genuinely critical theory. The book begins with the question of why the Frankfurt School as well as other neo-Marxist and post-Marxist analysts, both in the West and in dissident circles in the East, failed to produce a critical theory of Soviet socialism or to establish a dynamic relationship with contemporary social movements. As the political struggle in Eastern Europe intensified, the author of this book disengaged from his own efforts to reconstruct a critical Marxism. Instead, he attempts a reconstruction of democratic theory based on civil society rather than class categories, and with a critical relevance not only to the transition from state socialism but more generally to the universal goal of emancipation.

Observing that for both revolutionaries and capitalists, nothing succeeds like success, Russell Jacoby asks us to reexamine a loser of Marxism: the unorthodox Marxism of Western Europe. The author begins with a polemical attack on 'conformist' or orthodox Marxism, in which he includes structuralist schools. He argues that a cult of success and science drained this Marxism of its critical impulse and that the successes of the Russian and Chinese revolutions encouraged a mechanical and fruitless mimicry. He then turns to a Western alternative that neither succumbed to the spell of success nor obliterated the individual in the name of science. In the nineteenth century, this Western Marxism already diverged from Russian Marxism in its interpretation of Hegel and its evaluation of Engels' orthodox Marxism. The author follows the evolution of this minority tradition and its opposition to authoritarian forms of political theory and practice.

In Marx After Marx, Harry Harootunian questions the claims of Western Marxism and its presumption of the final completion of capitalism. If this shift in Marxism reflected the recognition that the expected revolutions were not forthcoming in the years before World War II, its Cold War afterlife helped to both unify the West in its struggle with the Soviet Union and bolster the belief that capitalism remained dominant in the contest over progress. This book deprovincializes Marx and the West's cultural turn by returning to the theorist's earlier explanations of capital's origins and development, which followed a trajectory beyond Euro-America to Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Marx's expansive view shows how local circumstances, time, and culture intervened to reshape capital's system of production in these regions. His outline of a diversified global capitalism was much more robust than was his sketch of the English experience in Capital and helps explain the disparate routes that evolved during the twentieth century. Engaging with the texts of Lenin, Luxemburg, Gramsci, and other pivotal theorists, Harootunian strips contemporary Marxism of its cultural preoccupation by reasserting the deep relevance of history.