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Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Political ideologies > Marxism & Communism
First published in 1990. The individual's obligation to obey the
law, the state and the government is a fundamental part of
contemporary political theory. The contributors to this volume,
drawn from a variety of disciplines including philosophy, political
science and law, take a fresh look at the dilemmas of political
obligation. They discuss the extent to which we should allow the
need for conformity to override individual liberties, and ask
whether individualism is indeed feasible without a highly developed
sense of the 'public interest' or the 'common good'. The contrast
between individualism and communitarianism is examined throughout
the book. The contributors also look at the various means through
which the state can coerce or persuade the individual to be
obedient. The emphasis throughout this collection is on the
substantive problems themselves, rather than on the way these
issues have been addressed in the history of political thought. The
book offers a number of different perspectives on political
obligation, and will be valuable to students of moral, political,
social and legal philosophy.
Excavating the history of Marxism and Black revolutionary politics
Red Africa makes the case for a revolutionary Black politics
inspired by Marxist anticolonial struggles in Africa. Contemporary
debates on Black radicalism and decolonisation have lost sight of
the concerns that animated their twentieth-century intellectual
forebears. Okoth responds, challenging the claim that Marxism and
Black radicalism are incompatible and showing that both are
embraced in the anti-imperialist tradition he calls 'Red Africa'.
The politics of Black revolutionary writers Eduardo Mondlane,
AmÃlcar Cabral, Walter Rodney and Andrée Blouin gesture toward a
decolonised future that never materialised - instead it was
betrayed, violently sup- pressed, or erased. We might yet build
something new from the ruins of national liberation, something
which sustains the utopian promise of freedom and refuses to
surrender. Red Africa is a political project that hopes to salvage
what remains of this tradition.
This book examines the construction, dissemination, and reception
of the Stalin cult in East Germany from the end of World War II to
the building of the Berlin Wall. By exporting Stalin's cult to the
Eastern bloc, Moscow aspired to symbolically unite the communist
states in an imagined cult community pivoting around the Soviet
leader. Based on Russian and German archives, this work analyzes
the emergence of the Stalin cult's transnational dimension. On one
hand, it looks at how Soviet representations of power were
transferred and adapted in the former "enemy's" country. On the
other hand, it reconstructs "spaces of agency" where different
agents and generations interpreted, manipulated, and used the
Stalin cult to negotiate social identities and everyday life. This
study reveals both the dynamics of Stalinism as a political system
after the Cold War began and the foundations of modern politics
through mass mobilization, emotional bonding, and social
engineering in Soviet-style societies. As an integral part of the
global history of communism, this book opens up a comparative,
entangled perspective on the ways in which veneration of Stalin and
other nationalistic cults were established in socialist states
across Europe and beyond.
First published in 1933, Nationalism in the Soviet Union aims at
presenting the mentality of the Soviet citizen, of the Communist
'theology,' and the way in which it tried to make its peace with
the 'theology' of nationalism that dominated the world. The author
uses the term 'theology' intentionally for he argues that both the
Soviet Union and the Western civilization are based on the same
idea: the secularization of the Biblical faith in world history as
a single comprehensive conception; their methods, however, are
radically different. The Soviet Union's understanding and use of
nationalism provides deep insight into the nature of nationalism
while proving the well-known truth that the emotional appeal of
nationalism overrides all other forms of loyalties. Both a personal
account and a political note, this book will be of interest to
students of political science, international relations, history,
geography, and philosophy.
This is the epic story of those tens of thousands of communists
exiled from Spain after Franco's victory in the Spanish Civil War.
With their iron discipline and fervent dedication to Stalin's
cause, they did not hesitate, when the moment came in the Second
World War, to throw themselves again into the struggle against
fascism. In the Service of Stalin is the first full scholarly study
of their experiences. David Wingeate Pike examines the contribution
of the Spanish communists to the resistance in France and recounts
their sufferings in Mauthausen, the concentration camp in Austria
to which most who were captured were consigned. He also traces the
experiences of those thousands who were admitted into the Soviet
Union, where they fought in the Red Army or languished and perished
in the prisons and slave camps of the Gulag. Professor Pike's
unparalleled access to the archives, many previously unexplored,
and the information derived from his interviews with survivors
combine to make this both an important addition to our knowledge of
the Second World War and an enthralling, often moving account of
the experiences of some of its participants.
In this third decade of the 21st century, deep problems plague our
world. Many people lack adequate nutrition, health care, and
education, because-while there is enough wealth for everyone to
meet these basic needs-most of it is tightly controlled by precious
few. Global warming causes droughts, floods, rising sea levels, and
soon the forced migrations of millions of people. In this book,
philosopher Graham Priest explains why we find ourselves in this
situation, defines the nature of the problems we face, and explains
how we might solve and move beyond our current state. The first
part of this book draws on Buddhist philosophy, Marx's analysis of
capitalism, and their complementary role in explaining our present
crisis and the events that led us here. In the second part of the
book, Priest turns to the much harder question of how one might go
about creating a more rational and humane world. Here, he draws
again on Buddhist and Marxist ideas as well as some key aspects of
anarchist thought. His discussion of the need for bottom-up control
of production, power, ideology, and an emerging awareness of our
interdependence is a must-read for anyone who cares about the
future of the planet and our latent capacity to care for each
other. Key Features Explains the necessary elements of Marxist,
Buddhist, and anarchist thought-no background knowledge of
political theory or Buddhism is necessary Shows how Buddhist and
Marxist notions of persons are complementary Convincingly shows
capitalism's role in creating current socio-economic problems
Provides an analysis of the corrosiveness of top-down power
structures and why they should be eliminated in a post-capitalist
state Discusses capitalism's role in war, environmental
degradation, and race and gender-based oppression
Part of a definitive English-language edition, prepared in
collaboration with the Institute of Marxism-Leninism in Moscow,
which contains all the works of Marx and Engels, whether published
in their lifetimes or since. The series includes their complete
correspondence and newly discovered works.
Are we doomed because of the new digital technologies used in
workspaces? Can we avoid measuring in our work? Or are we trapped
in a metrification dystopia? Can we create workspaces that can
produce what we prefer in order to use our human effort in ways
that support nature and our communities? And if yes, what
technologies could we use? Here, monetary-theorist Irene
Sotiropoulou explores and critiques the information and
communication means that were created for capitalist profit-making,
showing how we can subvert these and use them for our own
non-capitalist purposes. Machines Against Measures shows that in
times of capitalist restructuring and multiple social reproduction
crises, there open up new possibilities to experiment with
quantity, measuring, machines and digital technologies, creating
new ways of production and transaction. Within these, are ways of
sharing and producing that defy many principles of capitalist
relations. Using everyday examples from grassroots activity, this
book offers new insights into how to be inventive with what we have
at hand and be able to reflect on what technologies we truly need,
revealing a grounded and practical vision of technology and work,
based on re-defining why and how we measure what we do.
This collection systematically approaches the concept of
Czechoslovakism and its historical progression, covering the time
span from the mid-nineteenth century to Czechoslovakia's
dissolution in 1992/1993, while also providing the most recent
research on the subject. "Czechoslovakism" was a foundational
concept of the interwar Czechoslovak Republic and it remained an
important ideological, political and cultural phenomenon throughout
the twentieth century. As such, it is one of the most controversial
terms in Czech, Slovak and Central European history. While
Czechoslovakism was perceived by some as an effort to assert Czech
domination in Slovakia, for others it represented a symbol of the
struggle for the Republic's survival during the interwar and Second
World War periods. The authors take care to analyze
Czechoslovakism's various emotional connotations, however their
primary objective is to consider Czechoslovakism as an important
historical concept and follow its changes through the various
cultural-political contexts spanning from the mid-nineteenth
century to the breakup of Czechoslovakia in 1993. Including the
work of many of the most eminent Czech and Slovak historians, this
volume is an insightful study for academic and postgraduate student
audiences interested in the modern history of Central and Eastern
Europe, nationality studies, as well as intellectual history,
political science and sociology.
With today's conservative mood on university and college
campuses, academics and students will find "The Left Academy" a
useful reference to the current state of Marxist thought. This book
explores Marxism in the social sciences and applied sociology
fields such as social work and health. "The Left Academy" features
essays that analyze the state of Marxism in various academic
disciplines by a well-known scholar in that discipline. In addition
to the essays, this third volume includes a summary of
Marxism--where it stands today and where it may go in the future.
Students, academics, and general readers will find the book
thought-provoking.
In recent writings on Marx one finds an increasing interest in his
humanism. This phenomenon began in the third decade of our century
as a reaction against the mechanistic and stereotyped image of Marx
1 characteristic of the Second International and of Stalinism.
Lukacs, in History and Class Consciousness (1923), was one of the
first to discover this new Marx, and he did so even before the most
important 2 of the humanistic writings of the young Marx had been
discovered. With the publication ofthese writings in 1932 - namely,
the Economic 3 and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 - this new
outlook was given enormous impetus. In these Manuscripts, Marx
makes the human being the creator and the goal of alI reality. The
objectification of the human essence through labor transforms both
society and nature. Labor transforms its wor1d into a place which
mirrors, unfolds, and confirms the human being. This humanism is a
complex and many-faceted issue. In this book we will be concerned
only with a certain part of it, i.e., the epistemology, method, and
doctrine of nature which it involves. Other aspects of it - Marx'
concept of alienation and his theory of labor and the state -have 4
been dealt with elsewhere.
Part of a definitive English-language edition, prepared in
collaboration with the Institute of Marxism-Leninism in Moscow, the
series contains all the works of Marx and Engels, whether published
in their lifetimes or since. It includes their complete
correspondence and newly discovered works.
Most studies view the Caribbean as disparate countries prone to
revolution and ripe for rebellion. In a refreshing departure from
the norm, Anthony Maingot, using historical and contemporary
examples, explains that the region is actually populated by
resilient, adaptable societies that combine both modern and
conservative elements. Despite the Caribbean's diverse languages,
nationalities, racial differences, ideologies, microhistories, and
political systems, it is defined by a similarity of
postcolonial-era challenges. Maingot examines the contemporary
intellectual, social, economic, and cultural trajectories of
Caribbean nations and locates the common conservative thread in its
many revolutions and transitions. He concludes that this prevailing
tendency deserves better acknowledgment, by which the Caribbean can
chart possible productive paths that have not yet been considered,
especially with regard to combating increased corruption. By
focusing on changes since the 1990s, this ambitious volume, by one
of the preeminent scholars in Caribbean studies, helps define the
future course of investigations in this complex region.
This book investigates the Communist political phenomenon,
including the origins and development of Communism as well as the
revolutions that led to the rise of the major Communist states
around the world. Written for high school students, undergraduates,
and general readers, this book surveys the global rise of
Communism. It begins with a timeline and narrative overview, which
are followed by reference entries, primary source documents, and
original argumentative essays on enduring issues related to
Communism. The book first covers the earliest phases of the
"Utopian Socialist" movement and the beginnings of Marxist theory.
It then discusses the Russian Revolution of 1917; the creation of
the Soviet Union; the regime of terror instituted by Stalin; the
expansion of Communism during the years of the Cold War,
particularly in Asia; and the Cuban Revolution and the regime of
Fidel Castro. It also discusses the progression toward revolution
among the European Satellite countries as it included the Hungarian
Revolution of 1956, the Czech revolution of 1968, and the multiple
revolutions from 1989-1991 that saw the collapse of the Soviet
system and the Cold War. Includes a timeline to help students
identify key events related to the rise of Communism and their
relation to one another Examines the rise of Communism around the
world, its causes, and its significance in a narrative overview
Provides fundamental information about key topics through
alphabetically arranged reference entries Presents primary source
historical documents to give students first-hand accounts of the
development of Communist thought and its legacy Offers original
argumentative essays to help students critically consider major
issues and debates related to Communism
The book is part of the recent effort to catch up with the research
on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Despite its omnipresence and
pivotal role in running the country, there has been a conspicuous
shortage of references to the Party in most studies related to
China. In its stead, the academic literature as well as popular
discussions has too often treated the CCP as a type of regime
destined to the dustbin of history. The inadequacy of research in
this area is understandable because CCP is a tightly organised
Leninist party which has kept much of its internal affairs
confidential. This book examines the key aspects of the
transformation of CCP in the rapidly changing national and global
context. It highlights the problems faced by the ruling Leninist
party in adapting to a capitalistic environment that its
organisations cannot fully control and its ideology cannot
effectively rationalise. It also examines CCP's strategies for
adaptation in the areas of ideological reformulation, party-society
relations and the ways of exercising power and maintaining internal
cohesion. In addition to helping the readers understand how China
is ruled and how the Chinese system operates, the book also
highlights the evolutionary dynamics of Chinese politics in the
environment created by CCP's reform and open-door policies.
This collection assesses the relevance of the historical and
critical edition and includes analysis, by leading scholars, of
specific themes in the Marxian critique of political economy using
the new material available. This detailed and fascinating book is
essential reading for all seeking the best in contemporary Marxian
analysis and theory.
This book deals with six trials, conducted by the Romanian state
against Jewish key officials employed in state-owned import-export
companies between 1950 and 1960. It begins with a presentation of
the political realities of Romania following the Communist Party's
rise to power, in particular those regarding its relationship with
Romania's Jews and Gheorghiu-Dej's policy of National Communism.
Rozenberg describes the criminal procedure used in the staged
economic trials follows and then examines this procedure based on
the legal system of the period, as exemplified by the six analyzed
trials. The Romanoexport Jewish officials' trial is analyzed in
depth, as the case study of the whole book. This book concludes by
bringing to light two phenomena that dissipate some mystique
surrounding the events: first, the state's practice of using its
legal system as a means of oppressing the population; and second,
the stereotypical image of "The Jew" which the regime in Romania
developed. Despite its supposed anti-religiosity, it held on to
centuries-old prejudices against Jews as pariahs, with supposed
allegiance to foreign elements preferred over their surrounding
society, even to the point of betraying and exploiting their own
country.
In Red Modernism, Mark Steven asserts that modernism was highly
attuned-and aesthetically responsive-to the overall spirit of
communism. He considers the maturation of American poetry as a
longitudinal arc, one that roughly followed the rise of the USSR
through the Russian Revolution and its subsequent descent into
Stalinism, opening up a hitherto underexplored domain in the
political history of avant-garde literature. In doing so, Steven
amplifies the resonance among the universal idea of communism, the
revolutionary socialist state, and the American modernist poem.
Focusing on three of the most significant figures in modernist
poetry-Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams, and Louis
Zukofsky-Steven provides a theoretical and historical introduction
to modernism's unique sense of communism while revealing how
communist ideals and references were deeply embedded in modernist
poetry. Moving between these poets and the work of T. S. Eliot,
Langston Hughes, Muriel Rukeyser, Gertrude Stein, Wallace Stevens,
and many others, the book combines a detailed analysis of technical
devices and poetic values with a rich political and economic
context. Persuasively charting a history of the avant-garde
modernist poem in relation to communism, beginning in the 1910s and
reaching into the 1940s, Red Modernism is an audacious examination
of the twinned history of politics and poetry.
'The young dictator comes under close scrutiny in this intelligent
account' Sunday Times When Kim Jong Un became the leader of North
Korea in 2011, many expected his rule to be short. Years later, he
remains the unchallenged dictator of a nuclear rogue state with
weaponry capable of threatening the West. In this behind-the-scenes
look, former CIA analyst and North Korea expert Jung H. Pak reveals
the explosive story of Kim Jong II's third son: the spoilt and
impetuous child, the mediocre student, the ruthless murderer, the
shrewd grand strategist.
'A real treasure that we can't stop exploring' - La Republica
Felicia Browne decided it was time to put down her paintbrushes and
pick up a rifle. Jimmy Yates left Chicago with three books in his
bindle, sacrificing them all on the gruelling trek across the
Pyrenees. Salaria Kea worked at the front as a nurse, judged by her
skill rather than her skin colour... In 1936 something
extraordinary happened. As the threat of fascism swept across the
Iberian peninsula, thousands of people from all over the world left
their families and jobs to heed the call - No Pasaran! History has
never seen a wave of solidarity like it. The Spanish Civil War
ended in 1939 with the Republic crushed, but the revolutionary
dream of the International Brigades has never burnt out. Through
these 60 illustrated profiles, Brigadistes embroiders an epic story
of political struggle with the everyday bravery, sorrow and love of
those who lived it.
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