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Alternatives to State-Socialism in Britain

Other Worlds of Labour in the Twentieth Century

Peter Ackers editor Alastair J Reid editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Springer International Publishing AG

Published:16th Dec '16

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Alternatives to State-Socialism in Britain cover

This book poses a major revisionist challenge to 20th century British labour history, aiming to look beyond the Marxist and Fabian exclusion of working class experience, notably religion and self-help, in order to exaggerate ‘labour movement’ class cohesion. Instead of a ‘forward march’ to secular state-socialism, the research presented here is devoted to a rich diversity of social movements and ideas. In this collection of essays, the editors establish the liberal-pluralist tradition, with the following chapters covering three distinct sections. Part One, ‘Other Forms of Association’ covers subjects such as trade unions, the Co-operative Party, women’s community activism and Protestant Nonconformity. Part Two, ‘Other Leaders’, covers employer Edward Cadbury; Trades Union Congress leader Walter Citrine; and the electricians’ leader, Frank Chapple. Part Three, ‘Other Intellectuals’, considers G.D.H. Cole, Michael Young and left libertarianism by Stuart White. Readers interested in the British Labour movement will find this an invaluable resource.

“This collection is redolent with ideas, displays the pluralism of socialism, and is a very important start to both the intellectual and the pragmatic debate which will inevitably develop over the next few years. It is an engaging and stimulating collection of essays and should be read by those concerned about the future of socialist and civic society in Britain, the need for which might very well develop after Brexit.” (Keith Laybourn, Labour History Review, Vol. 82 (2), 2017)

ISBN: 9783319341613

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 5812g

354 pages

1st ed. 2016