Frontier Socialism: Self-Organisation and Anti-Capitalism

Description

Considering the history of workers' and socialist movements in Europe, Frontier Socialism focuses on unconventional forms of anti-capitalist thought, particularly by examining several militant-intellectuals whose legacy is of particular interest for those aiming for a radical critique of capitalism. Following on the work of Michael Löwy, Quirico & Ragona identify relationships of “elective affinity” between figures who might appear different and dissimilar, at least at first glance: the German Anarchist Gustav Landauer, the Bolshevik Alexandra Kollontai, the German communist Paul Mattick, the Italian Socialist Raniero Panzieri, the Greek-born French euro-communist Nikos Poulantzas, the German-born Swedish Social Democrat Rudolf Meidner, and the French social scientist Alain Bihr as well as two historical struggle experiences, the Spanish Republic and the Italian revolutionary group “Lotta continua”. Frontier Socialism then analyzes these thinkers' and experiences’ respective paths to socialism based on and achieved through self-organization and self-government, not to build a new tradition but to suggest a path forward for both research and political activism. Titles Published Titles Forthcoming Acknowledgements Contents About the Authors 1 Introduction 1 Hope and Disillusionment in Greece 2 What Socialism After Socialism? 3 A New Path to Self-Government References 2 “Revolution Is Not What the Revolutionaries Believe It to Be”: Gustav Landauer (1870–1919) 1 Life and Works 2 A Road for the Liberation of Workers 3 Analysis of Capitalism 4 Revolution References 3 Class Struggle and Women’s Liberation: Alexandra Kollontai (1872–1952) 1 Life and Works 2 Marxism, Class Initiative and Gender Autonomy 3 The Difficult Transition to Socialism 4 Class and Self-Government References Interlude 1: Resistance or Revolution? The Spanish Civil War 4 Self-Management and Communism: Paul Mattick (1904–1981) 1 Life and Works 2 Marx and His Epigones 3 Mixed Economy and State Capitalism 4 Against Bolshevism, for a Workers’ Democracy References 5 Workers’ Struggles Under Neocapitalism: Raniero Panzieri (1921–1964) 1 Life and Works 2 Marx and Marxism 3 Monopolistic Capitalism: The Factory-Society 4 Workers’ Control References Interlude 2: Lotta Continua: The Dilemmas of a Revolutionary Group Between the Hot Autumn and the Restoration of Capitalism 6 Revolutionary Reformism: Rudolf Meidner (1914–2015) 1 Life and Works 2 Marxism and Democracy 3 Beyond Private Property 4 The Debate Over the Wage Earner Funds and Their Neutralization References 7 A Communist Theory of Politics: Nicos Poulantzas (1936–1979) 1 Life and Works 2 Marxism and the State 3 Economic and Political Crisis in Monopolistic Capitalism 4 Seizing the State and Direct Democracy References 8 In the Midst of the Crisis 1 The Chilean “Laboratory” 2 The Legacy of 1968 3 The “Hayekization” of the World, or Keynes’ Defeat 4 Amidst the Rubble: Alan Bihr’s Paths to Renewal References 9 (Tentative) Conclusions 1 A Compact Current? 2 The Movement of Movements 3 At the Intersection of Class, Gender and Ethnicity—And Environment 4 Between Disaster and Hope References Index