Marxism 1844-1990: Origins, Betrayal, Rebirth

Is Marxism really dead? Or can it play a positive role in creating a just and fulfilling society? This original study responds to these questions with a penetrating assessment of Marxism from its origins to the present day. Roger Gottlieb provides an incisive overview of the content, strengths and weaknesses of Marx’s own work, and demonstrates how the socialist and communist movements between 1880 and 1935 betrayed the original vision of Marxism. He argues that theory was reborn’ in Western Marxism and socialist-feminism, and offers lucid accounts of their theories of social structure, oppression and revolution. The concluding chapters focus on important contemporary concerns: Marxist theories of present-day capitalism; current debates between Marxism and other radical perspectives, including postmodernism; and Marxism’s confrontation with socially engaged spirituality. Compellingly argued and highly readable, this provocative study provides a thoughtful dialogue on the meaning of Marxism in the modern world.