Boundaries of Utopia

Boundaries of Utopia

Author: Erik van Ree

Publisher:

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780203762509

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The idea that socialism could be established in a single country was adopted as an official doctrine by the Soviet Union in 1925, Stalin and Bukharin being the main formulators of the policy. Before this there had been much debate as to whether the only way to secure socialism would be as a result of socialist revolution on a much broader scale, across all Europe or wider still. This book traces the development of ideas about communist utopia from Plato onwards, paying particular attention to debates about universalist ideology versus the possibility for "socialism in one country". The book argues that although the prevailing view is that "socialism in one country" was a sharp break from a long tradition that tended to view socialism as only possible if universal, in fact the territorially confined socialist project had long roots, including in the writings of Marx and Engels.


Boundaries of Utopia - Imagining Communism from Plato to Stalin

Boundaries of Utopia - Imagining Communism from Plato to Stalin

Author: Erik van Ree

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-05-22

Total Pages: 231

ISBN-13: 1134485409

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The idea that socialism could be established in a single country was adopted as an official doctrine by the Soviet Union in 1925, Stalin and Bukharin being the main formulators of the policy. Before this there had been much debate as to whether the only way to secure socialism would be as a result of socialist revolution on a much broader scale, across all Europe or wider still. This book traces the development of ideas about communist utopia from Plato onwards, paying particular attention to debates about universalist ideology versus the possibility for "socialism in one country". The book argues that although the prevailing view is that "socialism in one country" was a sharp break from a long tradition that tended to view socialism as only possible if universal, in fact the territorially confined socialist project had long roots, including in the writings of Marx and Engels.


Stalin: From Theology to the Philosophy of Socialism in Power

Stalin: From Theology to the Philosophy of Socialism in Power

Author: Roland Boer

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-10-17

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 9811063672

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This book not only explicates Stalin’s thoughts, but thinks with and especially through Stalin. It argues that Stalin often thought at the intersections between theology and Marxist political philosophy – especially regarding key issues of socialism in power. Careful and sustained attention to Stalin’s written texts is the primary approach used. The result is a series of arresting efforts to develop the Marxist tradition in unexpected ways. Starting from a sympathetic attitude toward socialism in power, this book provides us with an extremely insightful interpretation of Stalin’s philosophy of socialism. It is not only a successful academic effort to re-articulate Stalin’s philosophy, but also a creative effort to understand socialism in power in the context of both the former Soviet Union and contemporary China. ------- Zhang Shuangli, Professor of Marxist philosophy, Fudan University Boer's book, far from both "veneration" and "demonization" of Stalin, throws new light on the classic themes of Marxism and the Communist Movement: language, nation, state, and the stages of constructing post-capitalist society. It is an original book that also pays great attention to the People's Republic of China, arising from the reforms of Deng Xiaoping, and which is valuable to those who, beyond the twentieth century, want to understand the time and the world in which we live. -------Domenico Losurdo, University of Urbino, Italy, author of Stalin: The History and Critique of a Black Legend.


Socialism with Chinese Characteristics

Socialism with Chinese Characteristics

Author: Roland Boer

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021-04-27

Total Pages: 323

ISBN-13: 9811616221

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This book covers the whole system of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, dealing with Deng Xiaoping’s theory, the socialist market economy, a moderately well-off (Xiaokang) society, China’s practice and theory of socialist democracy, human rights, and Xi Jinping’s Marxism. In short, the resolute focus is the Reform and Opening-Up. Socialism with Chinese Characteristics is one of the most important global realities today. However, the concept and its practice remain largely misunderstood outside China. This book sets to redress such a lack of knowledge, by making available to non-Chinese speakers the sophisticated debates and conclusions in China concerning socialism with Chinese Characteristics. It presents this material in a way that is both accessible and thorough.


Apostles of Revolution? Marxism and Biblical Studies

Apostles of Revolution? Marxism and Biblical Studies

Author: Christina Petterson

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2020-04-20

Total Pages: 86

ISBN-13: 9004432205

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In Apostles of Revolution? Marxism and Biblical Studies Christina Petterson sheds light on the collaboration between Biblical studies and liberal ideology. Marxist analysis of the bible is spreading, but clarity about what constitutes Marxist readings and Marxist categories of analysis is lacking – a lack of clarity compounded by the different strands within Marxist politics, and its subtle resonances in biblical scholarship. The author examines the interplay between Biblical studies and liberal ideology in two ways. First, by presenting and discussing some of the central Marxist categories of analysis, namely history, ideology and class, and how these categories have been co-opted into biblical studies and in the process lost their radical edge. Second, by discussing the emergence of the discipline of biblical studies during the Enlightenment, and to what extent the containment strategies of biblical studies overlap with those of capitalism.


The Unintended Destruction of the Human Race

The Unintended Destruction of the Human Race

Author: Alex Roberto Hybel

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2024-09-11

Total Pages: 505

ISBN-13: 1036410234

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Through a sweeping historical narrative spanning centuries, Hybel traces the evolution of human civilization, from the dawn of the Renaissance to the digital age. Drawing upon diverse disciplines including history, politics, religion, economics, and environmental science, Hybel reveals how each successive wave of technological innovation, economic growth and individual political and economic freedom has fueled a destructive cycle of consumerism, exploitation, and ecological degradation. At the heart of this book lies a stark warning: our addiction to growth and consumption is driving us inexorably towards our own demise. Hybel argues that our unwavering faith in the virtues of capitalism, democracy, and technological advancement has blinded us to the existential threats facing our planet and our species. But Hybel offers more than a critique of the status quo; he presents a compelling case for radical transformation. By interrogating the intertwined forces of technology, capitalism, and individualism, Hybel challenges readers to confront the uncomfortable truths at the root of our collective predicament.


Media and Communication in the Soviet Union (1917–1953)

Media and Communication in the Soviet Union (1917–1953)

Author: Kirill Postoutenko

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2022-03-01

Total Pages: 442

ISBN-13: 3030883671

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This book provides a systematic account of media and communication development in Soviet society from the October Revolution to the death of Stalin. Summarizing earlier research and drawing upon previously unpublished archival materials, it covers the main aspects of public and private interaction in the Soviet Union, from public broadcast to kitchen gossip. The first part of the volume covers visual, auditory and tactile channels, such as posters, maps and monuments. The second deals with media, featuring public gatherings, personal letters, telegraph, telephone, film and radio. The concluding part surveys major boundaries and flows structuring the Soviet communicate environment. The broad scope of contributions to this volume will be of great interest to students and researchers working on the Soviet Union, and twentieth-century media and communication more broadly.


The Russian Intelligentsia

The Russian Intelligentsia

Author: Christopher Read

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2024-02-22

Total Pages: 337

ISBN-13: 1350035831

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The Russian Intelligentsia is the first single-volume history of a small but tremendously influential group of Russian intellectuals who achieved world renown in a variety of spheres. While previous accounts have addressed the history of individuals within this collective, Christopher Read offers the first explanation of the intelligentsia as a group. Read traces the vast debates that broke out between, and within, a multitude of intellectual factions, and contextualizes the ideas of the group within the framework of cultural, social, political, and economic development from the late 18th century to the present day. This comprehensive yet accessible account demonstrates how the Russian intelligentsia morphed from one incarnation to the next, and effectively situates this change and continuity within a pan-European context. It considers the role of the intelligentsia throughout its origins, its transformation during the Russian Revolution, and since the collapse of communism, and highlights the beliefs of key figures such as Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Ivan Pavlov, Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, and Mikhail Gorbachev. In doing so, Read provides an essential guide to a fascinating aspect of Russia's social and cultural history.


Corporate Strategy in Post-Communist Russia

Corporate Strategy in Post-Communist Russia

Author: Mikhail Glazunov

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-05-12

Total Pages: 214

ISBN-13: 1317352610

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Russian businesses in the post-Soviet period have been noted for their unusual, sometimes allegedly corrupt, business practices, and for their role in the enrichment of oligarchs. This book, which includes a wide range of case study examples, and which draws on the author’s first-hand experience of running a Russian company, argues that a key to understanding contemporary Russian business is the importance of arbitrage, that is the ability to take advantage of price and cost differentials in different markets. The book argues that the conditions for such arbitrage advantages are often created by businesses which have special links to particular institutions; that arbitrage benefits are not available to all businesses in a sector, thereby providing unfair competitive advantages to some businesses; and that businesses’ overall activities are often distorted by this system. The book includes an analysis of a wide range of different types of arbitrage activities in action.


Socialism as a Secular Creed

Socialism as a Secular Creed

Author: Andrei Znamenski

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2021-01-29

Total Pages: 495

ISBN-13: 1498557317

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Andrei Znamenski argues that socialism arose out of activities of secularized apocalyptic sects, the Enlightenment tradition, and dislocations produced by the Industrial Revolution. He examines how, by the 1850s, Marx and Engels made the socialist creed “scientific” by linking it to “history laws” and inventing the proletariat—the “chosen people” that were to redeem the world from oppression. Focusing on the fractions between social democracy and communism, Znamenski explores why, historically, socialism became associated with social engineering and centralized planning. He explains the rise of the New Left in the 1960s and its role in fostering the cultural left that came to privilege race and identity over class. Exploring the global retreat of the left in the 1980s–1990s and the “great neoliberalism scare,” Znamenski also analyzes the subsequent renaissance of socialism in wake of the 2007–2008 crisis.