Privilege in the Soviet Union (Routledge Revivals)
Privilege in the Soviet Union (Routledge Revivals)

Author: Mervyn Matthews

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-01-11

Total Pages: 191

ISBN-13: 1136716033

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First published in 1978, this unique work throws much-needed light upon the exact nature of privilege and elite life-styles in the contemporary Soviet Union, under the Communist regime. Dr Matthews' study places these life-styles in a historical perspective, and characterises, in sociological terms, the people who enjoyed them. This study is based on an extensive programme of personal interviews among emigré groups and a close analysis of original and little-known legal historical sources. There are special sections on the nature of change in the Soviet elite and on social mobility. This reissue will attract interest amongst students and scholars concerned with the history, politics and sociology of the Soviet Union; it will also be of value to all those concerned with the age-old problem of social equality.

Class Theory and History
Class Theory and History

Author: Stephen A. Resnick

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-12-16

Total Pages: 372

ISBN-13: 113670440X

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First Published in 2002. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Classes, Power and Conflict
Classes, Power and Conflict

Author: Anthony Giddens

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 1982-05-13

Total Pages: 664

ISBN-13: 9780520046276

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In recent years a remarkable range of new work has been produced dealing with class inequalities, the division of labor, and the state. In these writings scholars previously working in isolation from one another in sociology, economics, political science, and history have found common ground. Much of this work has been influenced by Marxist theory, but at the same time it has involved critiques of established Marxist views, and incorporated ideas drawn from other sources. These developments have until now not been reflected in existing course texts which are often diffusely concerned with “social stratification” and lack reference to contemporary theory. Classes, Power, and Conflict breaks new ground in providing a comprehensive introduction to current debates and contemporary research. In also connects these to the classical sources, concentrating particularly on Marx, Lenin and Weber. The book therefore offers a comprehensive coverage of materials for students who have little or no prior acquaintance with the field. Each section of the book contains a substantial introduction, explaining and expanding on the themes of the selections contained within that section. Classes, Power, and Conflict can be expected to become the standard text for courses in sociology and political science.

Class Struggle
Class Struggle

Author: Domenico Losurdo

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-10-06

Total Pages: 365

ISBN-13: 1349706604

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Available for the first time in English, this book examines and reinterprets class struggle within Marx and Engels’ thought. As Losurdo argues, class struggle is often misunderstood as exclusively the struggle of the poor against the rich, of the humble against the powerful. It is an interpretation that is dear to populism, one that supposes a binary logic that closes its eyes to complexity and inclines towards the celebration of poverty as a place of moral excellence. This book, however, shows the theory of class struggle is a general theory of social conflict. Each time, the most adverse social conflicts are intertwined in different ways. A historical situation always emerges with specific and unique characteristics that necessitate serious examination, free of schematic and biased analysis. Only if it breaks away from populism can Marxism develop the ability to interpret and change the world.

Capitalism and Class Struggle in the USSR
Capitalism and Class Struggle in the USSR

Author: Neil C. Fernandez

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-12-14

Total Pages: 672

ISBN-13: 0429864116

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First published in 1997, this was the first Autonomist Marxist book on the USSR. The various theories of Soviet capitalism are considered more comprehensively than in any previous work, and are shown to be inadequate insofar as they fail to demonstrate satisfactorily the predominance of the category of capital. A powerful new theory is developed which does precisely this, introducing the concepts of bureaucratic forms of both exchange-value and money. This constitutes an important contribution to the overall theoretical critique of capital. Attention is then turned to the class struggle. For the first time, the various ’Marxist’ theories of the USSR are systematically considered in relation to what they say about the working class and its struggle.

Structure of Marx's World-View
Structure of Marx's World-View

Author: John McMurtry

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2015-03-08

Total Pages: 284

ISBN-13: 1400868939

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This book sets forth a clear and systematic approach to Marx's thought that finally makes possible a coherent interpretation of all of his published works. Although Marx's philosophy is usually regarded as one of the most influential ever written, its seeming ambiguities and contradictions have long puzzled readers. By uncovering the framework that unifies the writings of Karl Marx, John McMurtry has made an advance of signal importance for all areas of Marxian studies. The many valuable features of Professor McMurtry's analysis include clear, coordinated definitions of all concepts central to Marx's thought. Closely reasoned explanations illuminate such controversial theories and positions as economic determinism, ideology, and the laws of society and history. Here, too, are definitive formulations of Marx's generally neglected or denied theories of human nature, technological determinism, and mind, plus precise delineations of his stands on traditional political and philosophical questions. The author contrasts Marx's ideas with those of other important thinkers and provides a systematic survey of standard objections that refutes many of Marx's best-known critics and disciples. In addition, Professor McMurtry offers a precise critique of the historical genesis and economic and political structures of "Marxist" societies. Throughout, direct reference to the texts and concrete illustrations explain all relevant concepts, positions, and issues. Originally published in 1978. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

The Estate Origins of Democracy in Russia
The Estate Origins of Democracy in Russia

Author: Tomila V. Lankina

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2021-12-16

Total Pages: 497

ISBN-13: 1009080393

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A devastating challenge to the idea of communism as a 'great leveller', this extraordinarily original, rigorous, and ambitious book debunks Marxism-inspired accounts of its equalitarian consequences. It is the first study systematically to link the genesis of the 'bourgeoisie-cum-middle class' – Imperial, Soviet, and post-communist – to Tzarist estate institutions which distinguished between nobility, clergy, the urban merchants and meshchane, and peasants. It demonstrates how the pre-communist bourgeoisie, particularly the merchant and urban commercial strata but also the high human capital aristocracy and clergy, survived and adapted in Soviet Russia. Under both Tzarism and communism, the estate system engendered an educated, autonomous bourgeoisie and professional class, along with an oppositional public sphere, and persistent social cleavages that continue to plague democratic consensus. This book also shows how the middle class, conventionally bracketed under one generic umbrella, is often two-pronged in nature – one originating among the educated estates of feudal orders, and the other fabricated as part of state-induced modernization.