AP/POLS 4010 3.0 M (W)
History of Political Thought:
Socialist Thought from the French Revolution
to the Fall of the Berlin Wall
Winter 2012
Course Director: Marcello Musto
Lecture Time: Tue 11:30 – 14.30
Class Location: Ross Building, N 812
Office Location: Ross Building, N 813
Office Hour: Tue 15:30-16:30 / Thu 19:00-20:00
Email: marcello.musto@gmail.com
Phone: 416 – 736 2100, Ext. 20241
Course Syllabus
The course will centre on the principal European conceptions of Socialism
between 1789 and 1989. Its first part will be dedicated to some of the most
important Socialist thinkers of the Nineteenth Century (Saint-Simon, Fourier,
Owen, Proudhon, Lassalle, Marx, Bakunin, and the Fabians), while the second
part will focus on the analysis of the main Marxist controversies and Socialist
political experiences of the Twentieth Century (especially the Bernstein Debate
of the Second International, and the so-called “actually existing socialism” in
Soviet Union expressed in the works of Lenin and Stalin).
Goal of the course is to examine the characteristics and distinguishing features
of the varied Socialisms articulated by the authors above. The selection of
readings will focus on the writings in which these thinkers developed their
theories of how a Socialist society should be economically and politically
organized.
Special attention will be dedicated to Marx’s Socialism and to his critique of
other Socialisms, including Anarchism. Though he never composed a single
text specifically on Socialism and post-capitalist society, through his critique of
capitalism Marx pointed to some of the key social features and relations of
production in the “society of free producers” which would replace the capitalist
social formation. The course will explore the originality of Marx’s theories in
comparison with those of his socialist predecessors, as well as the differences
between his ideas and the historical record of “actually existing Socialism”.
The last class will review the course and examine the most relevant
contemporary Socialist theoretical and political interventions (such as those
offered by Latin American socialist governments, the European Communist
parties, the Socialist International, the so-called 'Socialism of the XXI Century',
and the Alter-globalization movement).
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Course Requirements
Class Participation:
This course is taught in weekly seminars lasting 2 hours and 50 minutes.
Attendance and informed participation at all class meetings is not only strongly
recommended, but required. Students are expected to attend class regularly,
complete the assignment readings on time and participate actively in class
discussion. Participation will be marked for attendance and quality of
participation.
Presentation:
Each class will begin with student presentation (not exceeding 30 minutes) on
the assigned readings. Moreover, there will be one discussant, who will start
the discussion by responding to the presentation(s). Presenter should give a
1/2 pages summary of their presentation to her/his discussant a day in
advance of the class, and should also provide photocopies of the summary for
other students.
A good presentation is very important to stimulate the discussion. Therefore,
please avoid just reading a paper aloud, and try to draw the attention of the
class to issues on which the presenter would like class discussion and
comment. Presentations should:
-
give all the pertinent biographical information about the author(s) in
question and the historical context in which the assigned texts were
written;
-
reconstruct the argument of the author(s) examined, and provide an
overview of the assigned readings;
-
identify the key questions for discussion, and the controversies implied
by the material;
-
critically analyze the texts (for example: what are the limitations of the
position expressed in the readings?);
-
Identify anything you found unclear or hard to understand;
-
conclude with three discussion questions for the group to consider.
Final Paper Proposal:
Students are free to propose their own final paper topic, but it has to be
related to the authors and/or the writings read during the course (papers on
the Socialist "models" of the authors included in the program, or on the
comparison among different Socialist conceptions, are the most welcome).
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Final paper proposal should be 3-4 pages and should include the following
information:
-
Indication of the title;
-
An annotated bibliography of at least 3 sources consulted, not from the
course outline. Each entry must include: a) the full and complete
bibliographic citation; and b) a brief assessment of why you think the
source will be useful for your paper;
-
Preliminary outline of your paper. This text should be a prose summary
(i.e., not bullet-point) of your preliminary argument, that provides an
outline of the paper you expect to write. It should also include a list of
the probable sections into which your paper will be divided.
Final papers proposal will be due 28 February, in hard copy and by email. Late
assignment will be penalized.
Final Paper:
The topic of the paper must be the one approved through the Final Paper
Proposal. The Final Paper should:
-
be approximately 5000 words, including footnotes and bibliography
(roughly 20 pages double spaced 12 pt. 'Times New Toman' font);
-
be clearly structured (divided in at least 3/4 sections), and written with
rigorous evidence;
-
be argued with documentation from a critical sources (1-2 books and/or
articles per page is a good rule of thumb). These sources may include
some of the assigned readings, but must also evidence original research.
-
have references from hard copy books with the indication of page
numbers. Papers with references from internet - unless they are truly
necessary - will be penalized.
Final papers will be due 5 April, in hard copy and by email. Late assignment
will be penalized.
Warning: the paper must be entirely your own work. No plagiarism.
Access to Readings:
The reading list has been organised as follows. Each topic specifies a number
of Required Readings. These are the minimum which you must read every
week in order to be able to participate fully in the seminar discussions. You can
go deeper into the topic using the Additional Readings, especially when you
prepare your presentation and write your essays.
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Many of the required readings are available on-line (more information on the
course could be also found at www.marcellomusto.com); while the following
articles and books are available on-line (for example the articles from The
Nation) or on reserve at Scott library:
Paresh Chattopadhyay, 'The Economic Content of Socialism: Marx vs. Lenin',
Review of Radical Political Economics, Vol. 24, n. 3-4 (1992)
Paresh Chattopadhyay, The Marxian Concept of Capital and the Soviet
Experience, Westport, CT: Praeger 1994
Paresh Chattopadhyay, 'The Failure of Twentieth-Century Socialism and Marx’s
Continuing Relevance', Socialism and Democracy, vol. 24, n. 3 (2010): 23-45
George D.H. Cole, Socialist Thought, Volume I: The Forerunners 1789-1850,
London: MacMillan 1962
George D.H. Cole, Socialist Thought, Volume II: Marxism and Anarchism 18501890, London: MacMillan 1961
Hal Draper, Karl Marx’s Theory of Revolution. Vol. IV: Critique of Other
Socialisms, New York: Monthly Review 1990
Eric J. Hobsbawm, The Age of Revolution 1789-1848, Chicago: Mentor 1962
Eric Hobsbawm, ed., The History of Marxism, Volume 1: Marxism in Marx's
day, Brighton: Harvester 1982
Harry W. Laidler, History of Socialism, New York: Thomas Y. Crowell 1968
Carl Landauer, European Socialism, Berkeley/Los Angeles: University of
California Press 1959
Marcello Musto, 'The Rediscovery of Karl Marx', International Review of Social
History, Vol. 52, part 3 (2007)
David McNally, Against the Market: Political Economy, Market Socialism and
the Marxist Critique, London: Verso 1993
Clara Zetkin, 'What the Women Owe to Karl Marx', in Frank Mecklenburg Manfred Stassen, German Essays on Socialism in the Nineteenth Century, New
York: Continuum 1990, pp. 237-241.
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Course Evaluation
Class Participation
35%
Presentation
15%
Final paper proposal
10%
Final paper
40%
Mid-term class participation marks will be available by appointment the week
of 27 February; please contact me by email the week prior if you would like
such an appointment.
Schedule of Classes and Readings
Jan 3
Introduction and Overview
Jan 10
The Early Socialists I: Saint Simon and Fourier
Required Readings:
Carl Landauer, European Socialism, pp. 21-46 (Chap. I: 'The Three
Anticapitalistic Movement', sections 1, 2, 3 and 4)
George D.H. Cole, Socialist Thought, Volume I: The Forerunners 1789-1850,
pp. 37-50 and 62-74 (Chap. IV: 'Saint-Simon', and Chap. VI: 'Fourier and
Fourierism')
Charles Fourier, 'The Phalanstery' (Fragment I)
http://marxists.org/reference/archive/fourier/works/ch20.htm
Charles Fourier, 'The Phalanstery' (Fragment II)
http://marxists.org/reference/archive/fourier/works/ch27.htm
Charles Fourier, 'Attractive Labour'
http://marxists.org/reference/archive/fourier/works/ch26.htm
Additional Readings:
Friedrich Engels, Socialism: Utopian and Scientific (Chap. I: 'The Development
of Utopian Socialism')
http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1880/soc-utop/index.htm
Eric J. Hobsbawm, The Age of Revolution 1789-1848, pp. 22-43 and 363-374
(Chap. 1 and Maps)
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Jan 17
The Early Socialists II: Owen
Required Readings:
Carl Landauer, European Socialism, pp. 46-59 (Chap. I: 'The Three
Anticapitalistic Movement', section 5)
George D.H. Cole, Socialist Thought, Volume I: The Forerunners 1789-1850,
pp. 86-101 (Chap. IX: 'Owen and Owenism - Earlier Phases')
Robert Owen, A New View of Society (Essay Two: 'The Principles of the Former
Essay continued, and applied in part to Practice', and Essay Four: 'The end of
government is to make the governed and the governors happy')
http://marxists.org/reference/subject/economics/owen/index.htm#new-view
Additional Readings:
George D.H. Cole, Socialist Thought, Volume I: The Forerunners 1789-1850,
pp. 120-131 (Chap. XI: 'Owen and the Trade Unions - The end of Owenism')
Eric J. Hobsbawm, The Age of Revolution 1789-1848, pp. 44-73 (Chap. 2)
Jan 24
Proudhon, or Socialism as Workers’ Self-Management
Required Readings:
Carl Landauer, European Socialism, pp. 59-68 (Chap. I: 'The Three
Anticapitalistic Movement', section 6)
George D.H. Cole, Socialist Thought, Volume I: The Forerunners 1789-1850,
pp. 201-218 (Chap. XIX: 'Proudhon')
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, General Idea of the Revolution in the Nineteenth
Century (Chap. III: 'The Principle of Association', and Chap. VI: section 3:
'Division of Labour, Collective Forces, Machines, Workingmen’s Associations')
http://fair-use.org/p-j-proudhon/general-idea-of-the-revolution/
Karl Marx, On Proudhon
http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1865/letters/65_01_24.htm
Friedrich Engels – Karl Marx, Manifesto of the Communist Party (Chap. III:
'Socialist and Communist Literature')
http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communistmanifesto/index.htm
Additional Readings:
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David McNally, Against the Market: Political Economy, Market Socialism and
the Marxist Critique, pp. 139-169 (Chap. 5: 'Proudhon Did Enormous Mischief':
Marx's Critique of the First Market Socialists')
Jan 31
Lassalle and the State Socialism
Required Readings:
George D.H. Cole, Socialist Thought, Volume II: Marxism and Anarchism 18501890, pp. 71-87 (Chap. V: 'Lassalle')
Ferdinand Lassalle, The Working Man’s Programme
http://books.google.com/books?id=jAnvxDwjIYgC&pg=PA1&lpg=PA1&dq=%E2
%80%A2%09Ferdinand+Lassalle,+The+Working+Man%E2%80%99s+Progra
mme+edward+peters&source=bl&ots=ZWTEvlgAeO&sig=yI4lwocg9JhlwhW8Ct
oLpR2rBl4&hl=it&ei=BZMyS7OGO42xlAevv4ygBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=r
esult&resnum=3&ved=0CBQQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%E2%80%A2%09Ferdi
nand%20Lassalle%2C%20The%20Working%20Man%E2%80%99s%20Progra
mme%20edward%20peters&f=false
Hal Draper, Karl Marx’s Theory of Revolution. Vol. IV: Critique of Other
Socialisms, pp. 41-71 (Chap. 3: 'Of State-Socialism: Lassallean Model')
Additional Readings:
Hal Draper, Karl Marx’s Theory of Revolution. Vol. IV: Critique of Other
Socialisms, pp. 241-269 ('Special Note A. Lassalle and Marx: History of a
Myth')
Eduard Bernstein, Ferdinand Lassalle as a Social Reformer (Chap. VII: 'The
Open Reply Letter; its economic portion - The Iron Law of Wages, and
productive co-operative societies with State-Help')
http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/bernstein/works/1893/lassalle/cha
p07.htm
Feb 7
Marx's Socialism, or the Associated Mode of Production
Required Readings:
Marcello Musto, 'The Rediscovery of Karl Marx', International Review of Social
History, Vol. 52, part 3 (2007): 477-498
Eric Hobsbawm, 'Marx, Engels and Pre-Marxian socialism', in idem, ed., The
History of Marxism, Volume 1: Marxism in Marx's day
Friedrich Engels – Karl Marx, Manifesto of the Communist Party (Chap. I:
'Bourgeois and Proletarians', and Chap. II: 'Proletarians and Communists')
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http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communistmanifesto/index.htm
Karl Marx, Capital (Chap. I, section 4: 'The Fetishism of the Commodity and Its
Secret')
http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1867-c1/ch01.htm#S4
Karl Marx, Critique of the Gotha Programme
http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1875/gotha/index.htm
Additional Readings:
Karl Marx, Grundrisse ('The Fragments on Machines', pp. 690-712)
http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1857/grundrisse/index.htm
Also available here:
thenewobjectivity.com/pdf/marx.pdf
Ernest Mandel, 'Marx, Karl Heinrich', in John Eatwell - Murray Milgate - Peter
Newman (eds), The New Palgrave: A Dictionary of Economics, Volume 3, pp.
367-383
http://www.marxists.org/archive/mandel/19xx/marx/
Clara Zetkin, 'What the Women Owe to Karl Marx', in Frank Mecklenburg Manfred Stassen, German Essays on Socialism in the Nineteenth Century, pp.
237-241.
Feb 14
Anarchism Versus Socialism
Required Readings:
Peter Kropotkin, 'Anarchism' (from The Encyclopaedia Britannica)
http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/kropotkinpeter/1910/britannica.htm
George D.H. Cole, Socialist Thought, Volume II: Marxism and Anarchism 18501890, pp. 213-236 (Chap. IX: 'Bakunin')
Mikhail Bakunin, 'Revolutionary Catechism'
http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/bakunin/works/1866/catechism.ht
m
Karl Marx, Conspectus of Bakunin’s 'Statism and Anarchy'
http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1874/04/bakunin-notes.htm
Friedrick Engels, On Authority
http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1872/10/authority.htm
Karl Marx, Political Indifferentism
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http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1873/01/indifferentism.htm
Additional Readings:
Maximilien Rubel, Theoretician of Anarchism
http://www.marxists.org/archive/rubel/1973/marx-anarchism.htm
George D.H. Cole, Socialist Thought, Volume II: Marxism and Anarchism 18501890, pp. 315-360 (Chap. XII: 'Anarchists and Anarchist-Communists Kropotkin')
Feb 28
Fabianism, or the Reformist Socialism
Required Readings:
Harry W. Laidler, History of Socialism, pp. 184-222.
Sidney Webb, Historic, in George Bernard Shaw (ed.), Fabian Essays in
Socialism, pp. 3-43.
http://oll.libertyfund.org/?option=com_staticxt&staticfile=show.php%3Ftitle=2
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Additional Readings:
Graham Wallas, Property under Socialism, in George Bernard Shaw (ed.),
Fabian Essays in Socialism, pp. 163-185
http://oll.libertyfund.org/?option=com_staticxt&staticfile=show.php%3Ftitle=2
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Mar 6
Evolutionary Socialism or Revolutionary Socialism? The
Bernstein Debate
Required Readings:
Eduard Bernstein, The Preconditions of Socialism (Chap. III: 'The Tasks and
Possibilities of Social Democracy')
http://marxists.org/reference/archive/bernstein/works/1899/evsoc/index.htm
Rosa Luxemburg, Reform or Revolution
http://www.marxists.org/archive/luxemburg/1900/reformrevolution/index.htm
Additional Readings:
George D.H. Cole, Socialist Thought, Volume II: Marxism and Anarchism 18501890, pp. 425-444 (Chap. XII: 'Socialism in the Early 1890s. Conclusion')
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Mar 13
Lenin and the Bolshevik Socialism
Required Readings:
Vladimir Lenin, The State and Revolution (Chapters I, II, III, V)
http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1917/staterev/
Paresh Chattopadhyay, 'The Economic Content of Socialism: Marx vs. Lenin',
Review of Radical Political Economics, Vol. 24, n. 3-4 (1992): 90-110
Additional Readings:
Paresh Chattopadhyay, 'The Failure of Twentieth-Century Socialism and Marx’s
Continuing Relevance', Socialism and Democracy, vol. 24, n. 3 (2010): 23-45
Vladimir Lenin, 'Last Testament: Letter to the Congress'
http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1922/dec/testamnt/congress.ht
m
Mar 20
Stalin and the Socialism in One Country
Required Readings:
Joseph Stalin, Concerning Questions of Leninism (Chapters 4, 5, 6)
http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/works/1926/01/25.htm
Joseph Stalin, Economic Problems of the Socialism in the USSR (Chapters 1, 2,
3, 7)
http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/works/1951/economicproblems/index.htm
Paresh Chattopadhyay, The Marxian Concept of Capital and the Soviet
Experience, pp. 101-119 (Chap. 6: 'The Soviet Economy as a Non-Capitalist
Economy: Theoretical Considerations')
Additional Readings:
Joseph Stalin, Once More on the Social-Democratic Deviation in our Party
[1926] (Report Delivered on December 7, Sections III: 'The Disagreements in
the C.P.S.U.(B.)', and Reply to the Discussion, December 13, Section III: 'The
Question of Building Socialism in the U.S.S.R.')
http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/works/1926/11/22.htm
Boris Souvarine, Stalin: A Critical Survey of Bolshevism (Chap. X: 'Stalin')
http://www.marxists.org/history/etol/writers/souvar/works/stalin/ch10.htm
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Mar 27
The Contemporary Prospects of Socialism
An article (by choice) among those written for the Forum on Socialism in The
Nation
http://www.thenation.com/article/socialists-need-be-where-struggle
A list of other texts for the last class will be distributed during the course.
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