Socialist Political Ideas

Undergraduate

This course explores the history of socialist political thought by focusing on how socialist thinkers addressed the problem of political organization and how they viewed democracy and its institutions. The course looks at Utopian socialism, the problem of political organization in 1848, Proudhon’s arguments for anarchism, the economic and political thought of Karl Marx, controversies over the role of parliaments, political parties and the masses in the Second International, Lenin’s theory of political action, Luxemburg’s debate about imperialism and the mass strike and Gramsci’s interpretation of culture. The course is structured around key primary texts, which are accompanied by secondary readings and suggestions for books and movies. None, but throughout the course, we will be referring to key historical events, which have shaped the course of socialist theorising. I will circulate a list of useful resources to help gather information about these historical moments, as well as some background readings to help students situate the thinkers in their biographical and historical context. SO 0 Course cr HTBA