Overview

Typically the gains in living standards and political rights of Europeans are presented as flowing from the good graces of industrial capitalism. In reality, as this book proves, it was the massive, militant struggle of millions of average persons who forced concessions such as the welfare state and free elections to Parliament. Without understanding the revolutionary vision and the pressure it placed on European rulers, it is difficult to understand contemporary society.

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9780820467764

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«This wonderful book is a great contribution to our understanding of modern European history. It tells us the true story of the European Left focusing on the most crucial period in its development. It starts with the rise and growth of socialism in Western Europe at the time of the 1871 Paris Commune and continues through the war and revolutions up to 1921 - the most radical span in history of the left-wing European movement. It was during this span that the Left promoted an alternative worldview to the nationalism surging throughout Europe. However, the view turned bankrupt, ending with the defeat of the most extreme communist revolts. Was this bankruptcy fatal? Was it inevitable? Was it caused by the balance of power? William A. Pelz answers these questions thoroughly and in a scholarly manner. His conclusions are both convincing and valuable. He adds many new and important details to a familiar story that acquires fresh flavor in his explanation. 'Against Capitalism' broadens our horizons, enriches our perceptions, and helps us better understand the history of world communisms.

Author Information

The Author: Holding a Ph.D. in contemporary European history and an M.A. in politics, William A. Pelz is the author of The Spartkusbund and the German Working Class Movement (1988) and Wilhelm Liebknecht and German Social Democracy (1994) and editor of The Eugene V. Debs Reader: Socialism and Democracy (2000). His articles and book reviews have appeared in the American Historical Review, International Labor and Working Class History, German History, Sozialismus, JahrBuch fuer Forschungen zur Geschichte der Arbeiterbewegung, and International Labor History Yearbook among others.

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