Karl Kautsky and the Socialist Revolution 1880-1938This first modern study provides an original and balanced perspective of a theorist whom Lenin referred to as both ‘master of Marxism’ and ‘renegade’. Examining Kautsky’s political thought over a period stretching from the Paris Commune to the Second World War, the author argues for the consistency with which Kautsky developed his positions on socialism, democracy, political parties and the role of the proletariat. While Salvadori’s analysis is grounded in the debates within the Communist International and the German labour movement, Kautsky emerges as a distinctly modern thinker who produced a Marxist theory of the state, and originated critique of the USSR as a ‘state capitalist’ system. At this level, it provides a serious and measured exposition of the terms on which arguments for socialist strategy currently move. |
Contents
For the Unity of Social Democracy | |
The Ideological Crusade against Bolshevism | |
The Class Character of the USSR | |
Against the Popular Fronts | |
X | |
The World War and the Roots of CounterRevolution | |
Industrial Society Socialism and Fascism | |
Biographical Note | |
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Common terms and phrases
agrarian analysis attitude basis Bebel become Berlin Bernstein Bolsheviks Bolshevism bourgeois bourgeoisie bureaucracy capitalist capitalist development class struggle coalition Communists conflict Congress conquest constituted contradictions crisis decisive declared defence dictatorship Die Neue Zeit economic elections electoral Erfurt Programme fascism favour finance capital forces German Revolution German Social Democracy Germany historical Ibid ideological imperialism imperialist industrial inevitable Karl Kautsky Kautsky argued Kautsky maintained Kautsky wrote Kautsky’s labour leadership Lenin Liebknecht majority Marx Marxist mass political strike mass strike military movement necessary Neue opposition organization Pannekoek parliament parliamentary Parteitag party peace peasants polemic position possible precondition programme proletariat question radicals reactionary reformist reforms régime Reichstag represented revisionism revisionists revolutionary road Rosa Luxemburg ruling class Russia Russian Revolution Social Democracy socialist society Soviet Sozialdemokratie Spartacists strategy strength tactics task theoretical tradeunion unions unity USPD victory violence Vorwärts vote workers