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Reform, Revolution, and Opportunism: Debates in the Second International, 1900–1910
An essential record from the Second International, assembled by Under the Socialist Banner editor Mike Taber .
At its height, the Second (Socialist) International (1889-1914) represented the majority of organized workers in the world, with the revolutionary goal of overthrowing capitalism. Its major accomplishments—such as the eight-hour day and International Women’s Day—remain a testimony to its lasting influence around the world.
In this important collection of debates at congresses of the Second International, Reform, Revolution, and Opportunism captures the International’s vibrancy and gives a snapshot of its strengths, weaknesses, and contradictions. Divergent perspectives on reform and revolution are expressed in these pages, as socialists debate topics that remain deeply contested militarism and war, immigration, colonialism and imperialism, women’s rights, and socialist participation in government.
Reform, Revolution, and Opportunism —taken together with Under the Socialist Banner —offers a rounded view of the Second International and its legacy, showing it to be a living, breathing movement with valuable insights for activists today.
At its height, the Second (Socialist) International (1889-1914) represented the majority of organized workers in the world, with the revolutionary goal of overthrowing capitalism. Its major accomplishments—such as the eight-hour day and International Women’s Day—remain a testimony to its lasting influence around the world.
In this important collection of debates at congresses of the Second International, Reform, Revolution, and Opportunism captures the International’s vibrancy and gives a snapshot of its strengths, weaknesses, and contradictions. Divergent perspectives on reform and revolution are expressed in these pages, as socialists debate topics that remain deeply contested militarism and war, immigration, colonialism and imperialism, women’s rights, and socialist participation in government.
Reform, Revolution, and Opportunism —taken together with Under the Socialist Banner —offers a rounded view of the Second International and its legacy, showing it to be a living, breathing movement with valuable insights for activists today.
272 pages, Paperback
Published September 5, 2023
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January 17, 2025
An excellent collection from Haymarket Books covering five major issues debated by the Second International: Socialist Participation in Government; Colonialism; Immigration; Women's Suffrage; and Militarism and War.
It's a little surprising how timely a lot of the debates in the book feel. I was reading this late last year alongside a couple of works by Friedrich Hayek and Liberalism and Its Discontents by Francis Fukuyama, and the spectrum of time (1900 for this one; 1943 & 1960s for Hayek; 2022 for Fukuyama) didn't seem to impede the conversation they were all having in my head.
I'd be curious to see what a contemporary international social democratic congress might look like, and what topics they might debate.
It's a little surprising how timely a lot of the debates in the book feel. I was reading this late last year alongside a couple of works by Friedrich Hayek and Liberalism and Its Discontents by Francis Fukuyama, and the spectrum of time (1900 for this one; 1943 & 1960s for Hayek; 2022 for Fukuyama) didn't seem to impede the conversation they were all having in my head.
I'd be curious to see what a contemporary international social democratic congress might look like, and what topics they might debate.
Displaying 1 of 1 review