One Hundred Years of Socialism

by Donald Sassoon

This book by acclaimed historian Donald Sassoon traces the fortunes of the political parties on the left in Western Europe through the twentieth century. Sassoon charts the course of socialism across fourteen countries, from the Second International to the birth of the welfare state to the student uprisings of the 1960s and beyond. Unique, comprehensive, and "appropriately ambitious" (Los Angeles Times), One Hundred Years of Socialism demonstrates that throughout their history, the fortunes of capitalism and socialism have been inextricably linked. Capitalism may now appear to be triumphant, but how much does it owe to the socialist legacy? Can socialism go global and continue to be a force for change in the twenty-first century?

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction, European History, Economics

992 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1996

About the author

Donald Sassoon is Emeritus Professor of Comparative European History at Queen Mary, University of London.

Reviews

[Rob Manwaring · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an impossibly, stupidly big book. It is seriously just ridiculous, and pretty much overshadows my entire bed side table. It looks, however, an amazing read. I tired to show my excitement to to Sandy about this book, and she just said, 'why do you read such long and boring books?' I will probably finish this sometime in 2046...

Just for the record, I'm still reading this, and currently in the 1980s reading about Mitterand's attempt to modernise the PS. It is a fantastic book, but has a very wheeny tiny font and several thousand pages.

[Victor Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is probably the most expansive overview of Western European Social Democracy+ certain Western Communist parties I have ever seen. Sassoon is even-keeled in terms of his treatment of the different parties and their impact on their respective countries from the interwar years to the collapse of the USSR.

the author is generally sympathetic, but the book is very realistic in terms of what these different groups actually accomplished and their relationship to modern capitalism. Sections read like a catalogue of political defeats, strife and setbacks more than anything else; and the idea of the total defeat of capitalism eventually being dropped by many for a more "pragmatic" approach which focused on bolstering the domestic private sector and in many cases (with notable exceptions like Sweden's SAP during Vietnam) forsaking internationalism and supporting American imperialism (many parties in Europe supported joining NATO and nuclear weapons being placed in Europe or being supportive of imperialist wars in the third world) and more or less being on the same page.

Sassoon also uses lots of data in the book to give us a more sobering assessment of 20th century social democracy (and the Italian PCI and French PCF), socialist parties weren't necessarily at the cutting edge of social reforms in many cases and were often times outflanked by savvy conservatives or pushed along by endogenous pressure groups like feminist women and ecologist factions. It challenges the self-complacency of many radicals which routinely say that "if it wasn't for leftists X wouldn't have happened". This may be true, and the EXISTENCE of these parties may have brought about a certain concession by the ruling classes, but that doesn't necessarily mean that socialists were spearheading the efforts.


If you have the time and you have the heart to accompany Sassoon for what's nearly 700 pages of relatively dry history, you will also be privy to an underlying layer of the story: a veritable soap opera full of starryeyed revolutionaries, shrewd opportunists, incompetent governments, technocrats, turncoats, triumphs and letdowns. It really is a masterwork and something that is worth reading by socialists.

[Andrew Pratley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a magnum opus. It takes some reading since it is quite dense. The reader, though, will be well rewarded if they stick at it. When I did a History & Politics degree way back the mists of time I wish this book had been available. It would answered a lot of my questions. The book concentrates on how Socialism evolved in & out of government in Western Europe from Greece to Norway. It includes the story the big countries in Europe as well. Germany, France & the United Kingdom are covered thoroughly. It takes a chronological approach & along the way there is plenty of analysis comparing & contrasting the ups & downs across the nations of Western Europe. Socialism unruly child Communism is also fully chronicled, analyzed & discussed. I learned a lot & am glad I didn't skim but read this big book giving it both the time & attention it deserves. An important book.

[Jonyleo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume I

Neste estudo, único pela sua profundidade e amplitude, Donald Sassoon retrata os vários destinos dos partidos de esquerda na Europa Ocidental. Da ascenção do bolchevismo à queda do Muro de Berlim, da Segunda Internacional à Guerra Fria e ao evento do Estado-Providência, passando por duas guerras mundiais, da militância da classe operária e das sublevações estudantis dos anos 60 à relutante aceitação da economia de mercado com a aproximação do fim do milénio, passando pelo renascer do feminismo e pela entrada em cena das políticas «verdes», Sassoon descreve o caminho percorrido pelo socialismo.

Volume II

O socialismo e os direitos gerados pela Revolução Francesa foram os dois grandes factos políticos e sociais da nossa idade, mas o socialismo foi mais longe e chegou, na geografia, a lugares mais longínquos do que o próprio cristianismo, atravessando várias religiões, até mergulhar num desastre. Poderá renascer? Quando se acaba de ler o livro de Donald Sassoon fica a ideia de que sim, pode renascer.

Críticas de imprensa


Pode dizer-se de «Cem Anos de Socialismo» com os seus dois extensos volumes, que é uma obra “majestosa”, como escreveu «The Economist», em 1966, quando da sua primeira edição; uma rigorosa e exaustiva panorâmica não só da história do socialismo, ou dos socialismos, como de uma parte essencial da história política ocidental e da expansão da sua influência para o resto do mundo.
José Gabriel Viegas in «Cartaz» (Expresso) em 16/02/2002

[spen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must express gratitude to this book for helping familiarise me with gloss histories of the Portuguese, Norwegian and Greek lefts. However, I cannot recommend it to others. Sassoon's perspective here feels hopelessly bound by the rationalisations of 1996. The parts I know (about French industry and British parliamentary politics) spill over with embarrassing factual errors, leaving me nervous about what to believe in other sections. At one point, I read that 10% of the USA's 1989 births came into the world smack addicts.

Explanation for such sins may lurk in the endnotes, which favour speeches and pamphlets by contemporary politicians over studies.

[Matt Fodor · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's the size of a phone book but it really covers a sweeping history of social democracy in Western European countries large and small over the period of a century. A must-read for specialists of social democracy.

[Joao]

An incredible voyage to the role of social democrates and socialists in the building the actual welfare state and peace in europe.

[Szplug]

It will take me about that long to read...

[Zoltan Pogatsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A long and very detailed history of Social Democracy in Europe. Very useful as a historical reference book.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's like, really good. Not sure exactly why 4 stars rather than 5 lol, mostly just because I reserve 5 for books that GRIP me. But like I would def recommend it if you're interested in a history of Western European socialism (the title is misleading: it is VERY strict about limiting its scope to Western Europe and only Western Europe. So for example no Poland, Romania, Croatia, Serbia, etc, etc

[Brent · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring...I wish this was a better read...maybe that's what's wrong with socialism...