Why is England so unradical ?
Rev O'Lushen | 10.02.2001 14:56
For anyone who has ever puzzled why England has shown an ingrained aversion to left, socialist, or indeed any radical ideas, an important theoretical breakthrough by PERRY ANDERSON
Anderson's important work is not new, indeed his thesis was first set out in the early 1960's in the now out-of-print issues of New Left Review, No.s: 23, 35, 161.
Essentially, Anderson claims that there was no "industrial Revolution", that the industrialist class was compromised by a pre existing empire based on agricultural aristocracy. What this meant is that the proletariat, which appeared with the British empire as established fact (unlike other european powers), had no radical exmple of revolution to follow. The English revolution of 1642 , Diggers, Levellers &c has its adherents of course, but the event has no historical link to the modern day workering class.
Perry's essays are collected into a book "English Questions", ISBN 0 86091 375 9. I recoomend his ideas as a new starting point for the new radicals.
Essentially, Anderson claims that there was no "industrial Revolution", that the industrialist class was compromised by a pre existing empire based on agricultural aristocracy. What this meant is that the proletariat, which appeared with the British empire as established fact (unlike other european powers), had no radical exmple of revolution to follow. The English revolution of 1642 , Diggers, Levellers &c has its adherents of course, but the event has no historical link to the modern day workering class.
Perry's essays are collected into a book "English Questions", ISBN 0 86091 375 9. I recoomend his ideas as a new starting point for the new radicals.
Rev O'Lushen
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Anderson's Work Is Important
11.02.2001 14:00
Anarchists are perplexed and impatient with the "centerists", such as the SWP, who forever preach that the workers are not ready for direct action. Equally, these much maligned "Trots" are alarmed at the supposed "voluntarism" (adventurism, if you like) of the Anarchists. Now in fact, both sets of comrades are presupposing courses of action without an undedstanding of the historical, situation and Anderson has highlighted a deficiency in the perspectives.
I personally was coming to a similar conclusion to Anderson a few years ago and I have to humbly cede to him the original idea (indeed, I'm so glad I didnt develop it into a thesis without prior knowledge!). What Anderson applies to the proletariat also applies to the student movement, and he published a text in "Student Power" (Penguin, 1969) which covers similar ground. You can also find a discussion of his ideas in W Thompsons "Long Death of British Labourism" (Pluto, 1993) and Westergaard & Esler's "Class in a Capitalist Society" (Pelican).
Make no mistake, he is extemely harsh: "what is needed is a sociology of ignorance" he declaims in the 1969 text.
Perry Anderson has stayed true to the movement. In the last decade he has called for a regrouping of the left, rather than scuttling for cover as so many false posers such as Fischer, Cohn Bendit and Livingstone have done. He still writes for NLR and now lectures at UCLA i believe.
The book mentioned "English Questions (Verso 1992) may be out of print, but is listed on the New Left Review website, so they may have copies available.
Auguste