Book Review: Gary Browning, A History of Modern Political Thought: The Question of Interpretation
| Date | 01 November 2017 |
| Author | Jules Townshend |
| DOI | 10.1177/1478929917718157 |
| Published date | 01 November 2017 |
| Subject Matter | Book ReviewsPolitical Theory |
618 Political Studies Review 15(4)
specialised readers who wish to get an under-
standing about Greek society and the road to
its economic meltdown. Despite focusing on
only one country, the book largely succeeds
in its dual task of providing an overview of
the political history of modern Greece and in
showing, in theoretical terms, the input of
political parties to economic policy.
Trantidis’ arguments are supported not only
by hard data but also by secondary material
from newspapers and political archives covering
heated periods of modern Greek history, making
the book an interesting and enjoyable read.
Nikos Sotirakopoulos
(Loughborough University)
© The Author(s) 2017
Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav
DOI: 10.1177/1478929917719413
journals.sagepub.com/home/psrev
Historical Dictionary of Socialism by Peter
Lamb. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2016.
599pp., £95.00 (h/b), ISBN 9781442258266
From Victor Adler to Jacob Zuma and from the
publication of Thomas More’s Utopia to the
rise of Podemos and SYRIZA, this dictionary
of over 500 entries is certainly impressive in
scope. The entries infuse the historical roots,
the biographical detail, the essential literature
and the crucial theories with the political
action to show the revolutionary impact that
has been attempted across the globe, via vari-
ous mediums and measures, under the broad
term of ‘socialism’. In order to navigate the
intrepid voyager through this red sea, this third
edition also includes a list of acronyms and
abbreviations, a brief chronology, an introduc-
tory essay, a glossary, and a thematically
organised bibliographic guide to substantial
further reading.
The entries themselves are clear and inform-
ative with frequent cross references, aiding one
in mapping out socialism’s history from the
early influences of religious social justice,
traditional collectivism and the French
Revolution, to the recurring themes of labour,
wealth redistribution and global struggles for
freedom. While it may at times err on the side
of an orthodox simplicity, a book of this scope
cannot be exhaustive and indeed has ‘no
pretension to be a comprehensive single-vol-
ume history of socialism’ (p. xiii).
The introductory essay does well to high-
light not only the diversity but also the direct
antagonisms within socialism – be it Marx
versus Utopianism, State Socialism versus
Anarchism or Luxemburg versus Lenin
(pp. 6–12) – thus acknowledging the com-
plexities in understanding and interpreting a
history where ‘socialism never ceases evolv-
ing’ (p. xi).
In assessing the legacy of socialism, the
narrative brings to the forefront the ambiguous
tension between its endurance and fate, that it
has ‘inspired millions while simultaneously
arousing fear and revulsion’ (p. 1). The diction-
ary neither excludes nor attempts to justify the
troubled relationship with human rights or the
brutal suppressions and persecutions commit-
ted in the name of socialism and the challenges
this has made to what may be considered core
tenets.
A question for socialism posed by recent
decades is whether social democratic tweaking is
the best possibility? Is success weighed by balanc-
ing the resignation of Ed Miliband with the presi-
dential success of Simonetta Sommaruga? Or
should we revitalise Marx’s legacy beyond its
twentieth-century shadow? While this ambitious
dictionary cannot answer any of this, what it
successfully lays bare is a treasure trove for the
curious. It is a sturdy guide for those looking back
needing an initial orientation and which is also, per-
haps most importantly, aware of its own limitations.
Alex Tebble
(University of York)
© The Author(s) 2017
Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav
DOI: 10.1177/1478929917716097
journals.sagepub.com/home/psrev
A History of Modern Political Thought:
The Question of Interpretation by Gary
Browning. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
2016. 448pp., £30.00 (p/b), ISBN 9780199682294
If any book is testament to the flourishing
world of political philosophy and its history in
the second half of the twentieth century after
its supposed ‘death’ at the hands of logical
positivism in the 1950s, then this is it.
To continue reading
Request your trial