Futures of Socialism: 'Modernisation', the Labour Party, and the British Left, 1973-1997

Futures of Socialism by Colm Murphy explores the transformation of the Labour Party by 1997 and the competing intellectual agendas for modern socialism in response to deindustrialisation, neoliberalism, and constitutional agitation. It reconstructs the sites and networks of political debate and highlights the roots of New Labour in this social-democratic intellectual maelstrom.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 08 June 2023
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

The transformation of the Labour Party by 1997 is one of the most significant political developments in modern British history. Futures of Socialism, a groundbreaking book by Colm Murphy, offers a fresh perspective on Labour's modernisation journey. Spanning the tumultuous period of the British left after 1973, marked by defeats, schisms, and ideological disorientation, Murphy delves into the competing intellectual agendas for modern socialism. Responding to the challenges of deindustrialisation, neoliberalism, and constitutional agitation, these visions of modernisation encompassed domestic and European policy, as well as the politics of class, gender, race, and democracy. By reconstructing the sites and networks of political debate, Murphy sheds light on their evolving influence within Labour and provides valuable insights into New Labour's origins within this social-democratic intellectual maelstrom. This book serves as an essential analysis of social democracy in the era of market liberalism and sheds light on the ideas behind a historic political reconstruction that continues to be debated today.

Weight: 642g
ISBN-13: 9781009278812