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

by Colm Murphy

Overview

The transformation of the Labour Party by 1997 is among the most consequential political developments in modern British history. Futures of Socialism overhauls the story of Labour's modernisation and provides an innovative new history. Diving into the tumultuous world of the British left after 1973, rocked by crushing defeats, bitter schisms, and ideological disorientation, Colm Murphy uncovers competing intellectual agendas for modern socialism. Responding to deindustrialisation, neoliberalism, and constitutional agitation, these visions of 'modernisation' ranged across domestic and European policy and the politics of class, gender, race, and democracy. By reconstructing the sites and networks of political debate, the book explains their changing influence inside Labour. It also throws new light on New Labour, highlighting its roots in this social-democratic intellectual maelstrom. Futures of Socialism provides an essential analysis of social democracy in an era of market liberalism, and of the ideas behind a historic political reconstruction that remains deeply controversial today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781009278843
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/08/2024
Series:	Modern British Histories
Pages:	326
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 8.98(h) x 0.67(d)

About the Author

Colm Murphy is Lecturer in British Politics at Queen Mary University of London and Deputy Director of the Mile End Institute. He was previously Past & Present Fellow at the Institute of Historical Research. He has published in History Workshop Journal, Twentieth Century British History, and Renewal: A Journal of Social Democracy.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The plural modernisations of the British left; Part I. Social Democracy and the Challenge to the Nation-State: 1. 'Keynes is dead, Beveridge is dead': modernisation, globalisation, and European integration; 2. Industrial democracy, market socialism, and stakeholder capitalism: modernisation and socioeconomic democracy; Part II. Identities and Mmodern Socialism': 3. 'An old working class may be waning, but a new one is being born'? Gender, Labour, and modernisation; 4. A telling absence: race, multiculturalism, and modernisation; Part III. The Search for a Modernising Social Democracy; 5. 'A modern democracy': modernisation and constitutional reform; 6. White heat to interactive whiteboard: modernisation and Labour's economic strategy; Conclusion: contested futures of socialism in Britain's late twentieth century.

Editorial Reviews

‘Futures of Socialism makes a major contribution to our understanding of the British Left between the rise of Thatcherism and the emergence of New Labour. The book is a deft and nuanced exploration of Labour's late twentieth-century modernisation. It will undoubtedly become a touchstone in the history of the contemporary Left.’ Stephen J. Brooke, York University, Canada

‘Colm Murphy’s work brilliantly captures how the Left experienced a process of creative reinvention in the cold climate of the 1980s, challenging the myth of neo-liberal dominance in late twentieth century Britain. All observers of contemporary British history and politics should read this hugely important book.’ Patrick Diamond, Queen Mary University of London

‘In this engaging and nuanced book, Colm Murphy shows how a rich and varied discourse on the nature of ‘modernising’ Labour politics came to be narrowed into a single view of what that entailed. This is a powerful reminder of how the ‘roads not taken’ continue to shape the political present.’ Emily Robinson, University of Sussex

'A fascinating new history of New Labour’s early years … In addition to being a great piece of archival work, it has some interesting things to think about for all of us in the UK today.' Stephen Bush, Financial Times

‘Colm Murphy tells an important story more completely than anyone has done before: how Labour, step by painful step, shed its constitutional commitment to the abolition of capitalism and redefined its basic doctrine … his book is likely to remain for some time the fullest account of what happened during those years.’ Peter Kellner, Inside Story

‘Futures of Socialism not only changes our understanding of modernisation, but Labour history itself.’ Ciaran McGurdy, The Social Review

‘… this book offers a new look at the ideological change of the Labour Party and the British Left in the late 20th century … Recommended.’ M. K. Thompson, Choice

‘There is no better starting point for politicians, commentators and academics who want to contribute to the debate on Labour’s past and future than Colm Murphy’s book … The great achievement of Murphy’s book is to have laid the foundation stone of the historiography of New Labour.’ Ben Jackson, Renewal

‘… anyone interested in the remaking of socialism in the neoliberal age, in Britain and elsewhere, will benefit enormously from reading this erudite and well-written account of how the Labour Party was ‘modernized’ but not ‘neoliberalized’ during the 1980s and 1990s.’ Stefan Berger, H-Soz-Kult

‘… a powerful example of the role historians can play as debunkers of inherited, politically motivated mythologies from our recent past; as narrators of complexity; and as arch-pluralists, urging us to understand political actors and thinkers on their own terms.’ Nick Garland, Journal of British Studies

From the Publisher