Marxism and the Origins of International Relations: A Hidden History

by Josï Ricardo Villanueva Lira

Overview

This book investigates to what extent and in what ways Marxist writings and precepts on imperialism informed the so-called idealist stage of International Relations (IR). Though the formative years of International Relations coincide with a vibrant period in Marxist political thought, Marxism is strikingly absent from the historiography of the discipline. Building on the work of revisionist scholars, the book reconstructs the writings of five benchmark IR thinkers. Villanueva analyzes the cases of John Hobson, Henry Brailsford, Leonard Woolf, Harold Laski and Norman Angell to explore the influence that Marxism played in their thinking, and in the “idealist years” of the discipline more generally. He ultimately demonstrates that, although Marxist thought has been neglected by mainstream IR disciplinary historians, it played a significant role in the discipline’s early development. As such, this book both challenges the exclusion of Marxist thought from the mainstream disciplinary histories of IR and contributes to a deeper understanding of the role it played in early 20^th century IR theory.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030796679
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	10/21/2021
Series:	The Palgrave Macmillan History of International Thought
Edition description:	1st ed. 2022
Pages:	175
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Jose Ricardo Villanueva Lira is Lecturer and Head of Department at the Institute of International Studies, Universidad del Mar, Mexico.​

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: The Benchmark Thinkers’ Impact on IR.- Chapter 3: Political Thought and Marxism.- Chapter 4: The Marxian Imprint on Early IR’s Understandings of Imperialism.- Chapter 5: A Distinctive and Overlooked Socialist IR Tradition.- Chapter 6: Norman Angell and the Real First Great Debate.- Chapter 7: Conclusions.

Editorial Reviews

Ricardo Villanueva’s new book is a timely addition to the IR literature. … Marxism and the origins of International Relations is relevant to those interested in the historiography of IR theory, as well as to a more general audience. Villanueva’s book fills a pressing gap in terms of how we narrate disciplinary beginnings and is a reminder that discipline’s intellectual history is still being written.” (Keith Smith, International Affairs, Vol. 98 (4), 2022)

From the Publisher