Capitalism and Social Democracy, Page 79

Adam Przeworski

Cambridge University Press, Dec 26, 1986 - Philosophy - 269 pages

This is a study of the choices faced by socialist movements as they developed within capitalist societies. Professor Przeworski examines the three principal choices confronted by socialism: whether to work through elections; whether to rely exclusively on the working class; and whether to try to reform or abolish capitalism. He brings to his analysis a number of abstract models of political and economic structure, and illustrates the issues in the context of historical events, tracing the development of socialist strategies since the mid-nineteenth century. Several of the conclusions are novel and provocative. Professor Przeworski argues that economic issues cannot justify a socialist programme, and that the workers had good reasons to struggle for the improvement of capitalism. Therefore, the project of a socialist transformation, and the fight for economic advancement, were separate historical phenomena.

Contents

• Social Democracy as a Historical Phenomenon: 7
• Democratic Capitalism and Political Participation: 10
• Electoral Participation and Class Organization: 13
• The Promise of Elections: 16
• Social Democracy and the Working Class: 19
• The Electoral Dilemma: 23
• Reform and Revolution: 29
• Economic Projects and Political Realities: 31
• The Compromise: 35
• The Abandonment of Reformism: 38
• Economic Bases of Class Compromise: 42
• Social Democracy and Socialism: 43
• Proletariat into a Class The Process of Class Formation: 47
• Scientific Socialism as of 1890: 48
• Who Are the Proletarians?: 55
• Proletarianization and Class Structure: 59
• And Where to Fit the Middle Class?: 63
• The Process of Class Formation: 67
• Democratic Capitalism and the Organization of Workers as a Class: 73
• Conflicts About Class: 78
• Surplus Labor and the Middle Class: 82
• Conclusion: 90
• Methodological Individualism and the Concept of Class: 92
• Party Strategy Class Organization and Individual Voting: 99
• The Dilemma of ClassBased Parties: 102
• The Electoral TradeOff: 104
• Party Strategies and Their Consequences: 111
• Choice and Necessity: 114
• Are Socialist Leaders VoteMaximizers?: 118
• Historical Patterns of Class Voting: 121
• Further Evidence: 126
• Conclusion: 128
• Appendix: 129
• Material Bases of Consent: 133
• Capitalism Hegemony and Democracy: 136
• Reproduction of Consent of WageEarners: 145
• Accumulation and Legitimation: 148
• Conjunctures and Crises: 157
• Breakdown of Consent and Force: 163
• Material Interests Class Compromise and the State: 171
• The Problem Defined: 172
• The Form of Class Compromise: 177
• Conditions of Class Compromise: 182
• Beyond Capitalism: 197
• Class Conflict and the State: 200
• Democratic Capitalism at the Crossroads: 205
• The Keynesian Revolution as a Compromise: 207
• Economic Alternatives: 211
• Market Economics as a Political Project: 218
• Exploitation Class Conflict and Socialism The Ethical Materialism of John Roemer: 223
• Exploitation and Its Origins: 224
• Exploitation and Class Struggle: 226
• Exploitation Class Struggle and Accumulation: 231
• Exploitation and the Transition to Socialism: 235
• Social Democracy and Socialism: 239
• References: 249
• Name Index: 263
• Subject Index: 267

Bibliographic information

• Title: Capitalism and Social Democracy, Page 79; Capitalism and Social Democracy, Adam Przeworski; G.A.Cohen John Elster and John Roemer; Studies in Marxism and Social Theory
• Author: Adam Przeworski
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1986
• ISBN: 0521336562, 9780521336567
• Length: 269 pages
• Subjects: Philosophy / Political; Political Science / General; Political Science / Political Ideologies / Capitalism; Political Science / Political Ideologies / Communism, Post-Communism & Socialism