Socialism from Below

by Hal Draper

The divisions running through the history of the socialist movement between reformists and revolutionaries, authoritarians and democrats, putschists and gradualists-the divisions and disputes which have provided the categories in terms of which the history of the movement has been written-are secondary. The important distinction is between those socialists who looked for some outside authority which would hand down salvation to the grateful masses from above and those who saw the key to the reform of existing society in the struggle from below for self-emancipation. Behind the "What do we mean by socialism?" lies a more important question. What do we mean by democracy?

Genres: Politics, Theory, History

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Hal Draper (born Harold Dubinsky) was an American socialist activist and author who played a significant role in the Berkeley, California Free Speech Movement. He is known for his extensive scholarship on the history and meaning of the thought of Karl Marx.

Draper was a lifelong advocate of what he called "socialism from below", self-emancipation by the working class, in opposition to capitalism and Stalinist bureaucracy, both of which, he held, practiced domination from above. He was one of the creators of the Third Camp tradition, a form ("the form", according to its adherents) of Marxist socialism.

Reviews

[Rhys · Rating 3 out of 5]

Socialism From Below is a very good collection of essays by Hal Draper, focused mainly on the importance of revolutionary/system change coming from the 'mass-majority' - from 'below' as opposed to being lead by reformists and the 'intelligentsia'. More importantly he distrusts the sentiment that the 'mass-majority' is incapable of acting in its self-interest: Muta pecora, prona et ventri obedientia. [The herd is silent, submissive, and obeys its stomach.]

"What unites the many different forms of Socialism-from-Above is the conception of socialism (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) must be handed down to the grateful masses in one form or another, by a ruling elite which is not subject to their control in fact. The heart of Socialism-from-Below is its view that socialism can be realized only through the self-emancipation of activized masses “from below” in a struggle to take charge of their own destiny, as actors (not merely subjects) on the stage of history" (p.10).

[Josh Stark · Rating 5 out of 5]

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