Centrism: The Story of an Idea

by Ian Dunt, Dorian Lynskey

A definitive guide to the most misunderstood ideas in modern politics.

The words we use shape the world we live in - so it matters when we get them wrong. This series, from the creators of the chart-topping Origin Story podcast, sheds much-needed light on the true meanings and surprising stories behind some of our most used and abused political terms.

Where did these terms originate? Who coined them - and why? How have their meanings evolved over time? And what do they mean to people today? These small guides to (very) big ideas are an antidote to confusion and conspiracy, bringing clarity back to the conversations we have about politics.

Centrism explores the history of a term from its origins to the contested ground it occupies today.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Audiobook, History

154 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 17, 2024

Reviews

[Yuri Krupenin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Это делает что обещает на обложке, но особенно ничего сверх. Я обычно не люблю такой формат нонфикшна, но здесь соавтором значится Дориан Линкси, Everything Must Go которого была одной из самых интересных книг-исследований что я прочитал за долгое время.

Здесь к сожалению ничего подобного — всё бегом и всё сжато, но сильно придраться не к чему, да и работы такого формата этого и не заслуживают.

Следует заметить, что последние полчаса (я слушал книгу в аудиоварианте, что может быть не самая плохая идея, учитывая что она собрана на базе подкаста) в моём издании были отданы фрагменту подкаста, где авторы обсуждают сложности исследования субъекта (отсутствие фундаментальных работ по теме: контур приходится восстанавливать по моментам отсутствия явных левых/правых наклонов в политической истории), и эти полчаса интереснее всей книги.

[Isaac Hulse · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very worthwhile Christmas holiday read! I got this book for Christmas from my wife who clearly knows me very well. I enjoyed fleshing out my knowledge of some of the great centrists over the decades.

From Aristotle, through Thomas Cromwell, the French Revolution, J.S. Mill, Schlesinger, Keynes, Jenkins, Clinton, Blair, all the way to Macron (far from an exhaustive list), this book can boast of a wide and very impressive bibliography.

As a short little book it was always going to be open to the criticism of being a little simplistic and lacking depth but it is certainly an excellent introduction to a very important concept. Dunt and Lynskey present a balenced view, that outlines Centrisms strengths and weaknesses.

This ideology is vulnerable to attack but remains the route to unity and the building of a strong nation that works for all. As a proud "centrist dad" living in a world where populism threatens our country and the world itself, I firmly endorse one of the closing quotes from Schlesinger: "the goal of the extremes is always the destruction of the middle. Therefore, it is worth fighting for".

[Antonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to learn about the origins of Centrism and how the Left and Right have manipulated the term to their advantage.

Essential reading for the politically conscious.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the highly polarised world of today, the idea of centralism is appealing. Dunt and Lynskey try to explain what centralism is, how it grew from even before the French Revolution to what it is today. That’s the problem: what is it today? Centre-left, centre-right, or something outside the left-right dimension? Many attempts at centrism, from JS Mill, Keynes, Roy Jenkins, Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, even Bob Hawke gets a mention, to Emmanual Macron, all of which have different takes on the notion. Centrism as a concept is slippery, not just a bit of right and a bit left thinking, but a new way of thinking that doesn’t quite seem to gel. What does come out clearly is that all too often means governing by poll, which assumes that majority public opinion is usually centrist, which in times of crisis it is not. The book is not very long, unlike Dunt’s How to be a Liberal, which discusses some of these issues more clearly and deeply. This book rather convinced me that extreme left and extreme right are to be avoided – not so extreme as fascism and communism which Dunt sees as very similar indeed by virtue of the sort of society that strong extremism, aka authoritarianism, produces. Dunt and Lynskey concentrate on British and French politics, with some American, and I found it difficult to extrapolate to the Australian scene. Is that because we have tended to avoid extremism? Perhaps we did, until John Howard took us to the right, with Peter Dutton currently in the wings to take us to the extreme right. Albanese tries to be a centrist and the result is simply weak. So, Australians, watch out and hope we can get a competent centrist in the form of a Macron – and that was a surprise, for Dunt sees Macron as a highly effective centrist, but then a Le Pen is creeping up behind him. Centrism, as moderation and toleration, seems like a very good idea but it seems to be more of an attitude than the basis for a coherent policy.

[Jonathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s pretty amateurish in its analysis of the “extremes” that centrism supposedly transcends. The notion that the primary binary between left and right is simply state v market is so wrongheaded and confused that it wouldn’t even pass muster in an undergraduate exam.

Similarly, describing “communism” (a utopian end state that has never been achieved), by which they mean the Soviet Union, as an equivalent “monolith of political purity” to fascism is insultingly stupid.

There are countless other examples here. It’s well written and easy to understand but extremely shallow and surface level. Its portrayal of centrism as a benign middle ground obscures its commitment to an economic system (capitalism) that has only existed for 1% of human history. But apparently centrism isn’t an “ideology”, just basic common sense. Laughable.

[Aran Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't recommend this series of books highly enough
After exploring the story of Fascism and Conspiracy Theory, this last book in a series of 3 talks through the origins of Centrism to where it is today

I think Centrist thought is more important now than ever. With politics becoming more and more extreme, a centre position of debate, compromise and solution is so important

Worth a read, especially in today's climate

[Abhijeet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Centrism is such a vague term at the best of times that any book that tries to describe it will probably suffer the same fate. The authors do an admirable job with not much to go on, doing their best to provide a coherent narrative. They don't try to sell the ideology (if it can be called that) but take an even handed approach to centrism's successes and failures, which is fitting in a way. Nobody is going to come away fired up after reading this book, which is also fitting in a way.

[Satya · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Defence of Centrism?

The Aristotelian conception of the golden mean is the middle ground between two extremes. But how about slavery? There is no middle ground.

This might explain some of the pejorative connotations of centralism. But how about the extremes of communism and fascism? There HAS TO be a middle ground.

Is centrism more left or right? Pierre Trudeau said that when in doubt go left but there are also theories that centrism is biased to the status quo.

The Origin Story books are really good! On Audible, there is also a discussion of the book, which I really enjoyed!

[Ulrike · Rating 3 out of 5]

much like centrism itself i found this a bit pointless.. listened to audiobook and found the conversation at the end the most interesting. the best parts of this were when they talked about false binaries - wish this had been expanded on more.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0