The First Darwinian Left: Socialism and Darwinism 1859-1914

by David Stack

Cultural Writing. Political Science. Cutting through the myths, misunderstandings, and neglect that have obscured the influence of Darwinism on radical thought, this detailed account examines the paradoxical challenges that Darwinism posed for late 19th- and early 20th- century socialism. This study shows that Darwin provided British socialists from Alfred Russel Wallace to Emile Vandervelde with a new language of political expression, and that socialist thought developed through interaction with the most advanced biological theories of the day.

Genres: History

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Matthijs Krul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very clear and informative on the enormous influence evolutionary thinking had on the British socialist movement(s) of the period between Darwin and WWI. Stack also emphasizes that until the synthesis of the interwar period, there were many evolutionisms going around, with neither Darwin nor Wallace being consistent in their views over time and the influence of Lamarck and Spencer being felt at least as strongly. Like many leftists, Stack seems to greatly fear the idea of a revitalisation of Darwinism as a central mode of thinking for the left, something I'm not sure I agree with. Although he is undoubtedly right that it is of little use as a 'constitutive metaphor', given how much the term evolution has been abused when used only metaphorically.