
Forging Democracy: The Left and the Struggle for Democracy in Europe, 1850-2000
The History of the Left in Europe, 1850-2000
Geoff Eley(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 11. April 2002
Book
Paperback/Softback
720 pages
978-0-19-504479-9 (ISBN)
Description
Democracy in Europe has been a recent phenomenon. Only in the wake of World War II were democratic frameworks secured, and, even then, it was decades before democracy truly blanketed the continent.
Neither given nor granted, democracy requires conflict, often violent confrontations, and challenges to the established political order. In Europe, Geoff Eley convincingly shows, democracy did not evolve organically out of a natural consensus, the achievement of prosperity, or the negative cement of the Cold War. Rather, it was painstakingly crafted, continually expanded, and doggedly defended by varying constellations of socialist, feminist, Communist, and other radical movements that originally blossomed in the later nineteenth century. Parties of the Left championed democracy in the revolutionary crisis after World War I, salvaged it against the threat of fascism, and renewed its growth after 1945. They organised civil societies rooted in egalitarian ideals which came to form the very fibre of Europe's current democratic traditions. The trajectories of European democracy and the history of the European Left are thus inextricably bound together.
Geoff Eley has given us the first truly comprehensive history of the European Left--its successes and failures; its high watermarks and its low tides; its accomplishments, insufficiencies, and excesses; and, most importantly, its formative, lasting influence on the European political landscape. At a time when the Left's influence and legitimacy are frequently called into question, Forging Democracy passionately upholds its vital contribution.
Neither given nor granted, democracy requires conflict, often violent confrontations, and challenges to the established political order. In Europe, Geoff Eley convincingly shows, democracy did not evolve organically out of a natural consensus, the achievement of prosperity, or the negative cement of the Cold War. Rather, it was painstakingly crafted, continually expanded, and doggedly defended by varying constellations of socialist, feminist, Communist, and other radical movements that originally blossomed in the later nineteenth century. Parties of the Left championed democracy in the revolutionary crisis after World War I, salvaged it against the threat of fascism, and renewed its growth after 1945. They organised civil societies rooted in egalitarian ideals which came to form the very fibre of Europe's current democratic traditions. The trajectories of European democracy and the history of the European Left are thus inextricably bound together.
Geoff Eley has given us the first truly comprehensive history of the European Left--its successes and failures; its high watermarks and its low tides; its accomplishments, insufficiencies, and excesses; and, most importantly, its formative, lasting influence on the European political landscape. At a time when the Left's influence and legitimacy are frequently called into question, Forging Democracy passionately upholds its vital contribution.
Reviews / Votes
Optimistic reading * Dick Howard, Washington Post *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 39 mm
Weight
1077 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-504479-9 (9780195044799)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Book
04/2002
Oxford University Press Inc
€228.70
Shipment within 15-20 days

E-Book
04/2002
1st Edition
OUP USA
€73.99
Available for download

E-Book
04/2002
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€73.99
Available for download
Person
Geoff Eley is Professor of History at the University of Michigan. He is the author and editor of many books on British and German history, including Reshaping the German Right: Radical Nationalism and Political Change after Bismarck.
Content
AND THE PEOPLE ; PART ONE: MAKING DEMOCRACY SOCIAL: PREPARING THE FUTURE ; CLASS ; HISTORY ; PART TWO: REVOLUTIONARY EUROPE, 1914-1923 ; THE LEFT, 1914-17 ; 1917-23 ; PART THREE: STABILISATION AND THE "WAR OF POSITION" ; DEMOCRACY ; COUNTRY ; RETREAT ; NATION, 1939-47 ; THE COLD WAR, 1945-56 ; PART FOUR: FUTURE IMPERFECT ; DEMOCRACY ; 1989