The making of the English working class: E. P. Thompson and the crisis of Marxism

Authors

  • Fernando Díez Rodríguez
Keywords: Orthodox Marxism, Marxist Revisionism, Utopian Socialism, Economic Determinism, Anti-capitalist Romantic Radicalism, Crisis of Marxism, The Marxist Idea of Class, Class Consciousness

Abstract

This article addresses the important and fundamental work of E.P.Thompson from the perspective of the crisis of Marxism in the 1960s, and the way that this crisis is reflected by the author. The novelty and influence of E.P. Thompson’s most well-known work must be understood within this specific, critical context, just as one must understand, contextually, his revisionist attempt which he carried out in reaction to the crisis of Marxism. His revisionist views led to his fervent reading of William Morris. Through this, he discovered an alternative tradition to orthodox Marxism, both to investigate the history of the classes, as well as to redefine his own idea of anti-capitalism. This alternative tradition was considered by Thompson to be compatible with the original ideas of Karl Marx.

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How to Cite
Díez Rodríguez F. (2013). The making of the English working class: E. P. Thompson and the crisis of Marxism. Historical Sociology, (3), 251–284. Retrieved from https://revistas.um.es/sh/article/view/189291
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Section
Monográfico. 50 años de "La formación de la clase obrera en Inglaterra", de E. P. Thompson