Overview
- Provides a much-needed study of the Belgian socialist intellectual and politician Henrik de Man, and the impact of his ideas on the Western European left
- Highlights the significance of his ideas on economic planning across Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Britain over this period
- Offers new insights into how Western European Social Democracy reacted to the global economic downturn of the 1930s
Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in the History of Social Movements (PSHSM)
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Table of contents (10 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Keywords
About this book
The book investigates the intellectual and political trajectory of the Belgian theorist Hendrik de Man (1885-1953) by examining the impact that his works and activism had on Western European social democracy between the two world wars. Based on multinational archival research, the book highlights how the idea of economic planning became part of a wider effort to address an ideological crisis within the socialist movement and revitalise the latter amidst the Great Depression. A heavily controversial figure also because of his subsequent involvement in Belgian wartime collaboration, de Man played a pivotal role in challenging traditional Marxist assumptions about the role of the state under capitalism and in promoting transnational exchanges between unorthodox social democrats across Europe. Starting from de Man’s experience in World War I, the book analyses his departure from Marxism, his elaboration of an alternative social democratic paradigm, his entry in Belgian politics as wellas the reception of his thought in France and Britain.
Reviews
“Tommaso Milani’s study of the Belgian Social Democrat Hendrik de Man is a welcome contribution to the history of European social democracy in the twentieth century. … Milani’s study of de Man is an insightful, carefully argued work that will be useful to scholars and graduate students and is accessible to advanced undergraduates.” (William Smaldone, H-Net Reviews, h-net.org, July, 2022)
“Combining a precise and eloquent writing style with an impressive command of languages … Milani first retraces the theoretical roots of de Man’s socialism. … A valuable and convincing contribution to the political historiography of the 1930s.” (Jens van de Maele, Journal of Belgian History, Issue (1-2), 2021)
“Thought-provoking and lucid, this engaging book is a timely new analysis of the influence of Hendrik de Man on the development of interwar social democracy in Europe.” (Heather Jones, University College London, UK)“A fluently written and deeply-researched assessment of one of the most influential socialist thinkers of the twentieth century. Milani writes authoritatively and with an extraordinary command of the sources. He tells the story not just of a major (albeit flawed) leader, but of the entire European socialist movement across a pivotal period.” (David Stevenson, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Tommaso Milani is a teaching fellow in European and International History at Sciences Po Paris, France. He was formerly a college lecturer in Modern European History at Balliol College, University of Oxford, UK, and earned his PhD in International History from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK, in 2017.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Hendrik de Man and Social Democracy
Book Subtitle: The Idea of Planning in Western Europe, 1914–1940
Authors: Tommaso Milani
Series Title: Palgrave Studies in the History of Social Movements
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42534-0
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: History, History (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-42533-3Published: 16 June 2020
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-42536-4Published: 16 June 2021
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-42534-0Published: 15 June 2020
Series ISSN: 2634-6559
Series E-ISSN: 2634-6567
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XVI, 329
Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations
Topics: History of Modern Europe, Social History, Political History, World History, Global and Transnational History