The Twilight of Capitalism

by Michael Harrington

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671221965
• ISBN13: 9780671221966
• Release Date: May 1976
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 446 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.

Customer Reviews

If you want to know what marxism is.

I loved everything I've read my Michael Harrington. This book explains what marxism is about, and how it can be applied to today. It is also helpful to read books like this if you want to go on and read Capital.

Marx returns as relevant today as ever

Karl Marx has spent the last century being twisted by his defenders and opponents. He has been turned into a revolutionary radical by Communist dictators, who have taken his work and given it the most pathetic study as an excuse to oppress people. He has been turned into a raving, dead-wrong prophet by conservatives who do their own job at ignoring and misintrpretting his work. The fall of Communism in Europe was seen as a collapse of Marxism, rather than the death of an oppressive regime founded on Marx's name. Crimes committed by so-called Communist can no more be attributed to Marx than crimes commited by Christians can be attributed to Christ.In the first part of 'Twilight of Capitalism', the great American socialist Michael Harrington rescues Marx from the garbage can others have assigned him. He interprets Marx not using his young, brash writings, but his later, scientific studies. His is the Marx of 'Das Kapital', who worked infinitely hard to discover the truth behind history and capitalism's place in it. He quickly dismisses with the Marx of the Communist Manifesto, who made many errors he later corrected. Harrington's Marx is a social scientist, not a religious prophet. Even if Harrington only wrote this first part and nothing else, he will still be remembered as the founder of modern Marxism, as the man who put to shame the so-called Marxists of Russia and China who have no idea how distorted their vision of Karl Marx really is.But Harrington didn't stop there. He wrote a second part to this book which shows not only was Marx relevant in the 19th century, he is increasingly important as capitalism continues its plunge and replacement by some form of collectivism. His critique of society is flawless, if difficult to grasp at times. Not only is the author a brilliant economic philosopher, he is an equally apt sociologist.Unfortunately, 'Twilight of Capitalism' has long been out of print. Those who could benefit are now forced to look for previous owners of the book in hopes they will sell it. Written before the Reagan Regime made 'liberal' a bad word, it is the most perfect testament to capitalism's flaws written in the last half-century.If you can find it, read it. If you can buy it, read it again. IF you are an American--a human--living under a capitalist society, or even a 'communist' one, I urge you to read this book as soon as possible.