European Socialists and the State in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries

This edited volume promotes a comparative and transnational approach to the complex and ambiguous relationship between West European socialism and the contemporary state over the __longue durée__. It encourages a better understanding of socialism while also casting an original light on the history of the contemporary state in Europe. Socialists have been a prime political force since the late nineteenth century through to the present. Through their strength, their presence at the heart of societies, their dynamism, inventiveness, and influence, they have left their mark on the European physiognomy and helped to forge part of its identity. This is particularly true where the welfare state is concerned, and the role played by the state in constructing, embedding, and extending this social model. Surprisingly, there has been no research aiming to systematically analyse the relationship between socialism and the state. This volume fills a gap in knowledge by rejecting the media simplification and political polemic maintained by opponents of socialism – and sometimes by socialists themselves – which systematically links socialism with “statism”. It focuses on numerous case studies involving France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Austria, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Scandinavia, and highlights the diversity of organisations within European socialism. Ultimately, this book demonstrates that the fate of this political culture depends on the socialist parties themselves but also on any new configurations that states may assume. Conversely, the future of states will also depend partly on the choices made by socialists, if they still exist and still have the means to shape decisions and make their voices heard. Preface 6 Acknowledgements 12 Contents 14 Notes on Contributors 17 Abbreviations 22 List of Figures 26 List of Tables 27 Chapter 1: European Socialists and the State: A Comparative and Transnational Approach 28 Understanding Socialism Through the State and the State Through Socialist Parties 31 A Not-So-Special Relationship 36 An Increasingly Common Destiny 43 In the Era of the “Neo-Liberal Turn”: What Socialism and with What State? 46 References 50 Part I: Using the State to Democratise Society 54 Chapter 2: Using the State to Democratise it. Introduction to Part I 55 References 59 Chapter 3: Between Challenging the Authoritarian State and Democratising It: German Social Democracy, 1914–1945 60 On the Eve of the First World War: Overthrowing or Reforming the Capitalist State 61 During the First World War: Towards Positive Integration 64 During the Weimar Republic: Attempting to Forge the Social Democratic State 67 In Exile After 1933: Between Combatting the Class State and Adapting Liberal-Democratic Ideas of the State 73 References 76 Chapter 4: French Socialists and the State, 1905–2017 81 From the Jaurès-Guesde Controversy over the Nature of the State to the Post-War Dilemma in the French Left 82 A Gradual But Controversial Acculturation to the State During the Interwar Period 85 Forging an Original Social State After the Second World War: From Utopia to Disillusionment 88 Socialism and the State Under the Fifth Republic: From Opposition to Convergence After Mitterrand’s Election in 1981 90 Significant Transformations of the State Implemented in Office 94 References 98 Chapter 5: The Planist Temptation: Belgian Social Democracy and the State During the Great Depression, c. 1929–c. 1936 100 Introduction 100 Origins: The Intellectual Roots of Belgian Socialism 102 Crisis: Reformists, Radicals, and the Lack of a Programme 104 Response: Hendrik de Man and the Labour Plan 108 Compromise: From the Labour Plan to National Renovation 111 Conclusion 114 References 116 Chapter 6: Paradoxes of Hegemony: Scandinavian Social Democracy and the State 120 Social Democratic Dominance and Democracy 122 The Formative Period 123 Institutionalization 128 Democratic Hegemony? 130 Post-Social Democracy? 134 References 138 Part II: Socialists and Civil Servants 142 Chapter 7: Socialists and Civil Servants. Introduction to Part II 143 References 149 Chapter 8: The British Labour Party and the Civil Service in the Twentieth Century 150 The Fabian Reform Tradition 153 Labour’s Experience in Office 157 Labour’s Stance on Bureaucratic Accountability and Secrecy 163 Labour and the Civil Service After 1979 166 References 168 Chapter 9: Social Democracy, Labour Unions and Civil Service in West Germany since the Second World War 170 Continuity and Discontinuity 172 Differences and Conflicts Between Social Democracy and Unions, 1945–1989 177 Social Democracy and Unions on the Defensive 184 References 189 Chapter 10: The French Socialist Party, Civil Servants and the State. A Comparative Approach to Social Reforms Between the Popular Front Period (1936–1938) and the Early Years of the Mitterrand Presidency (1981–1983) 191 Sources of Socialist Reforms 193 In Power: Laws Made Without the Party? 199 References 206 Chapter 11: Socialism, the State and Civil Service in Spain: Two Experiences in Perspective (Second Republic and Democratic Transition) 209 Socialism and the State Under the ‘Bourgeois’ Republic 211 ‘Let’s Make Spain Work’: A New Socialism for a New Country 216 References 224 Chapter 12: The Swedish Social Democracy: Civil Servants, Social Engineers and Welfare Bureaucrats 226 Social Engineers and the Expansion of the Welfare State 227 A Local Welfare Bureaucracy 229 The Rise of the Femocrats 233 An Increasingly Contested Corporative Model 234 A New Type of Social Democratic Intellectual 236 References 240 Chapter 13: The Divorce between Public-Sector Employees and West European Socialist Parties 242 A New Political Polarisation in Europe 245 French Civil Servants and the PS: A Recent Divorce 250 Civil Servants Still to the Left of the Political Spectrum 252 Who Are the Civil Servants Who Have Drifted Away from the PS? 256 A Political Rather than Professional Divorce 259 References 262 Part III: Socialists and Changes in Capitalism and States 264 Chapter 14: Socialists and Changes in Capitalism and States: Introduction to Part III 265 References 272 Chapter 15: French Socialists, Capitalism and the State: A Unique Approach within West European Social Democracy? 273 Strengthening the State to Establish Socialism: The Ambiguities of the Inter-War Period 277 From Dirigisme to “Democratic Planning”: The French Avatar of State Planning’s Comeback in West European Social Democracy 283 The “Statist Revival” of French Socialism in the 1970s: Evidence of Exceptionalism? 288 From François Mitterrand to François Hollande: Learning the Rules of the “Capitalist State” Instead of Changing It 291 References 296 Chapter 16: From Marxism to “Agenda 2010”: German Social Democratic Notions of the State from Its Founding until Today 301 Rising from the Ashes 304 Election Defeats and the Godesberg Program 307 New Economic Concepts 308 The Social Democratic Decade 310 A Second Social Democratic Decade? 313 Modernization or Destruction of the Welfare State? 315 Ongoing Crisis 316 References 319 Chapter 17: “K. u. k. Social Democracy” Reloaded: Austria’s SPÖ and the State After 1945 321 A Robust Pro-statist Doctrinal Tradition 323 From the 1920s to the Post-War Era: The State at the Heart of Party Programs 324 Power Politics, Socialist Experiments and Political Transformation 327 The SPÖ in Power (1970–83) 329 Political Hegemony Lost 335 References 338 Chapter 18: The Swedish Social Democrats, Reform Socialism and the state after the Golden Era 340 Elements of Functional Socialism: The Classic Vision of the Welfare State 341 Coming to Terms with the Mature Welfare State 343 From the Welfare State to the Market State 349 References 358 Chapter 19: What’s Left of Blairism? The Labour Party’s Changing Conception of the State since the 1980s 361 Labour’s Gradual Conversion to the Market Economy (1983–1994) 363 Blairism and the Neoliberal “Turn” (1994–2008) 367 After Blairism: The Return of the State (2008–)? 370 Public Ownership and Social Democracy 374 References 376 Chapter 20: The Italian Socialist Party from the mid-1970s to the early 1990s: Socialists and a Weak State 379 Socialist Intellectuals and the Debate About the State 380 The PSI’s Relationship to the State and the Party’s Sociology 383 Craxi’s PSI and Public Policies: The “Great Reform” and State-Controlled Companies 387 References 393 Chapter 21: Superficial Social Democracy: PASOK, the State and the Shipwreck of the Greek Economy 395 PASOK and the State (1): Tax Evasion and Fiscal Disaster 399 PASOK and the State (2): Institution-Building 404 A Democratic Rationale with Populist Content 404 Institutional Pluralism and Contradictory Rationalization 406 Understanding PASOK: A Superficial, Inconsistent Social Democracy 408 Conclusions: A Social Democracy Without Social Democratic History 411 References 413 Front Matter ....Pages i-xxix European Socialists and the State: A Comparative and Transnational Approach (Mathieu Fulla, Marc Lazar)....Pages 1-26 Front Matter ....Pages 27-27 Using the State to Democratise it. Introduction to Part I (Mathieu Fulla)....Pages 29-33 Between Challenging the Authoritarian State and Democratising It: German Social Democracy, 1914–1945 (Stefan Berger)....Pages 35-55 French Socialists and the State, 1905–2017 (Alain Bergounioux)....Pages 57-75 The Planist Temptation: Belgian Social Democracy and the State During the Great Depression, c. 1929–c. 1936 (Tommaso Milani)....Pages 77-96 Paradoxes of Hegemony: Scandinavian Social Democracy and the State (Yohann Aucante)....Pages 97-118 Front Matter ....Pages 119-119 Socialists and Civil Servants. Introduction to Part II (Mathieu Fulla)....Pages 121-127 The British Labour Party and the Civil Service in the Twentieth Century (Kevin Theakston)....Pages 129-148 Social Democracy, Labour Unions and Civil Service in West Germany since the Second World War (Bernd Faulenbach)....Pages 149-169 The French Socialist Party, Civil Servants and the State. A Comparative Approach to Social Reforms Between the Popular Front Period (1936–1938) and the Early Years of the Mitterrand Presidency (1981–1983) (Laure Machu, Matthieu Tracol)....Pages 171-188 Socialism, the State and Civil Service in Spain: Two Experiences in Perspective (Second Republic and Democratic Transition) (Juan Francisco Fuentes)....Pages 189-205 The Swedish Social Democracy: Civil Servants, Social Engineers and Welfare Bureaucrats (Kjell Östberg)....Pages 207-222 The Divorce between Public-Sector Employees and West European Socialist Parties (Luc Rouban)....Pages 223-244 Front Matter ....Pages 245-245 Socialists and Changes in Capitalism and States: Introduction to Part III (Marc Lazar)....Pages 247-254 French Socialists, Capitalism and the State: A Unique Approach within West European Social Democracy? (Mathieu Fulla)....Pages 255-282 From Marxism to “Agenda 2010”: German Social Democratic Notions of the State from Its Founding until Today (Sebastian Voigt)....Pages 283-302 “K. u. k. Social Democracy” Reloaded: Austria’s SPÖ and the State After 1945 (Maria Mesner)....Pages 303-321 The Swedish Social Democrats, Reform Socialism and the state after the Golden Era (Jenny Andersson, Kjell Östberg)....Pages 323-343 What’s Left of Blairism? The Labour Party’s Changing Conception of the State since the 1980s (Emmanuelle Avril)....Pages 345-362 The Italian Socialist Party from the mid-1970s to the early 1990s: Socialists and a Weak State (Marc Lazar)....Pages 363-378 Superficial Social Democracy: PASOK, the State and the Shipwreck of the Greek Economy (Gerassimos Moschonas)....Pages 379-400