Marxism and the Origins of International Relations : A Hidden History

This book investigates to what extent and in what ways Marxist writings and precepts on imperialism informed the so-called idealist stage of International Relations (IR). Though the formative years of International Relations coincide with a vibrant period in Marxist political thought, Marxism is strikingly absent from the historiography of the discipline. Building on the work of revisionist scholars, the book reconstructs the writings of five benchmark IR thinkers. Villanueva analyzes the cases of John Hobson, Henry Brailsford, Leonard Woolf, Harold Laski and Norman Angell to explore the influence that Marxism played in their thinking, and in the “idealist years” of the discipline more generally. He ultimately demonstrates that, although Marxist thought has been neglected by mainstream IR disciplinary historians, it played a significant role in the discipline’s early development. As such, this book both challenges the exclusion of Marxist thought from the mainstream disciplinary histories of IR and contributes to a deeper understanding of the role it played in early 20 th century IR theory. Series Editor’s Foreword Acknowledgments Contents Abbreviations 1 Introduction Delineating the Concepts: Marxism, Idealism, and Early IR The Orthodox and Revisionist Histories of Early IR Research Question, Central Argument and Main Contributions Focus, Selection of Thinkers and Methodology Focus Selection of Thinkers Methodology Structure of the Book References 2 The Benchmark Thinkers’ Impact on IR John Atkinson Hobson Henry Noel Brailsford Leonard Sidney Woolf Harold Joseph Laski Ralph Norman Angell Lane Conclusions References 3 Political Thought and Marxism John Atkinson Hobson Henry Noel Brailsford Leonard Sidney Woolf Harold Joseph Laski Ralph Norman Angell Lane Conclusions References 4 The Marxian Imprint on Early IR’s Understandings of Imperialism Historical Materialism and Concentration of Capital Class Conflict and Instrumentalism Capitalist Exploitation and Socialism Conclusions References 5 A Distinctive and Overlooked Socialist IR Approach A Flexible Historical Materialism Class Struggles in the Age of Imperialism The Solution to Imperialism: Internationalism or Socialism? Conclusions References 6 Norman Angell and the Real First Great Debate Historical Materialism Does Capitalism Cause War? Remedies for Conflictive Imperialism and War Conclusions References 7 Conclusions Main Findings Implications Why Have the Marxian-Inspired Early IR Accounts Been Neglected? Recommendations for Future Research Closing Remarks References Index This book investigates to what extent and in what ways Marxist writings and precepts on imperialism informed the so-called idealist stage of International Relations (IR). Though the formative years of International Relations coincide with a vibrant period in Marxist political thought, Marxism is strikingly absent from the historiography of the discipline. Building on the work of revisionist scholars, the book reconstructs the writings of five benchmark IR thinkers. Villanueva analyzes the cases of John Hobson, Henry Brailsford, Leonard Woolf, Harold Laski and Norman Angell to explore the influence that Marxism played in their thinking, and in the idealist years of the discipline more generally. He ultimately demonstrates that, although Marxist thought has been neglected by mainstream IR disciplinary historians, it played a significant role in the disciplines early development. As such, this book both challenges the exclusion of Marxist thought from the mainstream disciplinary histories of IR and contributes to a deeper understanding of the role it played in early 20th century IR theory. Jose Ricardo Villanueva Lira is Lecturer and Head of Department at the Institute of International Studies, Universidad del Mar, Mexico "This book investigates to what extent and in what ways Marxist writings and precepts on imperialism informed the so-called idealist stage of International Relations (IR). Though the formative years of International Relations coincide with a vibrant period in Marxist political thought, Marxism is strikingly absent from the historiography of the discipline. Building on the work of revisionist scholars, the book reconstructs the writings of five benchmark IR thinkers. Villanueva analyzes the cases of John Hobson, Henry Brailsford, Leonard Woolf, Harold Laski and Norman Angell to explore the influence that Marxism played in their thinking, and in the idealist years of the discipline more generally. He ultimately demonstrates that, although Marxist thought has been neglected by mainstream IR disciplinary historians, it played a significant role in the disciplines early development. As such, this book both challenges the exclusion of Marxist thought from the mainstream disciplinary histories of IR and contributes to a deeper understanding of the role it played in early 20th century IR theory."-- Provided by publisher