Moments of Decision : Political History and the Crises of Radicalism

Preface to the Second Edition xi Ignoring those uprisings, or undervaluing their aspirations and contributions, distorts history, and the radical tradition. The quest for a republic has always been part of socialist history. It has always underpinned the re-ordering of economic priorities and fostering internationalism with its cosmopolitan sensibility. These concerns of the book did somewhat anticipate "justice globalism" and, to a degree, the hopes of new internationalist organizations like the World Social Forum. 5 The 9/11 attacks marked the close of the twentieth century, not 1989. This terrible event finally forced the Occident to engage the Orient-"the other, " in dramatic fashion. Islam became of interest to the West and the Middle East became something more than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The 9/11 attacks have cast a long shadow. The attacks shaped later American foreign policy toward Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and also Libya. Arguments still arise over the dangers posed by an "axis of evil" while the "war against terror" continues to crop up now and then to justify American military action. The moral standing of the United States was deeply compromised by the follies of the Bush Administration that spilled over into the presidency of Barack Obama. Threats of a new clash of civilizations only intensified in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. The need for a reinvigorated political discourse is palpable and again, in turn, that requires strengthening the cosmopolitan sensibility. Moments of Decision received the Michael Harrington Prize from New Political Science after its publication in 1992. I am grateful for the opportunity provided by Bloomsbury Academic and my editor, Matthew Kopel, to bring out this second edition. The original focus of the book was clearly too narrow. Chapters have been added and others (often radically) revised. With the help of my research assistant, Edwin Daniel Jacob, new references have also been included, minor errors corrected, and mistaken judgments qualified. But the original framework remains what it was along with the spirit of the work. The book remains an interdisciplinary enterprise born of socialist, internationalist, and democratic convictions. It still highlights the primacy of the political and the impact of ideology upon decision-making. Viewing the power of capital as dependent upon the disunity of the proletariat, calling for solidarity among the exploited and the disenfranchised, it still keeps alive the idea of liberation. Yet Preface to the Second Edition xii it insists that a better future is anything but guaranteed. Structural imbalances of power and institutional constraints will remain. Reactionary opponents will not vanish. Coordinating the actions of multiple agents will probably grow even more complicated. Choosing between often distasteful alternatives will remain unavoidable-and making the appropriate choices will still require knowledge of political history and the radical tradition. In furthering that knowledge, perhaps, Moments of Decision can contribute something to the movements of another time with a larger world to win. I hope so. In this expanded second edition, the radical classic Moments of Decision has been updated more than 20 years since it was first published and received the Michael Harrington Book Award. Reexamining observations made after the fall of communism, Stephen Eric Bronner blends political meditation, philosophical critique, and history lessons to illuminate the monumental crises that shaped the 20th and 21st centuries. A cosmopolitan work that touches on the implications of conflicts ranging from World War I to the Arab Spring, Moments of Decision explores the assumptions of socialist historiography and the character of modernity. In clear, accessible prose, Bronner has revived and revised a seminal work that is ideal for students, scholars, and anyone interested in political history, theory, and international relations. PRAISE FOR THE PREVIOUS EDITION: "To guess about the future Bronner has rightly looked into the past, going back to the first world war and the momentous split in the labor movement. His book is a learned, lively and inevitably controversial contribution to the political and historical debates of our age." - Daniel Singer, THE NATION "Stephen Bronner is a distinctive voice on the American left. He combines a deep understanding of working class political history with a passionate interest in devising a democratic strategy for our time, and is willing to take risks in saying just what that strategy should be. Bronner's analysis is both principled and shrewd, unsparing and hopeful. Even where one disagrees with it, one learns." - Joel Rogers, University of Wisconsin Law School, Editor, POLITICS AND SOCIETY In This Updated And Expanded Second Edition, The Radical Classic Moments Of Decision Has Been Updated In The 20 Years Since It Was First Published. Reexamining Observations Made In The Immediate Rubble Left After The Fall Of Communism, Bronner Blends Political Meditation, Philosophical Critique, And History Lesson To Illuminate The Crises Of Radicalism That Have Defined The 20th And 21st Century Socio-political Landscape. It Is A Critical Part Of The Conversation Surrounding Socialist Historiography, And The Development Of The West As We Now Conceive Of It. With Clear, Accessible Prose, Bronner's Classic Text Is Revived And Revised In This Volume, Ideal For Students, Scholars, And Any Interested In Political History, Theory, And International Relations-- Moments Of Decision Analyzes Progressive Struggle By Focusing On Seminal Crises Of The Twentieth Century And New Developments That Occurred In The Aftermath Of 9/11-- Machine Generated Contents Note: -- Preface For The Second Edition1. In The Cradle Of Modernity: The Labor Movement And The First World War2. Working Class Politics And The Nazi Triumph3. Leon Blum And The Legacy Of The Popular Front4. From Class War To Cold War5. Reconstructing The Experiment: Political Culture And The American New Left6. Transformative Moments: 1989, 9/11, And The Arab Spring7. The Right, The Left, And The Election Of 20128. The Future Is Now: Human Rights, Realism, And The Cosmopolitan Sensibilitybibliographyindex. Stephen Eric Bronner. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Title Page Copyright Page Contents Preface to the Second Edition Notes Chapter 1 In the Cradle of Modernity: The Labor Movement and World War I Notes Chapter 2 Working-Class Politics and the Nazi Triumph Notes Chapter 3 Léon Blum and the Legacy of the Popular Front Notes Chapter 4 From Class War to Cold War Appendix: Anti-imperialism struggles and non-Western radicalism Notes Chapter 5 Reconstructing the Experiment: Political Culture and the American New Left Notes Chapter 6 Death Throes: Mikhail Gorbachev and the Collapse of Communism Chapter 7 Transformative Moments: 1989, 9/11, and the Arab Spring Notes Chapter 8 The Right, The Left, and the Elections of 2012 Notes Chapter 9 The Future is Now: Human Rights, Realism, and the Cosmopolitan Sensibility Notes Author Index Subject Index "Moments of Decision analyzes progressive struggle by focusing on seminal crises of the twentieth century and new developments that occurred in the aftermath of 9/11"-- Provided by publisher