Hendrik de Man and Social Democracy: The Idea of Planning in Western Europe, 1914-1940

by Tommaso Milani

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030425333
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	06/16/2020
Series:	Palgrave Studies in the History of Social Movements
Edition description:	1st ed. 2020
Pages:	329
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x 0.00(d)

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.

Table of Contents

1 Introduction: A Man and a Movement.- 2 Flawed Giant: European Social Democracy before 1914.- 3 Shockwaves: Hendrik de Man and the Legacy of the Great War.- 4 Turning the Old House Upside Down: Hendrik de Man and Zur Psychologie des Sozialismus.- 5 Breakthrough: Hendrik de Man and the Genesis of the Plan.- 6 Fire and Ashes: The Fight for the Labour Plan in Belgium.- 7 Clash of Visions: The Belgian Labour Plan in France.- 8 Roads not Taken: The Belgian Labour Plan in Britain.- 9 Delusions of Grandeur: De Man in Power.- 10 Conclusion: Hendrik de Man and Post-War Social Democracy.-

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“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)

Editorial 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)

From the Publisher