The Revisionist Ascendancy

  • Mark Wickham-Jones
Chapter

Abstract

Writing in 1962, the former Labour MP and ex-cabinet minister, Hugh Dalton gave high praise to Tony Crosland’s The Future of Socialism: ‘This is a most important book, brilliant, original and brave. It has already had much clarifying influence on current thought, both inside and outside the Labour party. And its influence will grow.’1 Five years earlier when Labour had published Industry and Society, the New Statesman had reflected on Crosland’s influence on the party alongside that of Hugh Gaitskell and Socialist Union: ‘The policies bear the imprint of the “new thinkers” rather than of any other group within the movement.’2 The new document was hailed as a major development in socialist thinking. The Spectator commented, ‘Their intention is not to end capitalism but to become capitalists too.’3 One group of socialist MPs lamented it as a ‘policy of retreat’.4 During the 1950s Revisionism became firmly established as the basis of Labour’s social democracy.5

Keywords

Phillips Curve Social Democracy Economic Strategy Labour Government Public Ownership 
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Copyright information

© Mark Wickham-Jones 1996

Authors and Affiliations

  • Mark Wickham-Jones
    • 1
  1. 1.University of BristolUK

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