The Labour Party: A Marxist History

Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour Party has given hope to millions of Labour supporters who were deeply disillusioned by Blair’s New Labour. Corbyn stands for opposition to war and neo-liberalism but the Labour Party itself is deeply divided, with many in its parliamentary leadership openly opposed to the hopes of its new mass membership. The British Labour Party has always been an enigma. Labour claims to be socialist but when in government does its best to defend capitalism. Can the Labour Party become the vehicle for socialism in Britain? What is the nature of its politics and the division between left and right within it? Why has its record in government repeatedly disappointed its own supporters? And can Corbyn overcome these contradictions? This path breaking Marxist history of the British Labour Party was first published in 1988. This new and updated third edition contains additional chapters on New Labour and Labour Under Corbyn.