ABSTRACT
The problem with being a socialist at the end of the twentieth century is that the rest of the century has already happened. If the nineteenth century taught some powerful lessons about the nature of capitalism to set against its own self-image, the twentieth century has performed a similar service in relation to socialism. In many respects it has been socialism’s century. On one view, this became a story of victory and vindication. On another view, however, it was a journey into dismay and disintegration. As Bauman describes it, in Socialism: The Active Utopia, ‘the two centuries of modern socialism’s history extend from its majestic advent in the attire of utopia to the incapacitation arising from its alleged realisation.’
