The Contradictions of 'Real Socialism' : The Conductor and the Conducted

Lebowitz (economics, Simon Fraser U., Canada) presents a study of "Real Socialism" or "really existing socialism," a concept he says 20th-century socialist leaders contrived to distinguish their real experience from mere socialist ideas. His perspective is ultimately at odds with vanguard Marxism, but at the same time he explores "the possibility of socialism in a society divided between conductor and conducted." This division refers to relations between the vanguard parties and the working-class. In examining the contradictions of Real Socialism, Lebowitz considers the struggle between the logics of the vanguard and capital, the promise of plenty and the constant shortages, central planning and a society of associated producers, and the moral economy of the working-class and their implicit social contract. Annotation 2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)