This interview in the Observer today may be of interest to those who admire the veteran Marxist historian:
I have enjoyed reading his works and am impressed by the range of his interests. He is also one of the most readable of historians, wearing his learning lightly. His autobiography, Interesting Times, is well worth reading.
EH is right to comment on one of the weaknesses of Marxism, despite the acuteness of Marx's historical analysis, when he says:
"I don't believe that Marx ever had, as it were, a political project. Politically speaking, the specific Marxian programme was that the working class should form itself into a class-conscious body and act politically to gain power. Beyond that, Marx quite deliberately left it vague, because of his dislike of utopian things."
I was never convinced by the way Marx imagined the disappearance of class conflict and the removal of the need for the role of the state. Surely the history of states whether capitalist or communist has shown the remorseless increase in the power of the state. The big problem for contemporary Marxism and/or socialism is to come up with a template for organising society to allow for a good degree of welfare provision, a reduction in inequality, the preservation of individual liberty and environmental stewardship - and of course the ability to generate wealth to enable all of these.
I have enjoyed reading his works and am impressed by the range of his interests. He is also one of the most readable of historians, wearing his learning lightly. His autobiography, Interesting Times, is well worth reading.
EH is right to comment on one of the weaknesses of Marxism, despite the acuteness of Marx's historical analysis, when he says:
"I don't believe that Marx ever had, as it were, a political project. Politically speaking, the specific Marxian programme was that the working class should form itself into a class-conscious body and act politically to gain power. Beyond that, Marx quite deliberately left it vague, because of his dislike of utopian things."
I was never convinced by the way Marx imagined the disappearance of class conflict and the removal of the need for the role of the state. Surely the history of states whether capitalist or communist has shown the remorseless increase in the power of the state. The big problem for contemporary Marxism and/or socialism is to come up with a template for organising society to allow for a good degree of welfare provision, a reduction in inequality, the preservation of individual liberty and environmental stewardship - and of course the ability to generate wealth to enable all of these.