Socialist Summer School

 

Here are details of another session at Summer School. Mark Znidericz will be giving a talk on the following: 

 

Class Consciousness and the Socialist Revolution​

Friedrich Engels summarised the life's work of Karl Marx as a mission "to contribute, in one way or another, to the overthrow of capitalist society and of the state institutions which it had brought into being, to contribute to the liberation of the modern proletariat, which he was the first to make conscious of its own position and its needs, conscious of the conditions of its emancipation."

This talk will start by exploring the concept of working-class consciousness as used by the pioneers of modern socialism in the 19th and early 20th centuries. What did they mean by class consciousness and what importance did it have in their vision of the socialist revolution? How does class consciousness arise and what is the role of the working-class party in its development? Does the absence today of widespread class consciousness despite the presence of the material conditions necessary for socialism call into question the validity of the Marxist analysis of society? It is hoped that the talk will stimulate discussion around questions such as the following: Is there a difference between socialist understanding and class consciousness? How is capitalist ideological hegemony over society maintained? Can working-class consciousness develop on a mass scale while the material base of capitalist society remains intact? What significance do our answers to these questions have for the theory and practice of the Socialist Party?

Fircroft College in Birmingham over the long weekend 19th – 21st August 2022.

Full residential cost (including accommodation and meals Friday evening to Sunday afternoon) is £100; the concessionary rate is £50. Book online here or send a cheque (payable to the Socialist Party of Great Britain) with your contact details to Summer School, The Socialist Party, 52 Clapham High Street, London, SW4 7UN. Day visitors are welcome, but please book by e-mail in advance. E-mail enquiries to spgbschool@yahoo.co.uk.