Theory and history: The political thought of E.P. Thompson (Avebury series in philosophy)

The aim of this text is to look at the historical materialism of E.P. Thompson while introducing him as a political thinker of distinction. The study examines many aspects of Thompson's life and work to give a comprehensive statement on his theory of historical change. It surveys the intellectual background from which he emerged; the contribution of to "history from below"; his critique of structural Marxism; and his practical input to political dissent. The scope of this study covers 50 years of socialist polemics and offers an insight into the battles which were fought out between the old and the new Left until the collapse of command-economy communism in 1989. Throughout the work Thompson is presented as a testimony to a lineage of social thinkers as well as to the ideal of the common weal much cherished by radical practitioners of the past.