- Hardcover: 176 pages
- Publisher: Polity Press (21 Oct 1998)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0745622666
- ISBN-13: 978-0745622668
- Product Dimensions: 21.8 x 14.5 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,129,453 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Amazon.co.uk Review
The "third way", in Britain, has come to be associated with the politics of Tony Blair and New Labour. And Anthony Giddens, the director of the London School of Economics and Political Science, is frequently referred to as Tony Blair's guru as he has made a strong impact on the evolution of New Labour. In The Third Way, he makes a contribution to the debate now going on in many countries about the future of social democratic politics. The reasons for the debate are obvious enough--the dissolution of the "welfare consensus" that dominated in the industrial countries up to the late 1970s; the final discrediting of Marxism, and the very profound social, economic and technological changes that helped bring these about. What should be done in response, and whether social democracy can survive at all as a distinctive political philosophy, are much less obvious. This slim book has been described by Ian Hargreaves, former editor of the New Statesman and The Independent, as being a "landmark" in laying the intellectual foundations of the centre-left position.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Ian Hargreaves, formerly Editor of New Statesman and The Independent
"Tony Giddens has made the most significant contribution yet to laying the intellectual foundations of a modernized centre-left position. This book will be a landmark. It is a pioneering work of vital interest to the formation of political thinking on both sides of the Atlantic."
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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First Sentence
In February 1998, following a policy seminar with the American leadership in Washington, Tony Blair spoke of his ambition to create an international consensus of the centre-left for the twenty-first century. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
In February 1998, following a policy seminar with the American leadership in Washington, Tony Blair spoke of his ambition to create an international consensus of the centre-left for the twenty-first century. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Certainly approachable, this book charts a host of notions designed to appeal to New Labour (or perhaps it is the other way around). Ideas to do with the increasing 'fuzziness' of national boundaries appealed to me as real, but those concerned with the return to 'community' seemed romantic wishful thinking. But the way the book is structured, one can readily pick the ideas that appeal without having to swallow the whole ideology (perhaps because there isn't one, really?). At the end I was uncertain whether this really was a blueprint for a new Labour party, or a clever and readable apologia for their appropriation of distinctly Thatcherite approaches.
Format:Paperback
Socialism has sure changed a lot since it was conceived as a political idea more than a hundred years ago. Utopian socialism is only a part of the what-ifs of intellectual history. Communism has been abandoned since 1991. Even though there is a solid movement of Neo-Marxists still around, orthodox Marxism has largely been discredited, while the new trends have yet to reach a consensus for political action. And Social Democracy has stopped being a strong political force since the rise of Neoliberalism.
In this context, Anthony Giddens, a popular British sociologist, tries to conceive a new set of principles for the new Socialist movement, what we now know as "Third Way Socialism". He begins by addressing the roots of Social Democracy and Neoliberalism (the Cold War), arguing that since the collapse of the USSR, the political challenges and the subjects to be addressed have significantly changed. Thus, a third way needs to be found between these two ideological traditions, which of course will be filled by the neo-revisionism of Socialism.
He then moves on to address what he calls the five dilemmas of the modern world, specifically, globalisation, individualism, the relevance of left vs. right politics, political agency and the environment. Other subject matters are discussed, such as civil society, the nation state, the EU, the relevance of welfare, family structures, and so on.
Reading this book, however, I started feeling that something is missing. But the answer after a while, became obvious. What is missing here, is the core of what Socialism (in its every previous form) has been about. And that is, a critique of capitalism. Socialism emerged as a movement in opposition to capitalism, and each socialist thinker, be it Marx, Engels, Lenin, Luxemburg, Bernstein or Callaghan, had in his/her view an alternative vision to the capitalist economic system that dominates us today. To strip this from the ideology, is to largely abandon what Socialism has been about. Thus to me, "Third Way Socialism" looks much less like Socialism, and much more like a revival and revision of modern (20th century) Liberalism.
In my opinion, this book will be forgotten. It reads like a mix between a casual discussion and a political manifesto, discussing subjects in the abstract, giving the reader a feeling that it is rich in vocabulary, but poor in essence.
I give this book 4 stars because it offers a simple explanation of the position of Third Way left-wing politics.
In this context, Anthony Giddens, a popular British sociologist, tries to conceive a new set of principles for the new Socialist movement, what we now know as "Third Way Socialism". He begins by addressing the roots of Social Democracy and Neoliberalism (the Cold War), arguing that since the collapse of the USSR, the political challenges and the subjects to be addressed have significantly changed. Thus, a third way needs to be found between these two ideological traditions, which of course will be filled by the neo-revisionism of Socialism.
He then moves on to address what he calls the five dilemmas of the modern world, specifically, globalisation, individualism, the relevance of left vs. right politics, political agency and the environment. Other subject matters are discussed, such as civil society, the nation state, the EU, the relevance of welfare, family structures, and so on.
Reading this book, however, I started feeling that something is missing. But the answer after a while, became obvious. What is missing here, is the core of what Socialism (in its every previous form) has been about. And that is, a critique of capitalism. Socialism emerged as a movement in opposition to capitalism, and each socialist thinker, be it Marx, Engels, Lenin, Luxemburg, Bernstein or Callaghan, had in his/her view an alternative vision to the capitalist economic system that dominates us today. To strip this from the ideology, is to largely abandon what Socialism has been about. Thus to me, "Third Way Socialism" looks much less like Socialism, and much more like a revival and revision of modern (20th century) Liberalism.
In my opinion, this book will be forgotten. It reads like a mix between a casual discussion and a political manifesto, discussing subjects in the abstract, giving the reader a feeling that it is rich in vocabulary, but poor in essence.
I give this book 4 stars because it offers a simple explanation of the position of Third Way left-wing politics.
Format:Paperback
Not in the least.
There are examples of good political writing and this is definitely not one of them, it reads like the very worst sort of student text book and there is every chance that it was written for an academic student audience.
Although I would say this applies equally to some of Giddens other material, he has written a sociology book which has become a standard text which I found very unremarkable and unenlightening too.
It is also a very thin volume for the cover price. The content reads a lot like spin and political newspeak, this just aggrivated me and made me feel that Giddens either really had nothing original to say or felt deception was a good idea.
If you want a true sense of the decline of decent political writing or the substitution of PR and spin in its place just compare this to Anthony Crosland's The Future of Socialism or even some unambiguous conservative writing like the big book of government waste.
There are examples of good political writing and this is definitely not one of them, it reads like the very worst sort of student text book and there is every chance that it was written for an academic student audience.
Although I would say this applies equally to some of Giddens other material, he has written a sociology book which has become a standard text which I found very unremarkable and unenlightening too.
It is also a very thin volume for the cover price. The content reads a lot like spin and political newspeak, this just aggrivated me and made me feel that Giddens either really had nothing original to say or felt deception was a good idea.
If you want a true sense of the decline of decent political writing or the substitution of PR and spin in its place just compare this to Anthony Crosland's The Future of Socialism or even some unambiguous conservative writing like the big book of government waste.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
UMMMM.....
.......UUUUMMMMMM ......not too sure if Giddens is the father of the third way.....this ideology has been part of man-kinds' way of operating for millenia. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Zimbo T
bit of a chiche now
The "Third Way" has certainly become something of a cliché now, but the book is interesting nevertheless as it sets out what is envisaged for the "Third Way". Read more
Published on 16 April 2003 by S. A. Richmond
A Book That Tells You Very Little - Rather Lightweight
It is very thin and tells you very little that you cannot pickup from The Guardian. Leaves alot to be desired and I was most disappointed.
Published on 20 April 2001
Neoliberalism by other means
Undoubtedly a specialist in using a lot of words to say absolutely nothing, Anthony Gidden's does manage to insult all people who believe that we are capable than more than not... Read more
Published on 16 May 1999
Change the way
Think of our lives. Nothing is same. Under this age where ideas of disconstruction and postmodernism are severe, our ways can't be concrete anymore. Read more
Published on 4 April 1999
This is a source book for "new Labour" in the U.K.
People should be aware of this work for its influence on the articulation of "policy" by Tony Blair, who admires its theses.
Published on 3 April 1999
Muy interesante
Necesito saber si el libro está traducido al español. Un buen amigo me lo envió desde Londres y me informa que allá no existe traducción. Read more
Published on 8 Mar 1999
Espero ansioso ...
Espero ansioso la lectura de este nuevo libro de Anthony Giddens, seguramente se convertirá en obligada lectura de todos aquellos que en el mundo creemos en una sociedad... Read more
Published on 13 Feb 1999
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