- Born:
- June 30, 1893, Manchester, England
- Died:
- March 24, 1950, London (aged 56)
- Political Affiliation:
- Labour Party
- Notable Works:
- “Authority in the Modern State”
- “Faith, Reason, and Civilization: An Essay in Historical Analysis”
- “Grammar of Politics”
- “Parliamentary Government in England: A Commentary”
- “Reflections on the Revolution of Our Time”
- “The Foundations of Sovereignty, and Other Essays”
- “The Rise of European Liberalism: An Essay in Interpretation”
- “The State in Theory and Practice”
Harold Joseph Laski
-
Who was Harold Joseph Laski?
Harold Joseph Laski (1893–1950) was a British political scientist, educator, and prominent member of the British Labour Party. Born into a liberal Jewish family in Manchester, he studied at Oxford and taught at McGill and Harvard before joining the London School of Economics in 1926.
Laski embraced Marxism during the Great Depression, viewing socialism as the alternative to fascism. He chaired the Labour Party in 1945 and felt vindicated by their electoral triumph. His works include The State in Theory and Practice (1935) and The American Democracy (1948).
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What was Harold Laski known for?
Harold Joseph Laski (1893–1950) was a British political scientist, educator, and prominent member of the British Labour Party who embraced Marxism during the economic depression of the 1930s. He argued that the economic difficulties of capitalism might lead to the destruction of political democracy. Laski viewed socialism as the only possible alternative to the rising threat of fascism in Germany and Italy.
Laski became chairman of the Labour Party in 1945. His writings include The American Presidency: An Interpretation (1940) and The American Democracy: A Commentary and Interpretation (1948).
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What subjects did Harold Laski study and teach?
Harold Joseph Laski initially studied eugenics at University College, London, before attending New College, Oxford in 1911. After graduating from Oxford, Laski taught political science at McGill University in Montreal (1914–16) and Harvard University (1916-1920). Upon returning to England in 1926, he accepted a position at the London School of Economics and Political Science, where he taught political science until his death.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Which political ideas did Harold Laski support?
Harold Laski, a British political scientist and member of the Labour Party, initially advocated for political pluralism, opposing the idea of an all-powerful sovereign state, as reflected in his early works like Authority in the Modern State (1919). However, he later shifted his stance, viewing the state as the fundamental instrument of society, as noted in his Grammar of Politics (1925).
During the Great Depression, Laski embraced Marxism, expressing doubts about the ruling class's ability to implement reforms. He believed that the economic challenges of capitalism could jeopardize political democracy, and he saw socialism as the only viable alternative to fascism. He called for broad economic reforms in Reflections on the Revolution of Our Time (1943).
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did Harold Laski influence British politics and society?
Harold Joseph Laski was a British political scientist, educator, and prominent member of the British Labour Party. During the Great Depression, Laski embraced Marxism, believing that the economic difficulties of capitalism could destroy political democracy. He saw socialism as the only alternative to the rising threat of fascism in Germany and Italy. During World War II, he lectured throughout England and assisted Clement Attlee, who was then deputy prime minister to Winston Churchill.
In Reflections on the Revolution of Our Time (1943) and Faith, Reason, and Civilization: An Essay in Historical Analysis (1944), Laski advocated for broad economic reforms. As chairman of the Labour Party in 1945, he felt vindicated by the party's electoral triumph.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What are some of Harold Laski’s most important books or contributions to political science?
Harold Laski was a British political scientist who embraced Marxism during the Great Depression era. He argued that capitalism's economic troubles could destroy political democracy, viewing socialism as the only alternative to fascism.
Key works and contributions:
* Authority in the Modern State (1919) and The Foundations of Sovereignty, and Other Essays (1921): Laski attacked the notion of an all-powerful sovereign state, arguing instead for political pluralism.
* A Grammar of Politics (1925): He defended the state as the fundamental instrument of society.
* The State in Theory and Practice (1935), The Rise of European Liberalism: An Essay in Interpretation (1936), and Parliamentary Government in England: A Commentary (1938): Laski argued the economic difficulties of capitalism might lead to the destruction of political democracy.
* The American Presidency: An Interpretation (1940) and The American Democracy: A Commentary and Interpretation (1948).1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Harold Joseph Laski (born June 30, 1893, Manchester, England—died March 24, 1950, London) was a British political scientist, educator, and prominent member of the British Labour Party who turned to Marxism in his effort to interpret the “crisis in democracy” in Britain during the economic depression of the 1930s.
Born into a liberal Jewish middle-class family in Manchester, Laski was the son of a cotton-shipping merchant. Without his parents’ consent, he married Frida Kerrey, a Christian woman, in 1911. Laski briefly studied eugenics at University College, London, before entering New College, Oxford, in 1911. After graduating from Oxford and working for the Daily Herald, Laski left England to teach political science at McGill University in Montreal (1914–16). Later he obtained a post at Harvard University, where he taught from 1916 to 1920 and established friendships with Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., and Louis Brandeis, both justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, and Felix Frankfurter, who was later appointed to the court. During this period he wrote Authority in the Modern State (1919) and The Foundations of Sovereignty, and Other Essays (1921). In both works he attacked the notion of an all-powerful sovereign state, arguing instead for political pluralism. In his Grammar of Politics (1925), however, he defended the opposite position, viewing the state as “the fundamental instrument of society.”
After his return to England in 1920, Laski became an active worker in the Labour Party election campaign of 1923. In 1926 he accepted a position at the London School of Economics and Political Science, where he taught political science until his death. His doubts about the eventual implementation of reform by the ruling class led him to embrace Marxism during the Great Depression. In The State in Theory and Practice (1935), The Rise of European Liberalism: An Essay in Interpretation (1936), and Parliamentary Government in England: A Commentary (1938), Laski argued that the economic difficulties of capitalism might lead to the destruction of political democracy. He came to view socialism as the only available and possible alternative to the rising menace of fascism in both Germany and Italy. During World War II, Laski lectured throughout England and served as an assistant to Clement Attlee, who was then deputy prime minister to Winston Churchill (1942–45). In Reflections on the Revolution of Our Time (1943) and Faith, Reason, and Civilization: An Essay in Historical Analysis (1944), he called for broad economic reforms.
Selected as Labour Party chairman in 1945, Laski felt that his cause was at least partially vindicated by Labour’s decisive electoral triumph that year. However, his period as chairman was turbulent; after suggesting to Attlee, who was by then prime minister, that he resign and that the Labour Party conference dictate policy to the government, Attlee advised him that a “period of silence on your part would be appreciated.”
Among Laski’s many other works are The American Presidency: An Interpretation (1940) and the lengthy and controversial The American Democracy: A Commentary and Interpretation (1948).