Socialism-from-Above is the conception that socialism (or a reasonable facsimile threof) must be handed down to the grateful masses in one form or another, by a ruling elite which is not subject to their control in fact.
The heart of Socialism from-Below is its view that socialism can be realized only through the self-emancipation of activized masses ‘from below’ in a struggle to take charge of their own destiny, as actors (not merely subjects) on the stage of history.Hal Draper
Socialism from Below, edited by E. Haberkern, presents a selection of Draper’s work long out of print. Most of these essays were published in New Politics in the 1960s.
In their totality they deepen and advance the theory of socialism from below, the most powerful being The Two Souls of Socialism” which had been an underground classic statement of revolutionary Marxism and remains as fresh, forceful and relevant today as when it was written three decades ago For those who have not read Draper’s essays, Socialism from Below is indispensable.
And for those who have, this collection is invaluable as reference.
