Revolutionaries and racists : Australian socialism and the problem of racism, 1887-1917
Date
1980
Authors
Burgmann, Verity
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
"Workers of the World, Unite.’" was the advice from Marx that his
followers in Australia in the period 1887 to 1917 found most difficult to
I fc.
apply .^operating in a wider labour movement that enthusiastically endorsed
the ruling racial ideas of the age, the experience of Australian socialism
provides a vivid illustration of the complexities of the interaction
between socialist groups and the working class they are seeking to influence.
The relationship between ’the party’ and 'the class' involves not simply
the question of how socialist groups deal with the problem of ideas in the
working class that run counter to the tenets of socialist ideology, but also
the extent to which these ’incorrect ideas’ affect the socialist groups
themselves.
The socialist groups examined include the Australian Socialist League,
the Socialist Labor Party, the International Socialists, the Victorian
Socialist Party, the Barrier Socialist Propaganda Group, the Socialist
Federation of Australasia, the Australian Socialist Party, the Queensland
Social Democratic Vanguard, the Broken Hill Social Democratic Club, the
Kalgoorlie Social Democratic Association, the Western Australian Socialist
Party, and the Social Democratic League of New South Wales. The influence of
the Industrial Workers of the World, both the ’Detroit’ and the 'Chicago'
factions, is crucial to an understanding of the approach to racism of these
socialist groups.
The emphasis, therefore, is on the attitudes of socialists outside the
Labor Party. However, as essential background, attention is given to the
development of working class racism and its political expression in the
Labor Party's objective of "The cultivation of an Australian Sentiment based
on the maintenance of racial purity" and its fighting platform of
"Maintenance of White Australia". This involves discussion of the bases of
Australian racism and of theories of racism in general, as an understanding
of the role of racism is necessary before it is possible to appreciate the
dimensions of the problem that working class racism poses for socialists. A
study of Australian socialism between 1887 and 1917 reveals a variety of
responses to the problem, ranging from uncritical conformity with racist
ideas to critical dissent from any ideas, particularly racism, that would
prevent the union of the world's workers. The thesis seeks to explain the
reasons for the different reactions of the various socialist groups to the
problem of working class racism.
Description
Keywords
Citation
Collections
Source
Type
Thesis (PhD)
Book Title
Entity type
Access Statement
License Rights
Restricted until
Downloads
File
Description