The Social and Political Thought of Bertrand Russell

This pioneering study of Bertrand Russell’s social and political thought deals with the years 1896 to 1938, and is the first book to embark on a thorough investigation of the intellectual and cultural context out of which Russell’s ideas emerged. Maintaining a sympathetic but critical stance towards Russell’s almost innumerable political postures, and focusing in particular on his concern with the intellectual elite, the author renders that thought both plausible and coherent by placing its development against a significant historical background. As well as giving attention to the aspects of Russell’s private life which helped determine the direction of his thought, Dr Ironside undertakes an enlightening exploration of the individuals, groups and beliefs by which he was successively influenced. The result is a wide-ranging and highly original view of an important and enduring figure.

• The first book to undertake a thorough investigation of the intellectual and cultural context from which Russell’s ideas emerged • Lucid new interpretation which renders Russell’s thought plausible and coherent by giving it a significant historical background • Wide-ranging exploration of the individuals, groups and beliefs by which Russell was influenced

Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. A young man of character; 2. Fellow-travelling with the Fabians; 3. Out of the moral gymnasium; 4. Political science; 5. The sage of Caxton Hall; 6. Anarchist tendencies; 7. Russia, China and the West; 8; The Wellsian trajectory; 9. Ideologies and dystopias; Epilogue; Notes; Bibliography; Index.