Marcel van der Linden’s Western Marxism and the Soviet Union is an exhaustive, rigorous examination of the theoretical responses within Western Marxism to the Soviet Union’s evolution from its inception through the Cold War and beyond. The “Russian Question”—the ideological, economic, and political nature of Soviet society—was central to the larger Marxist dialogue, compelling intellectuals to grapple with whether the USSR represented a new form of socialism, state capitalism, or something entirely unique. Van der Linden addresses this question by offering a panoramic view of the diversity and evolution of Marxist thought across time and geography, illuminating the progression and divergences in critiques of the Soviet model, ultimately arguing that Western Marxism has never produced a unified answer to the Soviet enigma.
Van der Linden brings forth a historiographical gap in Marxist theory: although the Soviet Union occupied a pivotal role in shaping Marxist discourse, a systematic and comprehensive study of Western Marxist interpretations of Soviet society had remained unwritten. With encyclopedic breadth, van der Linden sifts through decades of ideological contention, reconstructing and contextualizing the debates on the Soviet experiment. Drawing on a staggering range of sources, the book categorizes the existing literature on Soviet critiques into genealogical studies, polemics comparing theories, individual author-focused studies, and general overviews—ultimately attempting to provide an objective, historical survey rather than another polemic. This approach allows him to synthesize complex ideas and avoid the reductionist schemas to which past studies have succumbed.
In his survey, van der Linden is careful to sidestep deterministic classifications, instead advocating for an organic, “genetic” perspective to trace the development of theories over time. He reveals how the perceived stability or instability of capitalism and Soviet society shaped various authors’ critiques, guiding their views on Soviet development. For instance, during the early years of the Soviet state, theorists like Karl Kautsky argued that Russia was insufficiently industrialized for a socialist revolution, viewing the Soviet state as a temporary aberration doomed to self-destruct. Kautsky, and later critics, raised essential questions regarding Soviet “bureaucratic collectivism” and the validity of unilinear developmental theories that predicted a global transition from capitalism to socialism.
Van der Linden analyses these Western Marxist interpretations, paying particular attention to the conceptual shifts following key events, including the disillusionment of Western leftists with Stalinism, the global crises of capitalism, and the ultimate collapse of the Soviet Union. By differentiating Western Marxism from its Soviet counterpart, he reveals a wide ideological spectrum of analyses, from theories of “state capitalism” to ideas of a “transitional society” and other original perspectives that diverged from Moscow’s official Marxist-Leninist narrative. Notable figures such as Rosa Luxemburg, Kautsky, and Trotsky emerge, each offering alternative frameworks for understanding the unique socio-economic structures of Soviet society. These theoretical approaches are positioned against the background of the Soviet state’s changing relationship with Western capitalism, the rise of state monopolies, and the debates over the essence of proletarian democracy.
In particular, the book examines the efforts of Western Marxists to account for the perceived contradictions in Soviet society: how the state, born from a worker-peasant alliance, transformed into a highly centralized, bureaucratic apparatus; how Marx’s idea of the proletarian dictatorship became conflated with a one-party system; and how the Soviet experience altered the left’s vision of socialism. The text situates these analyses within the broader socio-political context of capitalism’s crisis phases, examining how Western Marxists responded to each era’s unique challenges, from World War II’s reconstruction to postwar economic stability to the neoliberal wave.
Van der Linden also sheds light on lesser-known but influential theorists, expanding the historical archive of Western Marxism to include figures whose works were previously neglected or dismissed. By applying the critical Marxist concepts of social formation and class struggle, he examines both the philosophical underpinnings and political implications of these interpretations, offering a critical lens through which to understand Marxism’s intellectual and strategic transformations. In this way, he provides not only a chronological account but also a substantive analysis of the underlying tensions and convergences in Western Marxist thought regarding the Soviet Union.
Van der Linden’s book stands as a comprehensive chronicle of the intellectual struggle within Marxism to make sense of the Soviet experiment. The work serves as both a historical document and a theoretical guide, documenting the changing terrain of Marxist thought as it intersected with one of the twentieth century’s defining geopolitical realities. By engaging deeply with the theoretical richness and contradictions in Western Marxist discourse, Western Marxism and the Soviet Union becomes an indispensable resource for anyone studying political theory, Marxist historiography, or the ideological legacies of the Soviet Union.
Simon Gros 
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