HAROLD JOSEPH LASKI - AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPT SIGNED CIRCA 1922 - HFSID 32994

HAROLD LASKI
His signed, handwritten, 3-page manuscript, circa 1922, an extremely negative review of a book by Arthur Shadwell, The Breakdown of Socialism
Autograph Manuscript signed: "H. J. L.", 3 pages, 8x10. Undated review of Arthur Shadwell, The Breakdown of Socialism (19220. Laski writes, in part: "Dr. Shadwell's hatred of socialism is so profound that he cannot bring himself to treat fairly either the principles it maintains or the measures of application they have received." Harold Joseph Laski (1893-1950) was an influential British political theorist, author and lecturer who taught at the London School of Economics for three decades (1920-1950), while also teaching for short periods at several US universities. A leader of the Fabian Society and of the Left Book Club, Laski was a Marxist who tried to reconcile that ideology with his commitment to civil liberties and representative government. Active in the Labour Party in the 1920s and again in the 1940s, he spent the intervening years trying to form new political movements of a more radical bent. He declined invitations to run for office or serve in government, but was Chairman of the Labour Party in 1945-1946 until roundly criticized by Labour Prime Minister Harold Atlee for meddling in foreign policy. An early advocate of Indian independence, Laski's thought greatly influenced that nation's leaders, many of whom had been his students at the LSE. Toned and soiled. Horizontal and vertical creases down center of all pages. Worn corners. Paperclip rust stain in upper left corner. Otherwise, good condition.