A superb, wide-ranging analysis of socialist ideas and movements, with a newly revised discussion of contemporary socialism. `It is probably the best short history of socialism available today.' - Paul Hirst, History of European Ideas

This is a revised and updated edition of Tony Wright's critically acclaimed work that first appeared a decade ago. It provides a lucid and accesible survey of the major strands of socialist thinking right up to the present day and includes an assessment of the renewal of socialism in Britain. It is an indispensable text for students and a stimulating guide to socialism past and present. But it is also a book with an argument. Tony Wright makes the case for a socialism that learns the lessons of its own history, roots itself in an ethic of community and applies traditional values in new ways. It is a book for everyone who wants to understand where socialism has come from - and where it might still be going.