The various contributions in this book, originally published in 1971, discuss many aspects of the complex subject of history and class consciousness, and the themes that are dealt with are all inter-related. The papers range from history and sociology, through political theory and philosophy, to art criticism and literary criticism. Georg Lukács' classic work History and Class Consciousness, is discussed in several of the essays, and the volume is prefaced by a letter from Georg Lukács to István Mészáros.

1. Introduction István Mészáros 2. Class Consciousness in History E. J. Hobsbawm 3. Barnave: A Case of Bourgeois Class Consciousness Ralph Miliband 4. Class Structure and Social Consciousness Tom Bottomore 5. Reflections on History and Class Consciousness Lucien Goldmann 6. Contingent and Necessary Class Consciousness István Mészáros 7. Propaganda, Ideology and Art Arnold Hauser 8. Literature and Social Mobility David Daiches 9. Self-Consciousness and Social Consciousness in Literature Anthony Thorlby. Appendix: Historical Setting of Lukács' History and Class Consciousness Rudolf Schlesinger