Sorel and French radicalism.

The general state of Marxist thought at the turn of the century is examined as historical background against which to relate Sorel's theory of syndicalism. Basic premises of syndicalism are analyzed and compared with contemporary socialist interpretations of class struggle and social revolution. The comparison demonstrates a substantial disparity of approach to these two problems. Theoretical links between Sorel's views and principles of collective anarchism are discussed. Considerable similarity is found between Bakunin’s and Sorel's approaches to political solutions and Proudhon's and Sorel's views on moral issues