The Third Way: The Renewal of Social Democracy (Ign European Country Maps) [Paperback]

Anthony Giddens (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0745622674 | ISBN-13: 978-0745622675 | Publication Date: January 4, 1999

The idea of finding a 'third way' in politics has been widely discussed over recent months - not only in the UK, but in the US, Continental Europe and Latin America. But what is the third way? Supporters of the notion haven't been able to agree, and critics deny the possibility altogether. Anthony Giddens shows that developing a third way is not only a possibility but a necessity in modern politics.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"How can democracies gain the benefits that flow from market forces while pursuing a community that cares for those who fall behind? Anyone interested in fresh approaches to such questions will have to read Tony Giddens's new book. It is a feast of fresh ideas." Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Dean of the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

"Tony Giddens, allegedly Tony Blair's favourite intellectual, has done what many considered impossible: he has constructed a coherent and persuasive definition of the third way. But importantly he has pulled it off, insisting that rather than being beyond left and right, it is part of the left, the renewal of social democracy. This book could be decisive in persuading the Blairites that they must look to the left rather than the right for their political future. It is an important and potentially very significant political intervention." Will Hutton, Editor-in-Chief, the Observer

"Tony Giddens has made the most significant contribution yet to laying the intellectual foundations of a modernized centre-left position. This book will be a landmark. It is a pioneering work of vital interest to the formation of political thinking on both sides of the Atlantic." Ian Hargreaves, formerly Editor of New Statesman and The Independent

"This is an important book that deserves to be taken seriously ... the author puts forward an intellectual defence of Tony Blair's politics which is engaging, comprehensive and open. It has a punchy style, and is written with a breathless excitement which makes it easy to read. The Third Way is a major contribution." The Stakeholder

"A worthwhile and stimulating read." Earth Matters

"Anthony Giddens has earned a considerable reputation among social scientists over the past three decades as a theorist. Though important within the academy, such reputations have a limited cachet in the world at large. Recently, though, Giddens has attained bona fide celebrity, or at least demicelebrity, status outside the cloisters, in his related roles as director of the London School of Economics and intellectual darling of British Prime Minister Tony Blair's New Labour party. His name by now must be a household word in his native Britain, given the frequency with which he is mentioned in the media there. On this side of the Atlantic as well, he has been interviewed, cited as expert, and his ideas variously praised and panned in a wide variety of non-academic, even mainstream media." Christopher J. Richter, Communication Theory Book Review

"Giddens has constructed a coherent and persuasive 'intergrated political programme'" Harish Kapur, World Affairs

From the Back Cover

The idea of finding a "third way" in politics has been widely discussed - not only in the UK, but in the US, Continental Europe and Latin America. But what is the third way? Supporters of the notion haven't been able to agree, and critics deny the possibility altogether. Anthony Giddens shows that developing a third way is not only a possibility but a necessity in modern politics. The third way represents the renewal of social democracy in a world where the views of the old left have become obsolete, while those of the new right are inadequate and contradictory. A new social democratic agenda is emerging that is integrated, robust and wide-ranging. It is an agenda that can rekindle political idealism.

The author's previous works, especially"Beyond Left and Right" (Polity Press 1994), have influenced debates about the social democracy in many countries across the world. Frequently referred to in the UK as Tony Blair's guru, Giddens has made a strong impact on the evolution of New Labour. The author or editor of over thirty books, he is currently the Director of the London School of Economics and Political Science.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Polity (January 4, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0745622674
• ISBN-13: 978-0745622675
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #418,148 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Future of Socialism?, October 10, 2000

By 

Don Arthur - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Third Way: The Renewal of Social Democracy (Hardcover)

In 1956 British Labour MP Tony Crossland wrote about a party "searching for its lost soul." The world was changing so fast that the old doctrines were no longer any guide for the future. Crossland argued that, at its core, socialism was more a set of moral values and aspirations than an unchanging political program.

Like Crossland's The Future of Socialism, Anthony Giddens' The Third Way: The Renewal of Social Democracy, is an attempt to reinvent social democracy--to give a political movement back its lost soul.

By 1998 many of the party faithful believed that Labour had sold its soul for victory at the polls. Tony Blair was talking tough on crime, tough on welfare dependency, and tough on government spending. The party had abandoned its old social democratic policies and modeled itself on Clinton's pragmatic New Democrats. Many Labour intellectuals were wondering whether the party had any vision at all other than winning elections.

Meanwhile Giddens, as an academic sociologist, had been questioning the philosophy behind the socialist tradition. With the 1994 publication of Beyond Left and Right he gave a long and subtle account of the exhaustion of the old ideologies and the prospects for the future. With the victory of 'left of center' parties on both sides of the Atlantic under the banner of the 'third way' he saw a chance to popularize his views.

Giddens is philosophical sociologist and works mostly in the realm of abstract ideas. None of his political books have much to offer as accounts of real-life political decision making or practical suggestions for refom. A much better example of that genre would be something like David T. Ellwood's 1988 Poor Support (the blueprint for Clinton's failed welfare reform plan).

If you're after Giddens-Lite -- a non-academic introduction to his vision for social democracy then this is the book to get. It's short, easy to read and relates big ideas to recent political events. If, on the other hand, you want a more serious, academic account then Beyond Left and Right is a better choice.

The Third Way is an influential book but is unlikely to become a classic.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Thoughtful, Highly readable critique of the Modern Economy, January 5, 2001

By 

Eric (New London, Connecticut United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Third Way: The Renewal of Social Democracy (Ign European Country Maps) (Paperback)

I considered myself more of a traditional Socialist for the last couple of years. Then, one night in September, I was browsing through the History/Social Science section on the second floor of the Connecticut College Library, and I happened across this book. Curious to know more about the "Third Way" so derided by orthodox Socialists and other leftists, I picked it up and began to read. This book was the first factor that caused me to shift my thinking away from the orthodoxy of the old left and toward a modernized vision of Social Democracy for the 21st century. Giddens makes it clear through his analysis of the evolution of the modern economy that Socialism is dead, and that no viable alternative to a market economy exists anymore. He makes a strong case for letting go of orthodox Social Democracy and moving forward to a new system that incorporates the potential of modern education and technology. He also makes it plain that the state is still necessary to promote equality, protect the environment, and mitigate the natural negative effects of the capitalist system. I recommend picking this up and taking a look at Gidden's ideas for moving the world forward to a system that rejects the orthodoxy of both the left and the right, and calls for us to seek out a newer world.

4.0 out of 5 stars The Principles of The Third Way, June 27, 2011

By 

Antonis (Cyprus) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Third Way: The Renewal of Social Democracy (Ign European Country Maps) (Paperback)

Socialism has sure changed a lot since it was conceived as a political idea more than a hundred years ago. Utopian socialism is only a part of the what-ifs of intellectual history. Communism has been abandoned since 1991. Even though there is a solid movement of Neo-Marxists still around, orthodox Marxism has largely been discredited, while the new trends have yet to reach a consensus for political action. And Social Democracy has stopped being a strong political force since the rise of Neoliberalism.

In this context, Anthony Giddens, a popular British sociologist, tries to conceive a new set of principles for the new Socialist movement, what we now know as "Third Way Socialism". He begins by addressing the roots of Social Democracy and Neoliberalism (the Cold War), arguing that since the collapse of the USSR, the political challenges and the subjects to be addressed have significantly changed. Thus, a third way needs to be found between these two ideological traditions, which of course will be filled by the neo-revisionism of Socialism.

He then moves on to address what he calls the five dilemmas of the modern world, specifically, globalisation, individualism, the relevance of left vs. right politics, political agency and the environment. Other subject matters are discussed, such as civil society, the nation state, the EU, the relevance of welfare, family structures, and so on.

Reading this book, however, I started feeling that something is missing. But the answer after a while, became obvious. What is missing here, is the core of what Socialism (in its every previous form) has been about. And that is, a critique of capitalism. Socialism emerged as a movement in opposition to capitalism and each socialist thinker, be it Marx, Engels, Lenin, Luxemburg, Bernstein or Callaghan, had in his/her view an alternative vision to the capitalist economic system that dominates us today. To strip this from the ideology, is to largely abandon what Socialism has been about. Thus to me, "Third Way Socialism" looks much less like Socialism, and much more like a revival and revision of modern (20th century) Liberalism.

In my opinion, this book will be forgotten. It reads like a mix between a casual discussion and a political manifesto, discussing subjects in the abstract, giving the reader a feeling that it is rich in vocabulary, but poor in essence.

I give this book 4 stars because it offers a simple explanation of the position of Third Way left-wing politics.