Whose Millennium?: Theirs or Ours? - Hardcover

Singer, Daniel

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0853459436 ISBN 13: 9780853459439

Publisher: Monthly Review Press, 1999

Synopsis

"Magisterial in its historical sweep, fiercely democratic in its vision, Whose Millennium? is the thinking person's 'bridge to the 21st century.' There is an alternative to rampant inequality and the corruptions of power, and-ever so modestly and persuasively-Daniel Singer points the way."--Barbara Ehrenreich

This visionary book challenges the chorus of resignation-the notion that there is no alternative, that profit is the best relationship between people, and that the market guarantees democracy. Daniel Singer insists that a more free and egalitarian society can be won, and he predicts that the new millennium will be an age of confrontation, not consensus, with Western Europe as a probable first battlefield.

In social criticism of rare scope and insight, Singer probes the outcome of the Russian Revolution and Russia's post-1989 turmoil, the transformation of the Polish trade union movement Solidarity into a reactionary and clerical force, the failure of social democracy in Western Europe, the emergence of an unbalanced world after the collapse of one superpower, and the massive 1995 strikes and demonstrations in France-which, Singer argues, were the first revolt against the prevailing idea that there is no alternative to market stringency.

As an alternative, Singer calls for "realistic utopia": a politics engaged with present-day possibilities but daring to pursue a world beyond capitalism, one that would put into consistent practice the ideals of democracy and equality.

About this title

About the Author:

Daniel Singer is the European correspondent for The Nation.

Review:

"An erudite yet accessible, elegent yet straightforward, inspirational yet practical, sophisticated yet uncynical credo for the next century. Aux arms citoyens!" -- Victor Navasky

"Daniel Singer is the left's most brilliant arsonist. He sets ablaze whole forests of dessicated cliches about the end of history' and the triumph of the market' in order to light the way forward for the next generation of radical thinkers and activists." -- Mike Davis

"Daniel Singer is the premier progressive interpreter of European affairs. His courageous vision and sophisticated analysis gives us hope even in this ice age of fashionable neoliberalism and conservatism."

"Are we doomed to accept history, instead of creating it? Clone days, routines of pain, injustice as Destiny? This book helps us to believe that tomorrow is not another name for today." -- Cornel West

"For many years Daniel Singer has been one of the best, and certainly the sanest, interpreters of things European for American readers. Now in Whose Millennium? he has expanded his and our horizon to give a view of what may be the next stage in humanity's zig-zag course toward, if not the stars, a new social balance. Thanks to his Balzacian eye for human detail, his prose is a delight to read as ever." -- Gore Vidal

"For years, Daniel Singer's reports have been a unique source of information and insight on developments in Europe and the general social scene. His new book engages the crucial problem of the day: to overcome the sense of hopelessness that has been induced worldwide by terror and massive propaganda, exploiting--as all propaganda does--elements of reality. Singer disentangles these elements, places them in their context, and explores the rich options available for collective action to reverse historical forces that are not mystical and overwhelming as claimed, but readily subject to human will. It is an important and timely achievement." -- Noam Chomsky

"I can think of no journalist more versed, more hip to what is happening in Europe today than Daniel Singer. His humor and smarts make Whose Millennium? a must read for those who want to know where world politics is heading." -- Studs Terkel

"Magisterial in its historical sweep, fiercely democratic in its vision, Whose Millennium? is the thinking person's bridge to the 21st Century.' There is an alternative to rampant inequality and the corruptions of power, and ever so modestly and persuasively Daniel Singer points the way." -- Barbara Ehrenreich

"This book is a gem. It combines Singer's command of political developments in both the East and the West with his firm moral commitment as a man of the Left. And it places in context his distinctive empathy and belief in popular social struggles. A book that glows with hope and intellect." -- Frances Fox Piven

About this edition

• Publisher: Monthly Review Press
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0853459436
• ISBN 13: 9780853459439
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 360