''Socialist Standard'' is a monthly

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

magazine published without interruption since September 1904 by the

Socialist Party of Great Britain The Socialist Party of Great Britain (SPGB) is a small socialist political party in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1904 as a split from the Social Democratic Federation (SDF), it advocates using the ballot box for revolutionary purposes and ...

(SPGB). The magazine is written in a simple, direct style and focuses mainly on socialist advocacy and Marxian analysis of current events, particularly those affecting the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Some articles have been published in party pamphlets.

History

Socialist Standard October 1904 Editorial The Futility of Reform

The first editor was Robert Elrick. The ''Socialist Standard'' has also carried translations of continental writers. Under the

Defence of the Realm Act 1914 The Defence of the Realm Act 1914 ( 4 & 5 Geo. 5. c. 29) (DORA) was passed in the United Kingdom on 8 August 1914, four days after the country entered the First World War. It was added to as the war progressed. It gave the government wide-ranging ...

, it was placed on a secret list of papers and magazines banned for export during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

for its call for workers to refuse to fight for their countries and instead join the class war. In 1915, it published an article written by a member of the

Bolshevik party The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...

calling for a socialist solution to the war. In 1918, the paper voiced the first doubts of the SPGB regarding the

Bolshevik Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. It was led by Vladimir L ...

in Russia. Edgar Hardcastle began a long period of contributions in the 1920s leading eventually to an over thirty-year editorship of the ''Socialist Standard''. In the 1930s, it drew on the reports from

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

to produce articles on the looming menace of aerial warfare. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the magazine evaded the censor largely by producing a series of articles on the

Peloponnesian The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridge ...

and similar ancient wars as a cover for the SPGB's opposition to the current one.

Centenary

To celebrate the party's centenary in 2004, seventy articles were selected from over ten thousand from its history were compiled and published in May in a book called ''Socialism or Your Money Back''. June 2004 issue of the ''Socialist Standard'' was a special issue to commemorate the party centenary and detail the party history. September 2004 issue of the ''Socialist Standard'' was a special issue to commemorate the publication centenary of the ''Socialist Standard''.

Present

The SPGB maintains that it is not a

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...

organisation nor the ''Socialist Standard'' a left-wing journal. "Left-wing", it contends, has simply become an umbrella designation for protest groups and organisations demanding amendments and

reforms Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...

. The SPGB and the

World Socialist Movement The World Socialist Movement (WSM) is an international organisation of socialist parties created in 1904 with the founding of the Socialist Party of Great Britain (SPGB). The member parties share a common classical Marxist worldview and an adh ...

(with which the SPGB is associated), contrary to the views and aspirations of these myriad groups and organisations that would claim to be left-wing, affirms that capitalism is incapable of meaningful reform and that quintessentially the basis of the exploitation of the

working class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...

is the wages/money system. According to Richard Montague: :The SPGB holds that the limping democracy extant in most countries today, and certainly, in the developed countries, can be used as a weapon of social revolution; if the majority desired a socialist society, a wageless, classless, moneyless condition wherein goods and services were produced solely for need, there is no power capable of resisting its demand.

Former editors

* Robert Elrick * Jack Fitzgerald * Albert E. Jacomb * Adolph Kohn * Edgar Hardcastle * Gilbert McLatchie (Gilmac) * Harry Waite * Ralph Critchfield * Stan Hampson * Eddie Critchfield * John Crump * Robert Barltrop * Gwynn Thomas * Alan D'Arcy * Pat Deutz * Melvin Tenner * Janie Percy-Smith * Judith Skinner * Paul Bennett

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

Current Issues

Historical articles archive

Socialist Standard Past & Present Blog
{{World Socialist Movement 1904 establishments in the United Kingdom Monthly magazines published in the United Kingdom Political magazines published in the United Kingdom Magazines published in London Magazines established in 1904 Marxist magazines Socialist magazines Socialist Party of Great Britain