New Reasoner
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 Cover of the first issue ofThe New Reasoner: A Quarterly Journal of Socialist Humanism,Summer 1957 | |
| Editor | John SavilleandE. P. Thompson |
|---|---|
| First issue | 1957 |
| Final issue | 1959 |
| Country | England |
| Language | English |
The New Reasonerwas a British journal of dissidentCommunismpublished from 1957 to 1959 byJohn SavilleandE. P. Thompson.The publication is best remembered as an antecedent of the long-running journalNew Left Review.
The Reasoner[edit]
The New Reasonerwas preceded by a journal entitledThe Reasoner,first published in July 1956 byJohn SavilleandE. P. Thompson.The editors proposed the use of the journal as a forum for the discussion of "questions of fundamental principle, aim, and strategy," critiquingStalinismas well as the dogmatic politics of theCommunist Party of Great Britain(CPGB).
The Reasonertook its name from an early 19th-century publication which had attempted to renew and reinvigorate a flaggingJacobinRadicalism.
Over its five months of existence, the journal angered many within the leadership of the CPGB. Thompson and Saville were ordered to cease publication of their dissident journal, an order they chose to defy. Because of their refusal, Thompson and Saville were suspended from the CPGB.
The New Reasoner[edit]
In 1957, following their resignation from the CPGB over its support of theSoviet Union's invasion ofHungary,Thompson and Saville began the publication of a new journal, named theNew Reasoner,with the purpose of contributing to "the re-discovery of our traditions, the affirmation of socialist values, and the undogmatic perception of social reality." The opening editorial was a reaffirmation of their commitment to the BritishMarxistand Communist tradition, despite their departure from the Party. They allied themselves with European workers who were fighting for "de-stalinisation" and called for the rebirth of principles within the movement.
In 1960 theNew Reasonermerged with theUniversities and Left Reviewjournal to becomeNew Left Review.
Footnotes[edit]
External links[edit]
- Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust websiteAll the issues of the journal are available in digital format copyright free (CC copyright). The site also includes an article on the journal's history byPeter Worsley,assisted byDorothy Thompson (historian)andStuart Hall.