William Morris
25) The significance of Morris’ socialist ecology
Submitted on 12 March, 2008 - 14:12
The opinions of William Morris on what we now call ecology are important in any assessment of him as a political thinker in his own time.
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24) Morris on lifestyle politics
Submitted on 12 March, 2008 - 14:10
Morris was a political activist, and although his personal life was informed by his socialist politics, he did not see lifestyle or consumer behaviour as a substitute for political action.
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23) Morris on housing and living conditions
Submitted on 12 March, 2008 - 14:09
Morris was more coherent when commenting more concretely on housing under socialism. In The Housing of the Poor, an article published in Justice, (19 July 1884), he wrote:
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22) Morris on town and country
Submitted on 12 March, 2008 - 14:08
Morris apparently disliked urban living before he became a socialist, and he appears to have carried over this attitude into his socialist activity. In an early article in Justice, entitled Why Not?
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21) Morris on transport
Submitted on 12 March, 2008 - 14:07
On transport, Morris was even more a prisoner of his time.
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20) Morris on energy
Submitted on 12 March, 2008 - 14:06
Morris had less to say of contemporary relevance on energy, which is hardly surprising since renewables were barely even dreamt of when he was politically active.
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19) Morris on machinery and workplace safety
Submitted on 12 March, 2008 - 14:05
One of the great myths about Morris is that he was hostile to technology.
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18) Morris on work under socialism
Submitted on 12 March, 2008 - 14:04
Another of Morris’ contributions to Marxism was his positive conception of work under socialism. Not for Morris - as for his contemporary Paul Lafargue – the right to be lazy.
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17) Morris on the working class as the agent of socialist ecology
Submitted on 12 March, 2008 - 14:03
Perhaps Morris’ most significant breakthrough was to identify working class action and the socialist movement more generally as the essential social agents in protecting the environment.
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16) Morris on the causes of ecological degradation
Submitted on 12 March, 2008 - 14:02
Morris held to a materialist appreciation of the connection between human productive activity and the ruination of the environment.
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15) Morris on the nature – society nexus
Submitted on 12 March, 2008 - 14:00
Morris had read Marx’s Capital in French by 1884 – an authorised English edition was still to be properly translated at this time.
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14) Morris infused his socialism with ecology
Submitted on 12 March, 2008 - 13:59
Sometime in 1882, William Morris decided he was no longer a radical and began to associate himself explicitly with socialism.
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13) Morris on poetry, art and nature
Submitted on 12 March, 2008 - 13:58
Morris made his name as an artist and as a poet, and his commitment to conservation was expressed through his work.
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12) Morris – from conservationism to socialist ecology
Submitted on 12 March, 2008 - 13:56
William Morris was one of the outstanding Marxists in the period after Marx’s death.
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11) Morris was a revolutionary socialist
Submitted on 12 March, 2008 - 13:55
Perhaps a better approach is to accept what Morris said about himself and look at what he wrote and did for the last thirteen years of his life.
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10) What sort of socialist was Morris?
Submitted on 12 March, 2008 - 13:54
Morris has been claimed by a wide spectrum of socialists – often without careful reference to his views.
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9) Morris on parliament and bourgeois parties
Submitted on 12 March, 2008 - 13:53
Soon after the split with SDF, the Socialist League debated its attitude towards standing candidates for parliament and for other bodies, such as local councils.
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8) Morris on the state and revolution
Submitted on 12 March, 2008 - 13:52
One of the reasons for Morris’ scepticism about the possibilities of trade unionism was his understanding of the state. On the ABCs of the state, he was sharp and clear.
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7) Morris on the trade unions
Submitted on 12 March, 2008 - 13:50
Morris also took a close and critical interest in the trade unions.
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6) Morris on working class political representation
Submitted on 12 March, 2008 - 13:49
Morris was no dilettante on matters of organisation. Once he had decided to become a socialist he joined the Democratic Federation and became a leading activist and public spokesperson.
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5) Morris on working class self emancipation
Submitted on 12 March, 2008 - 13:47
The theme of working class self-emancipation runs through his writings.
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4) Morris on capitalism and class struggle
Submitted on 12 March, 2008 - 13:46
Morris understood capitalism in Marxist terms, as a class society, but also as a system that prepared the ground for socialism.
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3) The political commitment of William Morris
Submitted on 12 March, 2008 - 13:45
William Morris is perhaps unique in being claimed by almost everyone on the left as an inspiration.
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2) William Morris: a political life
Submitted on 12 March, 2008 - 13:44
Morris was born on 24 March 1834 in Walthamstow, then a village on the edge of Epping Forest to the north west of London.
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William Morris – a Marxist for our time
Submitted on 12 March, 2008 - 13:39
William Morris is probably best known to most people these days as the creator of kitsch Victorian wallpaper designs.
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The first British Marxists
Submitted on 9 February, 2008 - 17:50
Continuing a series on the politics of the early modern British socialist movement with a brief assessment of the politics of the socialists in the last twenty years of the nineteenth century.
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The heritage of William Morris
Submitted on 9 January, 2004 - 16:27
By Terry Liddle
Born in 1834 into a wealthy middle class family, William Morris was destined for the Anglican Church. His mother had visions of his becoming a bishop. However, after education at Marlborough and Oxford, Morris abandoned religion in favour of art.
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