A Study Of The Overall Criticism Of British Modernity

The British structuralist Marxist school represented by Perry Anderson and Tom Nain formed the so-called "Anderson Nain Thesis" in the ongoing debate with the historical Marxist school represented by Edward Thompson.Based mainly on the perspective of rationalist Marxism in the exotic European continent and French structuralist Marxism represented by Althusser,they conducted a comprehensive critical analysis of the modernity process and its essential attributes of the British nation’s history,society,and culture,and reached a negative view that Britain did not truly complete its modernization path,Not to mention the practice of modernity with revolutionary Marxism and socialism as its fundamental purpose.This article is divided into five chapters:The first chapter focuses on the origin of the Anderson Nain thesis and its relationship with the path of British modernity.It originated between the British historicist school represented by Thompson and the structuralist school represented by Anderson Nain.Through a critical and holistic study of the process of British modernity,it focuses on three concentrated debates on the issue of modernity in British history,society,and culture for 20 years,Finally reached a negative conclusion about the empiricism of British modernity.The second chapter mainly discusses the modernization process of British history,arguing that it has not completed the mission of modernization,resulting in a "exceptionalism".They divided British history into four main stages.During the bourgeois revolution,due to the incompleteness of the British bourgeois revolution,the revolution only changed the economic foundation of British society without changing the superstructure of society.The aristocratic class continued its dominant position and changed its ruling role.During the Industrial Revolution,the newly born industrial bourgeoisie and the aristocratic class formed a symbiotic relationship with the aristocratic class as the dominant force and the bourgeoisie as the subordinate force.During the period of imperialism,the autocratic monarchy of the aristocratic class expanded imperialism externally,strengthened the rule of the proletariat internally,and ideologically integrated all classes and parties in British society into the ruling order of the aristocratic class.During the two world wars,the British mainland did not experience any wars and divisions,and the aristocratic class still had a stable dominant position.From this,it can be concluded that Britain failed to complete the mission and task of modernization from the16 th century to the mid-20 th century.The third chapter mainly discusses the modernization process of British society,revealing the essential structure of British social class.Anderson borrowed Gramsci’s concept of hegemony to divide the British social class into the aristocratic class,the bourgeoisie,and the proletariat.The aristocratic class and the bourgeoisie jointly govern as the dominant hegemonic class,while the proletariat,as a cooperative class,is subordinate to the hegemonic class.On the one hand,the aristocratic class built a self centered hegemonic order by virtue of its social relations and political power,while the bourgeoisie became a part of the hegemonic class by relying on the aristocratic class through the industrial revolution.On the other hand,due to the limitations of "economism" and the infiltration of hegemonic ideology,the proletariat failed to form a revolutionary ideological culture and organizational structure,and became a cooperative class in British society.The dominant hegemonic class and the subordinate cooperative class together constitute the firm order structure of Britain.The fourth chapter focuses on exploring the essential characteristics of British modernity culture,arguing that the British nation lacks revolutionary Marxism and socialist ideology.According to Anderson and Nain,the rule of Britain is ultimately a profound cultural hegemony,in which the aristocratic class has formed a backward traditional ideology,the bourgeoisie has formed a non holistic empiricist ideology,and has comprehensively infiltrated the culture of the working class,resulting in the formation of a labor oriented ideology.As far as the ideology of the working class is concerned,it takes the main forms of gradualism and parliamentarism,and its basic characteristics are cooperation and improvement.As a result,there is no real revolutionary Marxist and socialist culture.Therefore,Anderson and Nain constructed the ideological system of rational Marxism and scientific socialism,attempting to achieve the transition from British capitalism to socialism.The fifth chapter mainly evaluates and analyzes the value and limitations of British modernity criticism.In terms of theoretical principles,they attempted to combine the rationalistic Marxist tradition of the European continent with the local experience of Britain,embarked on a path of rationalizing Marxism,and provided scientific theoretical principles for the socialist modernization of the British nation;In terms of thinking paradigm,they critically applied the French structuralist Marxist theory represented by Althusser to construct the British structuralist Marxist theoretical system,providing a holistic,objective,and structural theoretical approach to Britain’s national modernity path;In terms of practical path,they have absorbed the theoretical achievements of international Marxism in culture,analyzed and summarized the practical experience of revolutionary socialism in various countries in politics,and provided an internationalist socialist theoretical position for the road of modernity in Britain.The problem is that this structuralism lacks micro practice and experience.On the one hand,it emphasizes structure,theory,and objectivity,while on the other hand,it ignores historicity,empiricism,and subjectivity,especially the empirical and individualized study of specific realities.At the same time,their overall analysis of the process and essential characteristics of British modernity is highly critical,comprehensively denying the history,society,and culture of British modernization,weakening the specific experience of the history and reality of the British nation,and ultimately leading to a national illusion of nihilism.