Bill Warren (1935–1978) was a British Communist, originally a member of the

Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPG ...

and later a contributor to '' New Left Review''. In his last years he was a member of the British and Irish Communist Organisation. He is best remembered as the author of ''Imperialism: Pioneer of Capitalism''. This unconventional Marxist analysis was published posthumously in 1980 and is still being debated. He rejected the argument of Lenin's Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism, that capitalist development outside of Europe had ceased to be possible. He considered that he was restoring the original view of Marx and Engels, particularly in regard to the results of Britain's rule in India: namely that

imperialism Imperialism is the state policy, practice, or advocacy of extending power and dominion, especially by direct territorial acquisition or by gaining political and economic control of other areas, often through employing hard power (economic and ...

plays a progressive role in fostering the spread of capitalism worldwide, which is a prerequisite for socialism. Some commentators have likened Warren's ideas on capitalism, particularly his belief that the creation of a global market is required for the creation of a Communist society, to other thinkers, such as the Revolutionary Communist Party and Nigel Harris.

Selected publications

References

External links

1993 review of ''Imperialism, pioneer of Capitalism''

* ttps://lists.csbs.utah.edu/pipermail/marxism/2006-March/140452.html Marxism Mailing List: Bill Warren Controversy 1978 deaths Communist Party of Great Britain members British and Irish Communist Organisation members Scottish communists 1935 births Scottish non-fiction writers Marxist writers {{UK-writer-stub