Harold J Laski

Political Thought in England from Locke to Bentham Harold J Laski

Originating from a Jewish manufacturing family in Manchester, Harold Joseph Laski was educated at New College, Oxford. After eloping with a Christian bride, Laski took a sojourn North America, notably lecturing briefly at Harvard (1916-1920), where he wrote his first books. Harold Joseph Laski was hired at the L. S. E. to supplement and eventually succeed Graham Wallas in political science in 1920. Laski would become one of the leading spirits of the institution. A dedicated socialist, Laski was always involved in politics, particularly in the 1930s. From 1922, he sat on the executive committee of the Fabian Society and then was elevated, in 1936, to the executive committee of the British Labour Party (he was chairman in 1945-1946). Major Works of Harold J. Laski Studies in the Problem of Sovereignty, 1917 "The Problem of Administrative Areas," 1918, Smith College Studies Authority in the Modern State, 1919 Political Thought in England, from Locke to Bentham, 1920 Karl Marx, 1921. The Foundations of Sovereignty and other essays, 1921 A Grammar of Politics, 1925. Socialism and Freedom, 1925 The British Cabinet, a study of its personnel, 1928 Liberty in the Modern State, 1930 Democracy in Crisis, 1933 Reflections on the Revolution of Our Time, 1943 Faith, Reason and Civilization, 1944. The American Democracy, 1948.