uneven and combined development
The idea of Uneven and Combined Development (U&CD) originated in the writings of Leon Trotsky (1879-1940). Its most explicit formulation is found in the opening chapter of his History of the Russian Revolution (1932).
Trotsky used U&CD to explain the ‘peculiarities’ of Russia’s social structures in the early 20th century, viewing them as the outcome of a wider, inter-societal process of historical development. In this way, he incorporated the significance of international relations into a theory of capitalist world development. But in doing so, he also created the opening for a social theory of ‘the international’.
U&CD was introduced into the discipline of International Relations (IR) at the 1995 Deutscher Memorial Lecture. It has now emerged as a new research programme in IR, becoming the subject of doctoral research projects, conference panels and journal forums.
Key points of debate in the emerging literature are: is U&CD a theory, an intellectual paradigm or just an orienting assumption for historical research? Can it be applied to earlier periods in history, or is it confined to the dynamics of modern capitalist world development? Is it only a Marxist idea, or does it imply a revision to the inheritance of Classical Social Theory as a whole?
The largest concentration of researchers on Uneven and Combined Development is in the International Relations Department at the University of Sussex, where a Working Group on the subject meets regularly. For further information see the page on U&CD@Sussex, or contact Justin Rosenberg.
To explore the resources on this website, click on the links in the red box.
To download a Digest of relevant quotations from Trotsky’s writings, click here.
Visit the Wikipedia page for U&CD.
an idea in progress
