Correspondence and papers of Ralph Miliband

Comprises: (1) Papers and correspondence from his earlier years in Britain, i.e., 1940 onwards, including school examination papers and a report; (2) Personal diaries and audio cassettes, 1948-1994; (3) Miscellaneous lecture notes from various stages in his career; (4) Papers and correspondence relating to his career in Britain, both at the London School of Economics and as Professor at Leeds University, 1949-1977; (5) Papers and correspondence relating to his career in North America, 1977-1994; (6) Notes, correspondence, drafts, and offprints relating to his publications; (7) Papers and correspondence relating to the Socialist Register, 1964 onwards; (8) Reviews of others' books and reviews of his own books by others; (9) Correspondence with Marcel Liebman, 1961-1985; (10)Papers and correspondence concerning various socialist causes worldwide, in particular the Lipman Trust; (11) Miscellaneous press-cuttings on various political events and socialist issues worldwide from various sources in many countries; (12) Correspondence between others subsequent to his death, 1994-2002; (13) File of obituaries on Ralph Miliband.

Ralph Miliband, the political scientist and socialist, was born in Belgium of Jewish parents on 7 January 1924. He and his father fled to London in 1940 as the German army was invading Belgium. Here he learned English and began to study at the London School of Economics (then exiled in Cambridge). After serving in the Royal Navy for three years he returned to his studies at LSE, graduated with first class honours, and then took a Ph.D. His first teaching post was at Roosevelt College, Chicago, but he then became a lecturer at LSE in 1949 until 1972, when he was appointed Professor of Politics at the University of Leeds. In 1977 he moved to North America, first to Brandeis University until 1985, then to York University, Toronto until 1988, and lastly to the graduate school of the City University of New York. He wrote a number of books on aspects of socialism, two of which, Parliamentary Socialism (1969) and The State in a Capitalist Society (1972), became classics in their field. Together with John Saville, in 1964 he founded the Socialist Register, and he espoused various socialist causes worldwide, including such bodies as the Council for Academic Freedom and Democracy, the Centres for Socialist Education, the Centres for Marxist Education, and the Lipman Trust. He also had a lifelong friendship and correspondence with Marcel Liebman of Brussels. At the time of his death on 21 May 1994 he was awaiting the publication of a further book, Socialism for a Sceptical Age.

The archive remains unlisted.

Not yet available for consultation.

The gift of Professor Miliband's widow, 11 April 2003.

Mainly in English, but with some French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.