Mythic politics and communism

This chapter examines the mythic and ritual dimensions of socialism and communism from the First World War through the interwar period. It traces how nationalist and fascist movements appropriated socialist symbols and emotions, and how figures like Georges Sorel, Hendrik de Man, and Georges Bataille sought to renew socialism through myth, ritual, and existential intensity. Exploring intersections between surrealism, syndicalism, and early Soviet “God-building”, the chapter argues that mythic and religious imagination remained central to political creativity on the left. From Sorel&s;s revolutionary myth to Bogdanov&s;s Promethean utopia, socialism appears as an existential culture within modernity.