This pioneering study of Bertrand Russell's social and political thought between 1896 and 1938 is the first book to undertake a thorough investigation of the intellectual and cultural context out of which Russell's ideas emerged. Maintaining a sympathetic but critical stance towards Russell's almost innumerable political postures, the author renders that thought both plausible and coherent by placing its development against a significant historical background. The result is a highly original view of an important and enduring figure.