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In the wake of the enormous interest across the globe in the fall of the Left Front in West Bengal, this book describes the Left era as one of passive revolution: limited reforms and changes, big compromises, corruption of the commissars and the failure of the Left in assessing popular discontent and anger; thus, it is the end of revolution even in passive form. A collection of articles by Samaddar from leading national dailies and journals between 1977 and the downfall of the Left in West Bengal, this books analyses the era of the Left rule, its political decisions and its social and economic viability. Samaddar argues that the Left’s rule and its own governmental style destroyed the hegemony it had built up through assiduous work of decades. A commentary on contemporary history and an assessment of it, this work helps the reader understand, better, the re-emergence of the Maoist movement in West Bengal, the governmental techniques of the Left and the dynamics of popular politics. Table of Contents Introduction: Writing the History of Contemporary Bengal I: CAPITAL, LABOUR AND POLITICS Decade of Strike by Capital A Dying Metropolis Does the Left Front Favour the Urban Elite? Environment and Employment: Will the Trade Unions and Greens Join Hands? The Tannery Workers of Tangra Lessons of Ayodhya: Has the Left Lost Its Vision? New Right and the New Left Party, Mass Organizations, and Mass Movements More on Party and Mass Organization Votes and Populism II: NEW ISSUES, NEW PERSPECTIVES Who is Afraid of the Migrants in Bengal? A Library and an Institution Hunger and the Politics of Life Rajarhat: An Urban Dystopia Dialogue and Growth All Die, But All Do Not Die Equally Chronicles of the Ranks The Fast Emerging Power Vacuum Civil Society and the Politics of a Society /Is Bengal’s Restless Spirit in Decline? III: CONTENTIOUS POLITICS Claim Making in the Age of Bio-politics That was Revolt, This is Civil War Elections in the Time of a Civil War Populism and Peace /Different Ways of Truth telling The Idea of a Front Elections and Expanding our Representative System Spring Time in Bengal Their Civil Society, Our Civil Society Stocktaking Midway through the War IV: MESSY CHANGE Transitional Challenges Governing the Multitude-I Governing the Multitude-II How to Prevent a Telengana type Situation in West Bengal The Challenge of Building a Non-corporate Path of Development A Suggestion on Bengal’s Economic Woes A Square Leading to Many Unknown Destinations Early but Inevitable Errors in Judgement A Violent History of Peace Political Change is never for Utopia Knight Riders in Kolkata V: PERENNIAL THEMES Eternal Bengal “It does not die” Urban Protest in Calcutta, 1987 - 2007 VI: POSTSCRIPT/ The Epoch of Passive Revolution Index