or Barbarism (Socialisme ou Barbarie) A political group so-called because of the journal they established of the same name, which ran for 40 issues. Formed in response to Titoâs break with Stalin in 1948 by a breakaway group from the Trotskyist Parti Communiste Internationaliste which included Castoriadis, Cornelius, Debord, Guy, Claude Lefort, and Lyotard, Jean-François, Socialism or Barbarism was essentially Marxism in its outlook yet, paradoxically, broke with virtually every major tenet of Marxism in the course of its nearly two decades of effective life. The groupâs name was taken from a line by Rosa Luxembourg and reflected the conviction that a third world war was inevitable, and following that the choice would be between socialism or barbarism, and that it was necessary to begin preparing for that moment. The group folded in 1965 because internal tensions reached such a high point it became impossible to continue. During its lifespan the membership of the group never rose above 100, but its influence was felt more widely than that number suggests. The groupâs two main theorists were Castoriadis and Lefort, both of whom also wrote under pseudonyms (Pierre Chaulieu and Claude Montal respectively). Anti-Stalinist in its outlook, the group was against all forms of bureaucracy and favoured worker-led councils instead. It agitated in factories, particularly the Renault factory in Billancourt which would be at the centre of the events of May â68, although it never had more than a few members who were actually blue-collar workers. Its peak period was in the early 1950s following Stalinâs death when both the Korean War and the war in Algeria gave fresh impetus to the groupâs aims. Interestingly, although Castoriadis tried to revive the group following May â68 it proved impossible. Influential in its time, the group has faded from view, largely because its economic prognoses have not panned out.