Anarchism: From Theory to Practice

Rating:
Summary: Best slim volume intro out there
Review: I read this book in a day, and filled the margins with many, many notes, something I rarely do. Clearly, Gruien doesn't cover every aspect of Anarchism, but for a brief introduction to Proudhon, Bakhunin and Kropotkin, it is the best out there. And, our very own American Anarchist Noam Chomsky did the introduction, which is just as good as anything in the book (Hell, his intro is half the reason I bought the book). Plus, it is a very well bound book. The pages are sturdy, the print clear, and the size small yet durable, something you really don't find in many Political books... Very recommended.

Rating:
Summary: THE book for understanding anarchism.
Review: If you had to get ONE book on anarchism, this is the one to get. No book covers more ground in fewer pages, and leaves the reader with a better understanding of the theory, history, and practice of anarchism.

Daniel Guerin walks the reader through it all, neatly dividing it into three parts: the origins of the ideas in part 1; the assorted approaches to the theory in part 2; and the revolutionary practice in part 3, going up to the late 1960s (the book came out in 1970).

The bibliography is also a valuable resource, as Guerin breaks it down topically, so readers can read more on their own.

This book puts the lie to anyone who equates anarchism with violence and turmoil, revealing it instead to be a sincere effort of working class people to build a better world.

Rating:
Summary: AHHH!!!! Ya'll read too much!!!
Review: In this 1970 book, the French anarchist Daniel Guerin gives a very interesting history of anarchism, its relation to Marxism, its seminal thinkers from Proudhon to Baknunin to Kropotkin to de Santillan. Most important, he gives examples of anarchism in action, often a prime mover for revolutionary populist change but mostly suppressed by history. He points out that the Bolesheviks galvanized popular support for themselves by appealing to the anarchist-like sentiments of the Russian people which had roots in the 1905 revolution. "All power to the soviets" became a popular slogan but by mid-1918 Lenin and his friends had had enough of that and set about to eliminate the anarchist movement throughout Russia, particularly in the Ukraine, culminating in the crushing of the Kronstadt soviets by war commissar Trotsky in early 1921. The soviets became nothing more than agents of an increasingly brutal and centralized state authority, magnified a million times by Stalin's ascension to power. He points out that anarchist principles had deep roots in the Spanish people in the decades prior to 1936, the year in which large parts of the country were seized by industrial and agricultural workers in response to the coup attempt by Franco to crush popular ferment. Industrial and agricultural self-management saw no small successes in the short time it existed before being isolated and crushed by the Stalinists and liberals controlling the government. He points out some similar causes for the failure of workers self-management in Italy during 1919-21. He points out the many problems and some benefits of worker self-management within authoritarian state structures in Tito's Yugoslavia and FLN Algeria. He argues, pretty prophetically, that the Soviet Union would have to extensively decentralize or face endless stagnation.

If you want to learn about an alternative to state capitalism and authoritarian state socialism, to rule by corporations and the "red bueracracy" of which Bakunin warned back in the 1870's, a philosophy with deep roots in the enlightenment and classical liberalism, explained by a very intelligent individual, this book is for you.

Rating:
Summary: Anarchism at it's best
Review: This book is absolutly the best book I have read on the subject of Anarchism. I wasn't able to put it down, ripping through it in two days, and reading through it again! Guerin does a fabulous job outlining the history of Anarchist thought and thinkers. I would also recommend his 'No Gods, No Masters', for a great collection of Anarchist writings.

This book is perfect for those already interessted in the movement, as well as people just looking to learn a bit about it. Also perfect for all those young "Anarchists" who think anarchy is about blowing $#!7 up (far to many of my friends fall into this, hopefully I can pull them out of it....).

Rating:
Summary: Anarchism at it's best
Review: This book is absolutly the best book I have read on the subject of Anarchism. I wasn't able to put it down, ripping through it in two days, and reading through it again! Guerin does a fabulous job outlining the history of Anarchist thought and thinkers. I would also recommend his 'No Gods, No Masters', for a great collection of Anarchist writings.

This book is perfect for those already interessted in the movement, as well as people just looking to learn a bit about it. Also perfect for all those young "Anarchists" who think anarchy is about blowing $#!7 up (far to many of my friends fall into this, hopefully I can pull them out of it....).

Rating:
Summary: A Brief History of Anarchism
Review: Wonderful overview of the ideas and actions of anarchism. Includes commentary on the Russian Revolution, Spanish Revolution, the distinctions between libertarian and authoritarian socialism, and the words of such essential thinkers as Proudhon and Malatesta, to name only a few. Also includes a brief but enlightening introduction from Chomsky that serves to place anarchism and its historical development in a broader and historical context. All in all, a worthwhile and valuable contribution for those searching for information on this neglected (at least in the United States)component of political/philosophical discourse.