Anarchism

The Slow Burning Fuse. Secret History of the British Anarchists

John Quail

Storm in my Heart. Memories from the Widow of Johann Most

Helene Minkin. Tom Goyens (ed) & Alisa Braun (trans)

Partner of one of the most infamous anarchists of her time, Johann Most, Helene Minkin joined the anarchist movement after emigrating from Russia in 1888 with her father and sister. Framed as a reaction and corrective to Emma Goldman’s Living My Life, Minkin’s memoir provides a unique account of turn-of-the-century anarchism and immigrant life in the United States. Published in the Yiddish-language newspaper Forverts in 1932, this is its first English translation.

The Anarchists in London 1935-55

Albert Meltzer

A Grand Cause. The Hunger Strike and the Deportation of Anarchists From Soviet Russia

Gregori Petrovich Maximoff

Grigorii Petrovich Maksimov (better known to western readers as G. P. Maximoff) was Secretary of Russia's Anarcho-Syndicalist Confederation and editor of Golos Truda (The Voice of Labour). He experienced at first hand the Bolshevik repression which crushed other revolutionaries and subordinated popular revolt to party dictatorship.This text comes from his indictment of the Bolshevik regime The Guillotine at Work: Twenty Years of Terror in Russia (1940). It has been footnoted by the Kate Sharpley Library to throw the light on the stories of other Russian anarchists as part of our Anarchists in the Gulag Project.Maksimov's years of exile were dedicated to anarchist activism and propaganda, criticising the Leninist counter-revolution and attempts to extend solidarity to anarchist prisoners in Russia. He died in 1953 and was buried in Chicago's Waldheim Cemetery.

The Method of Freedom. An Errico Malatesta Reader

Errico Malatesta. Davide Turcato (ed). Paul Sharkey (trans)

“Anarchy, in common with socialism, has as its basis, its point of departure, its essential environment, equality of conditions; its beacon is solidarity and freedom is its method.”—Errico Malatesta The most distinctive and universal anarchist principle is the principle of coherence between ends and means: human emancipation cannot be achieved by authoritarian means. However, the same principle could also be read in the opposite direction: our ends should not be disconnected from our action; our ideals should not be so lofty as to make no difference to what we do here and now. The anarchist whose deeds and words have best illustrated both sides of that principle—the “idealist” and the “pragmatist”—is Errico Malatesta. Never one to divorce thought from action, or retreat into dogmatism, his life and ideals remain an inspiration the world over. The Method of Freedom is the first collection to capture the full range of Malatesta’s thought over sixty years as an anarchist propagandist. The Method of Freedom collects Malatesta's most enduring long-form essays--including "Anarchy" and "Our Program"--together with previously untranslated articles from the numerous journals he edited over his long newspaper career. In fact, nearly two-thirds of the collected texts have been newly translated into English. Written in Malatesta's clear, accessible style, these essays are sure to excite a new generation of radicals.

Peter Kropotkin. Modern Science and Anarchy.

Peter Kropotkin. Iain McKay (ed)

Assembled in English for the first time, an unabridged gem from anarchism's famous theorist.

Mutual Aid a Factor in Evolution

Peter Kropotkin

In one of his most influential works, Kropotkin challenges classical Darwinism, arguing that in nature, co-operation is as important as competition.

The Conquest of Bread

Peter Kropotkin

A brilliant blueprint for a free society by one of anarchism's most famous theorists. The Conquest of Bread is Peter Kropotkin's most extensive study of human needs and his outline of the most rational and equitable means of satisfying them. The most important and widely read exposition of anarchist economic theory, its combination of detailed historical analysis and far-reaching utopian vision is a step-by-step guide to social revolution: the concrete means of achieving it and the new world that humanity is capable of creating. Writing in a way that he describes as "moderate in style, but revolutionary in substance," Kropotkin adeptly translates complex ideas into common language, while rendering the often-amorphous aspirations of social movements into coherent form. Includes an introduction that historically situates and discusses the contemporary relevance of Kropotkin's ideas. The Working Classics Series revives lineages of radical thought from the history of the anarchist movement.

Anarchist Popular Power: Dissident Labor and Armed Struggle in Uruguay 1956-76

Troy Andreas Ariaza Kokinis

A Cold War-era study of Latin American anarchism in action. Araiza Kokinis's study of the Uruguayan Anarchist Federation (FAU) broadens our understanding of the Cold War-era political landscape beyond the capitalism-communism and Old Left-New Left binaries that dominate the historiography of the epoch. Arguably the most impactful anarchist organization globally in the Cold War era, the FAU viewed everyday people as revolutionary protagonists and sought to develop a popular counter-subjectivity through accumulating experiences directly challenging the market and the state. The FAU argued that everyday people transformed into revolutionary subjects through the regular practice of collective direct action in labor unions, student organizations, and neighborhood councils. Their slogan was "create popular power," and their praxis differed from nationalist strains of Marxism at the time. The strategies and tactics promoted by FAU, ones in which everyday people took on roles as historical protagonists, offered the largest threat to maintaining social order in Uruguay and thus spawned a military takeover of the state to dismantle and deflate their vibrant popular revolt. With less than 80 militants, FAU played a key role both sparking and networking popular protagonism in workplaces, neighborhoods, and on campuses. The FAU worked in coalition with the Communist Party (PCU), MLN-Tupamaros (MLN-T), and other Left organizations to support a unified Left project while simultaneously challenging hegemonic strategies, tactics, and discourses. Unlike other anarchist groups worldwide, which took to individualism and counterculture in response to Marxism's popularity throughout the sixties, the FAU embraced Third Worldism and a class struggle strategy that made them a relevant force amongst popular social movements. Throughout the constitutional dictatorship (1967-73), the Tendencia Combativa, a coalition of dissident labor unions spearheaded by FAU, controlled one-third of the nation's unions in some of the most lucrative industries, especially in the private sector. By the time of June 27, 1973, military coup, a majority of Uruguayan industrialists recognized organized labor as the most serious threat to national security. Moreover, communications between US Ambassador to Uruguay Ernest V. Siracusa and US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, showed the dictatorship's primary concern was to repress the surging labor movement rather than confronting a waning Tupamaro guerrilla movement. The FAU's anarchist activism within this broader climate of worker revolt threw a wrench in the 1970s neoliberal experiments in Latin America that later migrated north to impoverish American workers from the 1980s until today.

Mutual Aid, Everyday Anarchy. Essays on Colin Ward

Andrew Kelly (ed)

Change the World Without Taking Power

John Holloway

Beautiful edition of Marx and Engels' classic manifesto, introduced by renowned social theorist David Harvey.

As If Already Free. Anthropology and Activism After David Graeber.

Holly High & Joshua O. Reno (eds)

'A highly original thinker' - New York Times David Graeber (1961-2020) was an American anthropologist and anarchist activist, who left us with new ways to understand humankind. This collection of new writing brings together his insights into one book, showing how deeply his work continues to influence us today. Graeber's writing resonates with both scholars and activists looking to shake things up. The impact of his work is broad in scope, from birth to banking, and he picks open social hierarchy and political power to expose what really makes human society tick. In today's neoliberal world, we can turn to his legacy to provide a way for us to understand what went wrong, and how to fix it. This collection of writings by colleagues and friends is both an introduction to his life and works, a guide to his key ideas, and an inspiring example of of how anthropologists are continuing to use his work today.

The Idea. Anarchist Communism: Past, Present and Future.

Nick Heath

Insurrection: The Bloody Events of May 1937

Agustin Guillamón

How revolutionary "leaders" and govenment officials conspired to stop a revolution in Spain.

The Friends of Durruti Group: 1937-1939

Agustin Guillamón

"Revolutions without theory fail to make progress. We of the 'Friends Of Durruti' have outlined our thinking, which may be amended as appropriate in great social upheavals but which hinges upon two essential points which cannot be avoided. A program, and rifles."--El Amigo del Pueblo, No. 5, July 20, 1937. Spain 1936-1939: This is the story of a group of anarchists engaged in the most thoroughgoing social and economic revolution of all time. Essentially street fighters with a long pedigree of militant action, they used their own experiences to arrive at the finest contemporary analysis of the Spanish Revolution. In doing so, they laid down essential markers for all future revolutionaries. This study--drawing on interviews with participants and synthesizing archival information--is THE definitive text on these unsung activists. This volume is translated, edited, and introduced by Paul Sharkey, acknowledged internationally as the foremost expert on the Friends Of Durruti Group.

Anarchism: From Theory to Practice

Daniel Guerin

The author examines both the theory of anarchism and its practice and influence through the Bolshevik Revolution era, the Spanish Civil War, the Italian factory councils, and its role in workers' self-management in Yugoslavia and Algeria.

We Do Not Fear Anarchy. We Invoke It. The First International and the Origins of the Anarchist Movement

Robert Graham

From 1864 to 1880, socialists, communists, trade unionists, and anarchists synthesized a growing body of anticapitalist thought through participation in the First International—a body devoted to uniting left-wing radical tendencies of the time. Often remembered for the historic fights between Karl Marx and Michael Bakunin, the debates and experimentation during the International helped to refine and focus anarchist ideas into a doctrine of international working class self-liberation. An unprecedented analysis of an often misunderstood history.

William Godwin a Political Life

Richard Gough Thomas

A biography of the early anarchist whose life and work was at the heart of British Radicalism.

Anarchism and Other Essays

Emma Goldman

A true classic of radical literature, in its first scholarly, annotated edition. Emma Goldman, the "notorious anarchist" deported from the United States in 1919 for "seditious activities," was a leading figure of American anarchism for almost thirty years. She continued to write and speak on anarchism for the rest of her life in exile, first in Soviet Russia and then in Europe--including Spain during the Spanish Revolution--and, finally, Canada. Goldman played a pivotal role in the development of anarchism in America and Europe in the first half of the twentieth century. This collection, first published in 1910 by her press, Mother Earth Publishing Association, illustrates her wide-reaching mind and ability to bring together strands of American and European individualism, anarchist communism, and early feminist thinking to develop a body of work that continues to influence the theory and practice of anarchism today. Essays include "Anarchism: What It Really Stands For," "The Psychology of Political Violence," "Prisons: A Social Crime and Failure," "The Hypocrisy of Puritanism," "The Tragedy of Woman's Emancipation," and "Marriage and Love," among others. A new introduction by Moran and Pateman situates Goldman's thinking in the movement of her day but also makes clear why her essays are still vital. Annotations throughout bring to light individuals and events that enrich our understanding of Goldman's writings. The Working Classics Series revives lineages of radical thought from the history of the anarchist movement.

Anarchy Alive! Anti-Authoritarian Politics from Practice to Theory

Uri Gordon

Anarchist politics are at the heart of today’s most vibrant and radical social movements. From squatted social centres and community gardens to acts of sabotage and raucous summit blockades, anarchist groups and networks are spreading an ethos of direct action, non-hierarchical organizing and self-liberation that has redefined revolutionary struggle for the 21st century.Anarchy Alive! is a fascinating, in-depth look at the practice and theory of contemporary anarchism. Uri Gordon draws on his activist experience and on interviews, discussions and a vast selection of recent literature to explore the activities, cultures and agendas shaping today’s explosive anti-authoritarian revival. Anarchy Alive! also addresses some of the most tense debates in the contemporary movement, using a theory based on practice to provocatively reshape anarchist discussions of leadership, violence, technology and nationalism. This is the ideal book for anyone looking for a fresh, informed and critical engagement with anarchism, as a mature and dynamic political force in the age of globalisation.

Sons of Night. Antoine Gimenez's Memories of the War in Spain

Antoine Gimenez. The Giménologues (eds) & Paul Sharkey (trans)

A fascinating memoir of the Spanish Civil War as well as an new approach to writing radical history.

They Will Beat the Memory Out Of Us. Forcing Non-Violence on Forgetful Movements.

Peter Genderloos

How does nonviolence fail our movements?

Anarchy Works. Examples of Anarchist Ideas in Practice

Peter Genderloos

This book takes examples from around the world, picking through history and anthropology, showing that people have, in different ways and at different times, demonstrated mutual aid, self-organization, autonomy, horizontal decision making, and so forth--the principles that anarchy is founded on--regardless of whether they called themselves anarchists or not. Too well documented to be strictly mythology, and too expansive to be strictly anthropology, this is an inspiring answer to the people who say that anarchists are utopian: a point-by-point introduction to how anarchy can and has actually worked.

Disaster Anarchy. Mutual Aid and Radical Action

Rhiannon Firth

As disasters become more commonplace, we need to think of alternatives for relief.As disasters become more commonplace, we need to think of alternatives for relief