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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
On the Relevance of Anarchism: An Historical Survey of the Libertarian Past,
By Fritz R. Ward "dayhiker" (Crestline, CA United States) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Benjamin R. Tucker and the Champions of Liberty: A Centenary Anthology (Hardcover)
The journal 'Liberty' and its publisher, Benjamin R. Tucker, took center stage among American radicals during the populist and progressive eras of American history. Tucker was a "plumb line" anarchist who identified with the socialist vision of giving labor their full due. Today, however, he would be considered more of a libertarian insofar as he embraced private property and free markets. Indeed, his critique of capitalism was that it did not embrace free markets fully, but rather relied upon government enforced monopolies to deprive the laboring masses of what was rightfully theirs. Yet Tucker and his associates were concerned with far more than simply the "labor" question. 'Liberty' broached issues of gender equality and sexual freedom, the rights of jurors, censorship and the role of the free press, and introduced readers to early existentialist thinkers such as the German philosopher Max Stirner. Tucker's press also published many books in defiance of the strict Victorian censorship of the time, including Walt Whitman's 'Leaves of Grass.' This anthology, published a century after the first issue of 'Liberty,' examines many of the issues discussed in that paper and considers their continuing relevance for our own day.
Economic issues were at the heart of individualist anarchism and they remain important in this book. Tucker believed that interest was due to a monopoly on the medium of exchange as established by government. This is in sharp contrast to many later libertarian thinkers who see interest as a natural market phenomena. But Tucker was among the first to call for free (non-governmental) banking, a cry that is all the more relevant in an age when the Federal Reserve tries to mold the entire economy and is unwilling (at least since the term of the second Bush Administration) to publicly reveal M3, the most accurate measure of circulating money. Tucker and his associates also advocated a redistribution of land ownership based on occupancy rather than governmental grants. They were early and vocal critics of the US government's policies towards Native Americans and the dispossession of lands owned by the latter. In these critiques, Tucker was simply carrying on a tradition articulated by such classical liberals as John Locke. Land, in this tradition, is part of the commons until an individual "improves" the land by mixing his labor with it. Although these discussions are interesting from an historical perspective, careful readers will note that they do not address areas of concern today, notably conservationism. As societies become wealthier, land that is not occupied and undeveloped takes on greater economic value, but neither classical liberalism, Georgism, nor individualist anarchism offers an effective means of preserving such land. But if some of the economic debates found in Liberty are no longer as pressing as they once seemed, other discussions are still very relevant. Anarchist Feminists of the 19th century, notably Victoria Woodhull, Ezra Heywood, and Stephen Pearl Andrews, went far beyond demanding legal or even "economic" equality. They anticipated modern feminists in their demand to examine all social relations, particularly marriage, for the anti-women biases within them. The essays by Wendy McElroy, S.E. Parker, and Sharon Presley all examine these issues and find the anarchist critique of women's role in society compelling and relevant to the modern world. On the whole, this anthology does an able job of capturing some of the many debates found in Liberty and presenting these to contemporary readers. Despite the fact that the book is now dated (this review was written a century after the last issue of 'Liberty' or 27 years after the anthology appeared) the essays are solid works of scholarship and essential reading for those interested in the history of anarchism. They also suggest an alternative never really considered in American politics. For over a century, Americans have turned to the state to promote their political ends. But politics is inherently divisive and the state is, even at its best, a cumbersome and inefficient vehicle for social change. Perhaps the time has come to abandon the false dichotomy offered by the major political parties and consider some more fundamental reforms. Reviewing many of the ideas presented by Tucker and the other champions of 'Liberty' would be a good start.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very Good,
By
This review is from: Benjamin R. Tucker and the Champions of Liberty: A Centenary Anthology (Hardcover)
This anthology covers the American anarcho-individualists gathered around Benjamin Tucker in the latter part of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. The essays do a pretty good job covering different aspects of these figures, their acts and disagreements and so forth. Those with a particular interest in these individuals will want this book, but it lacks wider relevance. Anarchists of other stripes may also find it of interest.
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