What Is Communist Anarchism? [Paperback]

Alexander Berkman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2002 | ISBN-10: 0948984112 | ISBN-13: 978-0948984112

The two thirds of the original work not included in the Freedom title above.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alexander Berkman was a leading writer and participant in the 20th century Anarchist movement. The young, idealistic Berkman practiced "propaganda by deed" attempting to assassinate Henry Clay Frick during the Homestead Steel Strike of 1892. While imprisoned, he wrote the classic tale of prison life Prison Memoirs of and Anarchist. After his release, Berkman edited Emma Goldman's Mother Earth and his own paper The Blast!. Deported from New York City to his native Russia in 1919, were he saw first hand the failure of the Bolshevik revolution and dedicated himself to writing the classic primer on Anarchism, What is Anarchism?.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Phoenix (January 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0948984112
• ISBN-13: 978-0948984112
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,509,252 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful introduction to the above, January 11, 2004

By 

chad thompson (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What is Anarchism? (Working Classics) (Paperback)

This is a very straightforward, accurate introduction to the political philosophy of anarchism. Berkman wrote this book so the "anglo-saxon american working class would understand and relate to it". In other words, the book is very easy to read, unlike a lot of other anarchist literature of the era. He divides quite a few topics into short separate chapters. He speaks about war, labor, capitalism, etc. I suggest this to those who are anarchists, or those who just want information on REAL anarchism. (not mindless "chaos" or "disorder" as some people believe this philosophy to be about)

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anarchism as Commonsense, January 13, 2005

By 

Dana Garrett - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: What is Anarchism? (Working Classics) (Paperback)

Emma Goldman records in her autobiography that Berkman found *What is Anarchism* a difficult book to write. He wanted to write a book that would explain anarchism to the average American. Given that the average American misunderstood anarchism to be about throwing bombs, Berkman had to begin on a basic introductory level.

He pulled it off masterfully. Berkman takes a commonsense and conversational tone throughout the book, and he covers considerable ground. He explains to readers how the capitalism is basically a system of wage slavery and he discusses the other great social harms it produces. He differentiates left anarchism from western European socialism (a system of reformist capitalism) and from Marxist socialism. In fact, Berkman often discusses the Bolsheviks in the USSR, who imposed an oppressive system of, effectively, state-capitalism that he witnessed first hand. Other topics include trade unions, war, religion, violence, revolution and others. Berkman is particularly effective in discussing how an anarchist revolution would not be one given to wanton destruction, that it would try to preserve as much life and infrastructure as possible. And he sketches how an anarchist society would operate.

Those who are completely unfamiliar with anarchism will find this book worthwhile. Anarchists will also find this book helpful because Berkman shows how to explain anarchism on an intuitive level.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Book!, April 4, 2006

By 

C - See all my reviews

This review is from: What is Anarchism? (Working Classics) (Paperback)

Hands down one the best books I've read about Anarchism. Very inspiring. Easy to read, hard to put down. Definitely check this book out!