Socialism Books - Page 10

The Spanish anarchists: The heroic years, 1868-1936

Murray Bookchin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A rather unknown historic epic... 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful.

"Can anarchy work" or "Is anarchy a mere utopia" are questions asked frequently by people who are not informed about the ideology and philosophy of anarchy but, most importantly, the history of anarchy.
Since you arent going to be taught any of all this in school the burden falls on your shoulders to discover it (amongst most other meaningful things that you will not be told about).
Murray Bookchin, is a great historian, and does an awesome job of documenting the most recent and most convincing attempt at anarchy in pre-war Spain.
Bookchin descibes a movement that found roots in the "lumpen proletariat", that part of the working class with almost zero education that marxists looked upon with contempt considering them incapable of ever starting a revolution.
Yet, exactly that part of the working class was the one that through appaling living and social conditions embraced the concept of anarchy, namely, no masters, equality, work as creation and not braindead toil, education that promotes free thinking and not unquestioned swallowing of dogma and above all liberty.
This is a fascinating story, perhaps overly fascinating compared with modern times where most the people take social conditions as self-understood. A movement, that, through a massive network of action that ranged from strikes against brutally oppressing regimes that inevitably and repeatedly resulted in massive bloodbaths, direct action, informing people about their present future and past while actually opening up to them a whole new world of possibilities that would drive them out of their every day misery and into a new situation where through thriving freedom the society would transform.
Bookchin introduces the readers (as he had to) to some of anarchy leading theoriticians (and practicians) such as Bakoonin and their influence on the Spanish anarchists while he goes into exhaustive detail highlighting internal conflicts concerning differing anarchistic tendencies as well as the ones against socialists (who more than often proved to be disguised conservatives) and of course against the establishment itself and its organs of suppresion.
It's a back n' forth story he tells as well, as the struggle of the spanish anarchists to establish themselves at the front for social change ("not tomorrow, now!" said the pickets at the massive protests and demos) was often sunk in blood, often thrown back by mass executions, often took a step backwards because the need for biological survival took a priority or simply because disapointment would momentarily settle in before a new spark would "detonate" the movement again.

The history of the spanish anarchists is remarkable in more ways than initially obvious. In a very intense sense it proves that the philosophy of anarchy doesnt demand from anyone to be well educated in order to comprehend it. "Absolute" freedom is not a complex concept and everything that derives from it is equally simple. It doesnt recquire reading bulky volumes of economic politics that lead nowhere nor trying to improve a system within which has already failed from the get-go (capitalism). It demands the "impossible" but simoultaneously the natural.
While Bookchin writes in a rather heavy style that wont easily grab you, he's an incredible historian who leaves no stone unturned in his effort-mission to explain thoroughly a historical event. That is my only objection to this book.

Other than that, this is more than recquired reading for anyone interested in anarchism (here, its history )or in examining political philosophies in general.It would help if you started from Emma Goldman's "Essays on anarchy" before this if your knowledge of this philosophy is somewhat superficial.

Editorial Review:

new edition, seminal histroy of Spanish Anarchism

Reading "Capital",

Louis Althusser

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Althusser's masterpiece 5 out of 5 stars.
27 of 28 people found this review helpful.

It's almost impossible to understand Marx's specific theoretical and methodological positions 150 years after. Not because they're exceptionally difficult, rather that they've been obfuscated by generations of pro- and anti- ideologues. Althusser's project is to reconstruct Marx's theoretical practices at a very high level of rigor, clarifying, for example, the specific differences between Hegel's understanding of "dialectics" and Marx's. In doing so he produces a series of new concepts: "structure in dominance", "overdetermination", "problematic", "epistemological break", "combinatory" and others. While none of these *terms* is present in Marx's writing, the things they refer to definitely are. In turn, this labor makes it possible to clearly understand the theoretical differences between Marx's early works and his mature ones; that is, between his "Feuerbachian" youth and his Marxist maturity. This is a difficult work, but a profoundly rewarding one for those interested in what it is that makes Marx Marx.

Editorial Review:

A foundational text of 'structuralist Marxism' which transformed the face of modern philosophy and social theory.

Anarchy In Action

Colin Ward

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Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A modern classic 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

Originally published in 1973 Colin Ward brings forth a masterwork of easy to understand political philosophy. Together with Daniel Guerin's _Anarchism_ these books are the perfect introductions to understanding contemporary anarchist/ autonomist philosophy. This work focuses on the practical (rather than exceeding revolutionary and idealistic) applications of anarchist activism.

anarchism by example 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

"Once you begin to look at human society from an anarchist point of view, you discover that the alternatives are already there in the interstices of the dominant power structure. If you want to build a free society, the parts are all at hand." -Colin Ward

This bright little 150 page gem of a book is densely packed with solid examples of anarchism in practice, and sparkles lucidly with the author's intelligence and hope. It presents an excellent introduction to the anarchist vision of the possible, without getting bogged down in theoretical or historical minutia.

Following in the tradition of Peter Kropotkin and Paul Goodman, Ward argues here for a practical, piecemeal, gradual anarchist revolution. He conceives of anarchist society as "always in existence, like a seed beneath the snow, buried under the weight of the state and...capitalism". With this vision in mind, Ward examines in each chapter various realms of life, from the workplace to the school, the state, the family, and the built environment, and presents an inspiring wealth of examples of the ways the bright tendrils of anarchist life are in every realm constantly pushing up through the frost of authoritarian society.

With eloquent simplicity and brevity, Ward provides a formidable reply to those who would scoff at anarchism as an impractical utopian fantasy.

Ward is certainly Paul Goodman's most worthy heir, and those whose appetites are whetted by this book would do well to seek out Goodman's writings such as Drawing the Line, Communitas, and Utopian Essays and Practical Proposals.

Editorial Review:

Probably the best practical example of anarchist ideas in action. Highly recommended.

Marx's "Capital" (Study in Economics)

Ben Fine

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Good intro to social & historical influences on economics 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 12 people found this review helpful.

The earliest political economists, including Smith, Ricardo and Marx, viewed economics quite differently than popular opinion sees it today. For one thing, they believed social & political institutions had profound impacts on markets. Their debate was over HOW, not if, social class, political institutions, religious and cultural institutions would effect economic growth and national development.

Today, neoclassical economics refers to a general approach (a "metatheory") to economics based on supply and demand. It rests on the assumption that individuals operate rationally: i.e. each person seeks to maximize his/her individual utility or profit by making choices based on only available information given by prices. More importantly, this is the only factor that matters. Altruism does not exist, making decisions based on social customs or religious beliefs do not fit (these are not economically `rationale'), and being a farmer versus a bank CEO gives no advantage to a person. Ben Fine terms this "ahistorical and asocial" economics. That is to say, the same economic principles work in every society, in every culture, and at every stage in a society's development with absolutely no need to take into account historical, political or social factors.

Marx starts off differently, with economics firmly rooted on a broader study of how society works, including social classes, historical trends and cultural values. For example, Marx used a value-led theory of production where the form of production determined the value of output, in his case, the labour put into making an item. The labour theory of value equates the "value" of an exchangeable good or service {i.e., a commodity} with the total amount of labour required to produce all the components that went in to its production.

This is opposed to the neoclassical theory that everything is reducible to maximising personal pleasure (called utility). Demand is `derived' only (and this is the critical point) from an Individual's single-minded desire to wring out the most utility from a given budget. Supply is determined solely by the production costs. The price comes from the point where the supply and demand lines intersect; i.e. price is based only on the value given to a good's exchange in the market. The idea of value coming from any other cause simply has no place in neoclassical economic models.

Interestingly, while neoclassic models dominate MBA programs, they are promptly thrown out the window in marketing classes, where brand loyalty, brand positioning and all sorts of irrational factors have been proven to be of fundamental importance to demand.

Much is made of Marx's atheistic slant, but this ignores the real issue. Marx thought religion and religious institutions have a great deal of impact on a person's demand for a given item, as did one's social ties and the political institutions of a nation. It is neoclassical, free-market capitalism that completely dismisses the relevance of God or any other factor outside influencing a person's demand for a good, outside of the all-consuming drive to maximise individual pleasure.

So it is ironic to see many self-labelled `Christian fundamentalists' so eager to embrace a neoclassical economic theory that is based on the assumption that God does not matter to decision-making in the market! One recalls the discomfort of many people with the "would Jesus drive an SUV?" campaign. It assessed the essentially amoral (as in lacking a reference to morals, different from immoral) nature of free-market capitalism against Christian beliefs of altruism, compassion, so beautifully by Christ: "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

If you wish a short, but intellectually stimulating attempt to present a rigorous and careful alternative view to how value and other elements of economic theory can be defined, this book fills the need very, very well. Highly recommended.

Editorial Review:

Since it first appeared in 1975, Ben Fine's introductory account of Capital has become the most popular text of its kind, used widely across the social sciences and also read by a wider audience. Its translation into several languages and its frequent reprinting is testimony to the role it has played in serving the growing interest in Marxist economics. The third edition has been substantially revised and expanded to include discussion of controversial areas, such as the transformation problem, falling profitability, rent theory and the theory of interest.

New Atlantis Continued

Francis Bacon, Richard Haines

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Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Two visions of The Good Life 4 out of 5 stars.
5 of 8 people found this review helpful.

This is a very short text: 85pp for the two pieces, plus an intro. Each piece gives a brief description of one thinker's ideal world, a Utopia of a sort. This book is strengthened by presenting two such different views, casting them into sharp contrast.

The first, by Bacon, makes much of pomp, ceremony, and fine accoutrements. He starts by describing the wonderful pageant put out for any man whose living descendants exceed thirty in number. He is paraded among and served by his issue, and granted gifts by the benevolent ruler. At this point - only at this point - is a woman of the realm mentioned. His wife, should she have survived such a feat of childbearing, is to be presented as well, in a carriage, tightly enclosed. A featureless box, the best to which a woman might aspire. (Bacon goes out of his way to disparage More's Utopia, in an amusing aside.)

The remainder of the story details the alchemical feats and workshops of the land. They interested Bacon much the way a candy store might interest a child, with no thought as to how they might be provisioned or staffed. Although the many labs are of interest to today's technologist, the country's means of feeding itself and its voracious researchers remains unsaid.

Campanella's "City of the Sun" is a Utopia of very different character. Above all, it focusses its energies on war more than any other city since Sparta. He demands training in arms for men and women both from the earliest age on, though women would enter combat only in final resort. Even the infirm are put to service however they may serve: the lame can watch and guard, the blind can work in some crafts, and so on. Women are expected to participate in industry, too, except in the woodworkers' and armorers' trades. This city is surprisingly free in religion - Jews are tolerated, if not too jewish, as well as Brahmins and others who acknowledge a soul. Hey, in those days, it was radical.

Both authors express ideas that repulse a modern mind. Even Campanella's enlightened treatment of women and religious minorities sounds brutal, until considered in the context of his time. Bacon's blinkered self-involvement would barely be worth a chuckle, until one considers his influence on history.

It's not formal, but it's a way to view history: what is it that each age most wanted itself to be? What views existed, and what views have survived? And how did the writers of each age differ from the man in the street, or more likely the man behind the plow?

//wiredwierd

Editorial Review:

By R. H. Esquire

Foreword by Manly P. Hall

New Atlantis was begun by Lord Verulam, Viscount of St. Alban's, also known as Francis Bacon, and was summarized and continued in 1660 by a mysterious figure known only as R. H. Esquire. Considered of the most important of the Utopian writings because it envisions the advancement in all branches of learning in the Western Hemisphere, it is also of great interest to those collecting emblem books and cryptographic material. TABLE OF CONTENTS: Forward by Manly P. Hall Dedication Poem Preface Chapter 1 - Argument Chapter 2 - The Second Part Appendix

Utopia Unarmed: The Latin American Left After the Cold War

Jorge Castaneda

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Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Historiography of left movements and progressive program 4 out of 5 stars.
5 of 7 people found this review helpful.

This book was originaly written in 1992. An introduction added to account for important developments in 1994 that seem to contradict the main thesis. The book itself has 2 parts arifitially glued together. The first chapters present an excellent historiography of the last 60 years of left movements in Latin America. Parallels, connections and similarities are drawn between different groups in different times and places. All this is very informative, given the numerous references for further reading. One of the main arguments is that armed movements did not succeed in changing the politics of the region (except for a very small number of cases), that the transition to social-democracy activism is much more effective and that all of the democratically elected leftist governments failed to implement workable alternatives. The events in southern Mexico during January 94 contradict the general trend, hence the need for the new introduction. The last part of the book is programatic. Castaneda presents _the_ solution to the problems that plague the continent in the form of "recommendations" for the left (since the right will never do that). The program includes democratization, socially oriented government policies, regulated free-market, etc. As a whole the program is well presented and congruent. However, the apparent intent is to show how these policies are the only alternative based on the experience drawn from the first part of the book. On the last point I find the book lacking. The connection between the different historic cases and trens and the program for the future is not clear enough. Also, some internal contradictions are pointed out but not resolved (as to how the left will be elected with a corrupt polling process, etc)

Editorial Review:

An eloquent Latin American political scientist offers an incisive, brilliantly informed look at the legacies of Castro, Allende, the Sandinistas, and others--and explainsraordinary. . . . Attempts to do nothing less than restore direction to the Latin American left."--Los Angeles Times Book Review.

Introduction To Marx And Engels: A Critical Reconstruction, Second Edition (Dimensions of Philosophy Series)

Richard Schmitt

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Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Explains complex philosophical insights without jargon. 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 10 people found this review helpful.

Too often Marx and Engels are reduced to philosophical caricatures in order to serve an author's own agenda. Richard Schmitt's book is noteworth for his careful analysis of the enduring issues and insights of Marx and Engels. I enjoyed this refreshing reminder of what all the fuss was about.

Amazingly insightful! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I have been trying to get an understanding of Marx/Engels that I could be comfortable with for years. This is it! Written without having to excise Lenin/Stalin/Trotsky/Mao to understand it. Mr. Schmitt is right-on with his very readable description of the nature of bourgeois hegemony of political power within the modern state.

He is very honest with the reader about where he thinks the holes are in Marx's theories. This should be required reading for anyone on the "Left", as well as for any young person attempting to understand how our society really works.

Editorial Review:

Presents the thought of Marx and Engels as sources of critical self-understanding of ourselves and our institutions, as well as sources of ideals for making ours a better world.

A Documentary History of Communism in Russia: From Lenin to Gorbachev

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I expected more 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

While the book itself is of course in perfect shape, I had thought it would be more comprehensive and would also carry complete documents. Instead it is a selection of fragments. Obviously I misunderstood what it was about. The author does state in the foreword that it is intended for readers not specialised in the area, but I was looking for something more like a "white book"...

To sum up, while I can say nothing "against" the book, which might well be worth a reading for beginners, I would not recommend it to those in search of much specific detail.

Editorial Review:

An extensive revision of the valued but unobtainable 1960 edition. Nearly 300 key documents are now readily available in translation.

Economic and philosophic manuscripts of 1844

Karl Marx

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Editorial Review:

This predecessor to the Communist Manifesto offers a historical analysis of the human condition. It forms the foundation of the author's denunciation of capitalism, combining elements of psychology, sociology, and anthropology in a philosophy of economics. Accessible and influential, this concise treatise is essential to an understanding of Marxist theory.

Karl Marx His Life & Environment 4/E (Oxford Paperbacks University Series)

Isaiah Berlin

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Editorial Review:

First published over fifty years ago, Isaiah Berlin's compelling portrait of the father of modern Communism has long been considered a classic of modern scholarship and the best short account written of Marx's life and thought. It provides a penetrating, lucid, and comprehensive introduction to Marx as theorist of the socialist revolution, illuminating his personality and ideas, and concentrating on those which have historically formed the central core of Marxism as a theory and practice. In turn, Berlin presents an account of Marx's life as one of the most influential and incendiary social philosophers of the nineteenth century and depicts the social and political atmosphere in which Marx wrote.

This edition includes a new introduction by Alan Ryan which traces the place of Berlin's Marx from its pre-World War II publication to the present, and elucidates why Berlin's portrait, in the midst of voluminous writings about Marx, remains a classic account of the personal and political side of this monumental figure.