Product Description

The word 'anarchism' tends to conjure up images of aggressive protest against government, and - recently - of angry demonstrations against bodies such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. But is anarchism inevitably linked with violent disorder? Do anarchists adhere to a coherent ideology? What exactly is anarchism? In this Very Short Introduction, Colin Ward considers anarchism from a variety of perspectives: theoretical, historical, and international, and by exploring key anarchist thinkers from Kropotkin to Chomsky. He looks critically at anarchism by evaluating key ideas within it, such as its blanket opposition to incarceration, and policy of 'no compromise' with the apparatus of political decision-making. Among the questions he ponders are: can anarchy ever function effectively as a political force? Is it more 'organized' and 'reasonable' than is currently perceived? Whatever the politics of the reader, Ward's argument ensures that anarchism will be much better understood after reading this book.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #72229 in Books
• Published on: 2004-10-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 126 pages

The Guardian, April 9, 2005
An excellent introduction.

Review
excellent introduction (The Guardian )

The Guardian
"excellent introduction"

Customer Reviews

Provocative,
Ward quotes Martin Buber: "All forms of government has this in common: each possesses more power than is required by the given conditions." Buber calls this this "political surplus". One only has to look around the world to see how such political surplus is spent.

I was surprised at the extent of anarchist influence. Ward devotes 4 pages to how anarchism functioned practically is Spain in the 1930's, where 3 million people were organized in anarchist communes.

Anarchists have been at the forefront of considering ecological sustainability. Ward cites authors who believe that anarchism is the only approach that can meet the ecological challenges we face.

Given the problems socialism has faced, Ward argues it is too soon to write off anarchism when looking for alternatives to present forms of government. We may have been taught little about anarchism except to be dismissive of it, but Ward's book is an excellent start to understanding what anarchism offers. There are many references to the works of anarchists.

If capitalism seems to work, albeit at a considerable ecological cost, the growing ecological crises may force us within our lifetimes to explore alternative ways of living. Socialism may not be a big enough change, retaining as it does a strong central government with its own political surplus. If you think you can manage more political participation that casting a vote every few years, anarchism may be worth studying.

An ideology whose time has come ?
At university I studied a lot of "-isms" , but anarchism wasn't one of them.Clearly it was considered to be either of little consequence or too extreme to be taken seriously. This little pocket book is a reasonably good introduction to the topic. After reading it I got the impression that the classic anarchist position of desiring an absence of state power and voluntary co-operation are more ideals than anything else and that anarchists would have more realistic goals today such as the devolution of political and economic power and the support for minorities rights and various social liberation movements.They appear to have a lot in common with socialists apart from their attitude toward state power. Unfortunately anarchism seems to be associated with violence and terrorism, but at heart it appears to be a libertarian, peaceful ideology ;it's just that it's goals of removing the state are inevitably going to provoke confrontation. A lot of anarchist ideas are appealing but it has an optimistic, perhaps naive view of "human nature", thinking that people will co-operate peacefully in the absence of a state, rather than the more likely prospect of the greedy, violent and cunning having a field day.After reading this book I might investigate the topic in more depth.It is a good introduction.

Great, easy read
This book is a great addition to the bookshelf of both neophyte anarchists and those who have already read some anarchist classics. Easy to read, the book gives a light, nuanced insight into where anarchists come from. It isn't supposed to be comprehensive but is extremely insightful all the same.