Anarcho-Syndicalism: Theory and Practice (Working Classics)
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Manufacturer: AK Press
EAN (European Article Number): 9781902593920
Number of Items: 1
Binding: Paperback
Author: Rudolf Rocker
Publisher: AK Press
Edition: 6th
Dewey Decimal Number: 320.57
Publication Date: 2004-06-01
Reading Level: 160
Description:
In 1937, at the behest of Emma Goldman, Rocker penned this political and philosophical masterpiece as an introduction to the ideals fueling the Spanish social revolution and resistance to capitalism the world over. Within, Rocker offers an introduction to anarchist ideas, a history of the international workers’ movement, and an outline of the syndicalist strategies and tactics embraced at the time (direct action, sabotage and the general strike). Includes a lengthy introduction by Nicholas Walter and a Preface by Noam Chomsky.
“[Rocker’s] approach is far from ‘utopian’; this is not an abstract discourse but a call to action.”—Noam Chomsky
Rudolf Rocker (1873–1958) was a leading figure in the international anarchist movement for over 60 years.
Customer Reviews
Review Summary: Good Overview
Date: 2007-07-17
Details: How can a society progress to a level of legitimate egalitarian communization without the creation of a hierarchical structure of leadership or vanguard? For anarchists, the answer often lies in anarcho-communism or anarcho-syndaclism. This text by Rudolph Rocker, is perhaps the definitive work on the latter theory. Anarcho-syndaclism eliminates the apparatus of the state as a means to socialism, whereas classical Marxist theory insists that the state will wither away once the proletarian has seized control of the means of production. Anarcho-syndaclism values the use of direct action as a means to control the forces of production, and the utility of unions and defederated workers councils as the proper structures for social planning. Rocker points to the syndaclists of the Spanish Revolution as the primary example of the theory in action, though there seem to be few cases in history of such socialization without centralized planning. Perhaps this mode of revolution is more legitimate and effective than classical Marxism or Marxist-Leninism, though I suspect that anarchism will always suffer from the fact of its inefficiency and inability to mobilize populations democratically. Nevertheless, Rocker's analysis and background history (aside from several cavalier uses of `human nature) is provocative alternative to state capitalism and state socialism.
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