{"product_id":"for-a-libertarian-communism-daniel-guerin","title":"For a Libertarian Communism – Daniel Guérin","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn his foreword to an earlier collection of essays on libertarian communism, Daniel Guérin addressed himself to younger people “alienated from ideologies and ‘isms’ shorn of any meaning by an earlier generation” and particularly from “socialism, which has so often been betrayed by those who claimed to speak in its name, and which now provokes an understandable skepticism.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this collection of essays, written between the 1950s and 1980s and published here for the first time in English, Guérin not only provides a critique of the socialist and communist parties of his day, he analyzes some of the most fundamental and pressing questions with which all radicals must engage. He does this by revisiting and attempting to draw lessons from the history of the revolutionary movement from the French Revolution, through the conflicts between anarchists and Marxists in the International Workingmen’s Association and the Russian and Spanish revolutions, to the social revolution of 1968. These are not just abstract theoretical reflections, but are informed by the experiences of a lifetime of revolutionary commitments and by his constant willingness to challenge orthodoxies of all kinds: “Far from allowing ourselves to sink into doubt, inaction, and despair, the time has come for the left to begin again from zero, to rethink its problems from their very foundations. The failure of both reformism and Stalinism imposes on us the urgent duty to find a way of reconciling (proletarian) democracy with socialism, freedom with Revolution.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePraise:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Over six decades Daniel Guérin had a record of willingness to cooperate with any section of the French left that shared his fundamental goals of proletarian self-emancipation, colonial liberation, and sexual freedom. He was a vigorous polemicist but saw no fragment of the left, however obscure, as beneath his attention. He was also typically generous, never seeking to malign his opponents, however profoundly he disagreed with them. He was always willing to challenge orthodoxy, whether Marxist or anarchist. Yet behind the varying formulations one consistent principle remained: ‘The Revolution of our age will be made from below—or not at all.’”\u003cbr\u003e—Ian Birchall, author of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Spectre of Babeuf, Sartre Against Stalinism\u003c\/em\u003e, and\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eA Rebel’s Guide to Lenin\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Guérin provides an eloquent history of libertarian socialist practice that is not just insightful but also an exemplary display of straightforward writing, passion, and balance. The book is highly valuable as a history of thought and action, to be sure, but, even more important, as an exploration of issues and ideas directly relevant to today’s world.”\u003cbr\u003e—Michael Albert, author of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eParecon: Life after Capitalism\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“With the continual debasing of ‘libertarian’ to mean free-market capitalist, the publication in English of Daniel Guérin’s classic\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eFor a Libertarian Communism\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis very welcome. It shows why Guérin was one of France’s leading libertarian thinkers and activists, for it discusses what remain the key issues for socialists of all schools. His deep knowledge of both anarchism and Marxism makes this book essential reading for all radicals: Marxists will get their false notions of anarchism challenged while those interested in anarchism will see that it is libertarian socialism rather than some incoherent lifestyle choice.”\u003cbr\u003e—Iain McKay, author of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eAn Anarchist FAQ\u003c\/em\u003e,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eProperty Is Theft! A Pierre-Joseph Proudhon Reader\u003c\/em\u003e, and\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eDirect Struggle Against Capital: A Peter Kropotkin Anthology\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Daniel Guérin is the creator of a unique synthesis between Marxism and anarchism: libertarian communism. His reflections are more than ever relevant for the 21th century.”\u003cbr\u003e—Michael Löwy, author of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eEcosocialism: A Radical Alternative to Capitalist Catastrophe\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Contributors:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDaniel Guérin\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(1904–1988) was a prominent member of the French left for half a century, and arguably one of the most original and most interesting. One of the first on the left to attach central importance to the struggle against colonialism, he became one of the best-known figures in anticolonial campaigns throughout the 1950s and ’60s. He was also one of the first in France to warn of the rising dangers of fascism, publishing\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Brown Plague\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ein 1933 and\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eFascism and Big Business\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ein 1936. He met Leon Trotsky in 1933, and would work with the Trotskyist resistance during the war; a respected member of the Fourth International during the 1940s, he was a close, personal friend of Michel Raptis (alias Pablo) until his death. His controversial, libertarian Marxist interpretation of the French Revolution,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eClass Struggle in the First Republic, 1793–1797\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(1945, 2nd ed. 1968) was judged by his friend C.L.R. James to be “one of the great theoretical landmarks of our movement” and by Sartre to be “one of the only contributions by contemporary Marxists to have enriched historical studies.” Increasingly critical of what he saw as the authoritarianism inherent in Leninism, he influenced a generation of activists with his “rehabilitation” of anarchism through his\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnarchism\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eand the anthology\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eNo Gods, No Masters\u003c\/em\u003e, before playing a role in the resurgence of interest in Rosa Luxemburg and becoming better known for his attempts to promote a “synthesis” of Marxism and anarchism. He was also regarded by 1968 as the grandfather of the gay liberation movement in France and in the 1970s as a leading light in antimilitarist campaigns. His writings have been repeatedly republished both in French and in translation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDave Berry\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ewas a lecturer in French politics and history at Loughborough University for over 30 years and was a cofounder of Loughborough’s Anarchism Research Group and of the Anarchist Studies Network. His doctoral thesis led to\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eA History of the French Anarchist Movement, 1917–1945\u003c\/i\u003e. Besides a number of chapters and articles on various aspects of the life and politics of Daniel Guérin, other publications include\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew Perspectives on Anarchism, Labour and Syndicalism: The Individual, the National and the Transnational\u003c\/i\u003e, coedited with Constance Bantman;\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibertarian Socialism: Politics in Black and Red\u003c\/i\u003e, coedited with Alex Prichard, Ruth Kinna, and Saku Pinta; “Anarchism in 1968,” in Carl Levy and Matt Adams (eds.),\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Palgrave Handbook of Anarchism\u003c\/i\u003e; and “An Anarchist History of ‘Our Common Mother,’” an introduction to a new edition of Peter Kropotkin’s\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eThe Great French Revolution, 1789–1793\u003c\/i\u003e. He also edited and introduced a selection of Guérin’s\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003earticles, translated for the first time:\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eFor a Libertarian Communism\u003c\/i\u003e. His biography of Guérin,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Life in the Service of Revolution: Daniel Guérin, 1904–1988\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis nearing completion\u003ci\u003e.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMitchell Abidor\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis the principal French translator for the Marxists Internet Archive. PM Press’s collections of his translations include\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnarchists Never Surrender\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eby Victor Serge,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eVoices of the Paris Commune\u003c\/em\u003e, and\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eDeath to Bourgeois Society\u003c\/em\u003e. His other published translations include\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Great Anger: Ultra-Revolutionary Writing in France from the Atheist Priest to the Bonnot Gang\u003c\/em\u003e;\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eCommunards: The Paris Commune of 1871 as Told by Those Who Fought for It\u003c\/em\u003e; and\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eA Socialist History of the French Revolution\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eby Jean Jaurès.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAuthor: Daniel Guérin • Editor: David Berry • Translator: Mitchell Abidor\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e PM Press \/ Revolutionary Pocketbooks\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eISBN:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e 9781629632360\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublished:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e 10\/2017\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFormat:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Paperback\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSize:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e 8 x 5\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePage count:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e 160\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSubjects:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Political Theory \/ Anarchism \/ Communism\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"PM","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55920598286409,"sku":"txd1787265936850","price":10.17,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0937\/7185\/7993\/files\/for-a-libertarian-communism-daniel-guerin_1.jpg?v=1787265941","url":"https:\/\/streetclad.shop\/products\/for-a-libertarian-communism-daniel-guerin","provider":"My Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}