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jpowerj's review against another edition
4.0
It's a great history of anarchism, but I suppose I should have looked into it more before starting it because I was hoping for an actual outline of anarchist ideas - i.e., how things like factory councils and land collectivization would actually work. Guerin assumes knowledge of these things and then looks at specific successes and failures in their implementations throughout the past 100 or so years. So if that's what you're looking for it's an incredible work! I'll probably go and read some Bakunin, Proudhon, and Kropotkin before returning to this one.
ndsr's review
3.0
Guerin defines anarchism somewhat narrowly along syndicalist lines, and shows a particular dependence on Proudhon and Bakunin. Also, it goes without saying that, published in 1970, some aspects of the book's analysis are dated. Nevertheless, this is a helpful introduction to anarchist economic and political thought. The section on history is particularly useful, disentangling several lines of post-French Revolutionary radical action, particularly the contradictory nature of the early days of the Russian Revolution and in Lenin's early development.
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