Anarchism: A Very Short Introduction

Concise, does not require a PHD to read and understand (it is well written actually), a very good read. Enjoyed it a lot. A great introduction to the topic.

I am fairly new to the idea of anarchism and I thought Colin Ward's book was well written and gave a brief, but decent, look at the ideas that make up anarchism, and some of its major writers, such as Michael Bakunin and Emma Goldman. I thought the parts of the book that gave several examples in which anarchists were very influential in different events in history was very interesting. Ward briefly discuses the various branches of anarchist thought, like Anarcho-syndicalism and Pacifist anarchism, but only gives lip service to these. Ward's main focus seems to be the communistic-like version of anarchism. I thought the book was very well written and contained a good amount of information for such a short book. I think it's a good starting place for anyone wanting to learn about this political philosophy, but I'd recommend looking to other sources for more in depth information; especially on the other forms of anarchism.

A Very Short Introduction on anarchism by Colin Ward is just what it says. A short history with just enough details to allow the reader to understand the many types of anarchism that are out there. A list of books for further reading and the references allow you to easily expand your knowledge on whatever type of anarchism that you wish to know about. From their ideas about education to the environment, anarchists are everywhere.

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.