A discussion of the Paris Commune and its legacy from an anarchist perspective, indicating how it influenced both Anarchism and Marxism. It shows that anarchism alone has learnt its lessons and that Marxism, particularly in its Leninist form, paid lip-service to it while ignoring both its actual politics and its lessons.
(more…)Category: Paris Commune
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The life of Peter Kropotkin
A write up of a talk given in Glasgow in May 2022 on the life and ideas of Peter Kropotkin to mark the anniversary of his birth. As usual, this write-up reflects what I wanted to say rather than what was actually said but it is close enough.
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Louise Michel: “If you are not cowards, kill me!”
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A review of a book on that remarkable anarchist activist, Louise Michel. Sadly marred by an obvious, and utterly unnecessary, bias for Marxism, it fails to do justice to her ideas and her life. -
André Léo: Internationalist and Communard
An article on the life and ideas of André Léo, an early French feminist and (libertarian) socialist. A member of the First International and a leading participant in the Paris Commune. It first appeared in Black Flag Anarchist Review Vol. 4 No. 2 (Summer 2024).
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