Anarchism – People and ideas

The word ‘anarchism’ tends to conjure up images of aggressive protest against government, and – recently – of angry demon­strations against bodies such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. But is anarchism inevitably linked with violent disorder? Do anarchists adhere to a coherent ideology? What exactly is anarchism? In this book, Colin Ward considers anarchism from a variety of perspectives: theoretical, historical, and international, and by exploring key anarchist thinkers from Kropotkin to Chomsky. He looks critically at anarchism by evaluating key ideas within it, such as its blanket opposition to incarceration, and policy of ‘no compromise’ with the apparatus of political decision-making. Whatever the politics of the reader, Ward’s argument ensures that anarchism will be much better understood after reading this book. Ruth Kinna’s long introduction to this edition sets the book in context, outlining the reasoning behind Ward’s approach to anarchism as a theoretical political system and a practical possibility. Colin Ward (1924–2010) was an anarchist, a journalist, and the author of over thirty books on architecture, work, childhood, education, social history and many other topics of importance to those who seek a better world. A quiet man of great integrity, he won an admiring and affectionate readership across the world, and was one of the most influential thinkers of his generation. Ruth Kinna is one of today’s key writers on anarchism.