What Is Anarchism? by Alexander Berkman

What Is Anarchism? by Alexander Berkman

In a clear conversation with the reader, Berkman discusses society as it now exists, the need for Anarchism and the methods for bringing it about. Often mentioned in conjunction with his lover Emma Goldman, Berkman was a leading writer and participant in the 20th-Century Anarchist movement.

The young, idealistic Berkman practiced "propaganda by the deed," attempting to assassinate Henry Clay Frick during the Homestead Steel Strike of 1892. While imprisoned, he wrote the classic tale of prison life, Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist. After his release, Berkman edited The Blast! and Goldman's Mother Earth. Deported to Russia in 1919, he saw firsthand the failure of the Bolshevik revolution and dedicated himself to writing this classic primer on Anarchism.

Alexander Berkman was a prominent writer and participant in the Anarchist movement in the twentieth century. During the Homestead Steel Strike of 1892, the young, idealistic Berkman practiced propaganda by attempting to kill Henry Clay Frick. He penned the famous narrative of prison life, Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist, while incarcerated. Berkman went on to edit Emma Goldman's Mother Earth and his own paper, The Blast!, after his release. In 1919, he was deported from New York City to his native Russia, where he witnessed firsthand the defeat of the Bolshevik revolution and dedicated himself to authoring What is Anarchism?, the classic primer on anarchism.