Rudolf Rocker: Anarcho-Syndicalism

‘Rocker’s vision remains as inspiring as when it was written ... and no less valid as a stimulus to our thinking and our constructive action.’ Noam Chomsky (from the Preface)

Rudolf Rocker’s classic survey of anarcho-syndicalism was written during the Spanish Civil War to explain to the wider reading public the ideology which inspired the social revolution in Spain. It remains unsurpassed as a general introduction to anarchist thought and an authoritative account of the early history of international anarchism by one of the movement’s leading figures.

The present edition is unique in giving a complete facsimile reproduction of the 1938 edition as well as the corrected transcript of the epilogue to the Indian edition of 1947. It has the addition of a new biographical introduction by Nicolas Walter, in which he quotes from previously unpublished manuscript sources.

About The Author

Rudolf Rocker (1873–1958) was a leading figure in the international anarchist movement. Politically active in Britain, Germany and the United States for more than half a century, Rocker helped found several influential anarchist groups. His prolific lectures and writings made him one of the best-known proponents of liberty and freedom. Anarcho-Syndicalism, the most accessible of his works, was first published in 1938 and is now regarded as a classic survey of anarchism at a critical point in world politics.

Preface - Noam Chomsky
Introduction - Nicolas Walter
1. Anarchism
2. The Proletariat and the Beginning of the Modern Labour Movement
3. The Forerunners of Syndicalism
4. The Objectives of Anarcho-Syndicalsim
5. The Methods of Anarcho-Syndicalism
6. The Evolution of Anarcho-Syndicalism 
Bibliography
Epilogue