BY BULLET, BOMB AND DAGGER: The Story of Anarchism

by Richard Suskind ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 11, 1971

The title reveals the flaw. The philosophical background of anarchism is given short shrift while the deeds of eccentrics and half-wits who acted in its name are handled in great detail. Anarchist movements in Europe and the United States are treated with little regard for the respective political climates, and gratuitous comparisons are drawn to the Weathermen and any other group which may have advocated violence. Despite a veneer of objectivity, the conclusions and emphasis reveal a bias against the left -- thus: though there were atrocities on both sides of the Spanish Civil War we know more details about those committed by the Republicans, the I.W.W. failed because American workers have been able to win their demands by collective bargaining, and so on. All this leads to the dubious conclusion that ""much of the violence endemic in the Western world today is anarchist inspired"" and that there is ""no valid reason for propaganda of the deed"" in the United States today. This is history with an axe to grind.

Pub Date: Oct. 11, 1971

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Macmillan

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1971

Categories: NONFICTION