For Socialism

by Gustav Landauer

From his protest against Bebel's exclusion of the anarchists from the Second International in 1893 until his murder in 1919 by the reactionary troops supppressing the Bavarian revolution, Landauer remained a tireless critic of all forms of bureaucratism and an advocate of a decentralized, libertarian socialism. A friend of Buber, his influence also extended into the anarcho-socialist trends of the early Zionist movement and the development of the Kibbutz . Originally published in 1911, For Socialism is a critique of an official Marxism that had become an obstacle to emancipation. It anticipates much of critical theory's vindication of subjectivity, its critique of scientistic ideology, its rejection of a determinist historiography. For Socialism unites themes from a wide range of radical currents that have been hitherto repressed by the guardians of orthodox Marxism.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction

150 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1978

Reviews

[Pierre-Olivier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bonne critique de l’immobilisme du marxisme, mais dans la forme et la constitution de l’argumentaire Landauer y est quelque peu boiteux et s’engage dans un lyrisme médiocre teinté de métaphysique et de pseudo poésie. Le livre aurais fait un super pamphlet de 50 pages condensé comme le faisait si bien Kropotkine. Vraiment laissé sur ma faim.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I am a very enthusiastic person myself, I find fervour off-putting. I am quite taken, though, with Landauer's key idea in For Socialism - that a revolution won't come to us; instead we need to begin building alternatives here and now.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the unsung heroes of the 20th century. they broke his glasses before shooting him in the back.

[Anarcouple]

Eh, not bad. A positive movement away from the obsession with proving the inevitability of socialism, and re-asserting the need for spirituality and community-building to constitute the thrust of mobilisation efforts. Landauer reminds us that we cannot be complacent because there's very much no guarantee for anything. I appreciate Landauer's leaning towards situated responses to the context at hand rather than coming up with some blueprint which can be exported everywhere as part of a tyrannical imposition. But mostly Landauer just reads as very bitter towards Marxism in a way which largely distracts from the potential for the text to feel inspiring.

[Norini Spam · Rating 3 out of 5]

l’idea c’è lo sviluppo del tema un po’ meno o forse sono io 😬