Sharon Presley on Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman
Alexander Berkman and Emma Goldman, the subjects of Paul and Karen Avrich's new double biography Sasha and Emma, were the two most prominent anarcho-communists of late 19th and early 20th century America. That is, they thought the state should be abolished but believed in communal ownership of the means of production. Individualist libertarians may not agree with their economic views, Sharon Presley notes in her review. But their ideas about the importance of individual liberty, their suspicion of the state, and a great deal of their activism should resonate, as should their efforts to expose the truth about the Bolshevik dictatorship in Russia. And the book itself is a scholarly triumph.
Hide Comments (0)
Editor's Note: As of February 29, 2024, commenting privileges on reason.com posts are limited to Reason Plus subscribers. Past commenters are grandfathered in for a temporary period. Subscribe here to preserve your ability to comment. Your Reason Plus subscription also gives you an ad-free version of reason.com, along with full access to the digital edition and archives of Reason magazine. We request that comments be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment and ban commenters for any reason at any time. Comments may only be edited within 5 minutes of posting. Report abuses.
Please
to post commentsMute this user?
Ban this user?
Un-ban this user?
Nuke this user?
Un-nuke this user?
Flag this comment?
Un-flag this comment?