Revolutionary Affinities

Michael Löwy was born in Brazil, has lived in Paris since 1969, and is a member of the Ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire (French section of the Fourth International). His books and articles, including the Theory of Revolution in Young Marx and Franz Kafka: Subversive Dreamer have been translated into thirty languages. He is emeritus research director of the CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research), Paris.

"A sweeping history of revolutionary struggle and unbreakable alliances, Revolutionary Affinities takes readers from the Paris Commune to the Occupy movement, and through the heart of bloody fratricidal struggles to paint a vivid picture of the greatest anarchist and Marxist figures who dared to join forces, from Louise Michel to Subcomandante Marcos, from Emma Goldman to Walter Benjamin. With the urgent need for a unified front against the far right, there has never been a better time for this inspiring story.0Authors Olivier Besancenot and Michael Lèowy, two of the foremost voices in the French anti-authoritarian radical left, explore the promises?and challenges?of developing a fully sustainable, libertarian Marxist society by examining questions of political organization, economic policy, radical ecology, and more. Strikingly accessible, brilliantly illuminating, Besancenot and Lèowy have given readers more than a history book, they've created a road map for the future."--Provided by publisher.

Preface to the English VersionTranslator’s AcknowledgmentsTranslator’s NoteForeword I. Points of Solidarity    The First International and the Paris Commune (1871)     May Day and the Haymarket Martyrs (1886)    Revolutionary Trade Unionism and the Charter of Amiens (1906)    The Spanish Revolution (1936–1937)    May 68    From Alterglobalization to Occupy Wall Street    Portraits    Louise Michel    Pierre Monatte    Rosa Luxemburg    Emma Goldman    Buenaventura Durruti    Benjamin Péret    Subcomandante MarcosII. Points of Conflict    The Russian Revolution (1917–1920)October 1917The Split between Red and Black    Party and Soviets    Revisiting the Kronstadt TragedyThe Two Versions of the ConflictA Sissenting View: Victor SergeAn Error and a WrongMakhno: Red and Black in Ukraine (1918–1921)III. A Few Libertarian Marxist Thinkers    Walter Benjamin    André Breton    Daniel GuérinIV. Policy IssuesIndividual and CollectiveMaking Revolution without Taking Power?Autonomy and FederalismDemocratic Economic Planning and Self-managementDirect and Representative DemocracyUnion and PartyEcosocialism and Anarchist EcologyConclusionToward a Libertarian Marxism