Vol2 of Global Fire released

CONTENT NOTE: In 2015 it came to light that one of the authors of this work, Michael Schmidt, has advocated merging anarchist and white supremacist ideas both privately under his own name and publicly under pseudonyms. We are not aware of such themes in this work but readers should be advised.

Submitted by MalFunction on May 1, 2008

See https://libcom.org/forums/general/ak-press-says-michael-schmidt-fascist-25092015 for discussion of Michael Schmidt on this site.

Second volume of Lucien van der Walt and Michael Schmidt's monumental history of class struggle anarchism and syndicalism has been published.

Global Fire: 150 Fighting Years of International Anarchism and Syndicalism (Counter-Power Vol 2):
by Lucien Van Der Walt (Author), Michael Schmidt (Author)

RRP: £18.00
Product details

* Paperback: 500 pages
* Publisher: AK Press (1 May 2008)
* Language English
* ISBN-10: 1904859682
* ISBN-13: 978-1904859680

This second volume of Schmidt and van der Walt's two-part history of the non-Marxist, libertarian form of socialism, brings a look at anarchism as it has been practised around the world - and indeed how it provides a living political philosophy for a growing number of people across the planet today. The authors offer a comprehensive global history of Anarchist Mass Organisation between 1860 and the 1930s arranged geographically and covering the well known, like the Spanish Revolution, as well as the lesser documented histories of China, Japan, Australia, the Caribbean - a truly international analysis of a world-wide movement. With further sections on the Spanish Revolution; World War II; the Cold War era and Neo-liberalism they bring the history up-to-date and finish with reflections on Anarchism in the New Millennium. Alive and kicking!

(taken from amazon.uk description)

Comments

William Everard

6 years 8 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by William Everard on July 14, 2017

This was not published, just the Amazon blurb went up in preparation, for some reason.

Global Fire will never be released, as such, because Lucien van der Walt has disowned his co-author Schmidt for being a white power fascist (Strandwolf, Karelianblue, etc. on the web). Why VdW didn't notice the racism and nationalism in Schmidt earlier, we'll never know, even though it was obvious by at least 2008 since we have one ZACF memo where Schmidt proposes raising whites to a vanguard and pushing blacks into frontline cannonfodder, all because blacks are not intelligent enough or "ready".

Lucien also defended his co-author initially, hiding under the libcom and reddit pseudonym RedBlackWritings (see https://libcom.org/forums/general/ak-press-says-michael-schmidt-fascist-25092015 for his cowardly defenses, subsequent exposure, and protracted apology).

Schmidt is now working on Global Fire as "Wildfire", retaining the term "Counter-Power volume 2" and outlining 1000+ pages of prose on his DrinkingWithGhosts personal blog. He has published excerpts there, and seems to be moving at a swift pace.

So, go out and buy Wildfire if any publisher will carry it, as I unfortunately expect some to do, and give your hard-earned dollars to the white supremacist author who calls it a definitive, international anarchist history. Or don't, and refuse to support this very obvious co-opting of the anarchist intellectual tradition and a cover for Schmidt's fascist activities.

Khawaga

6 years 8 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Khawaga on July 14, 2017

Schmidt defenders are out downvoting...

S. Artesian

6 years 8 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by S. Artesian on July 14, 2017

The "content advisory" attached to the OP demonstrates the vacuousness of the use of content advisories.

You would never know that Schmidt adopted an entire new persona to pursue his fascist romance over how many? years? You would never know that he advocated something a bit more than "white supremacy; that he appeared as a militant supporter of terrorism against equality and emancipation; you would never know that when his secret life was discovered, he lied and smeared those who had exposed him; that others, so-called "anarchists" and "libertarians" defended him, excused him. despite the fact that they knew for years he was playing this role on fascist sites with other fascists.

I hereby request that the admins at Libcom remove the content advisories and the Schmidt posts, or allow me to close my account and remove myself from any association with these nazi-enabling cowards.

Note: I want the privilege of closing my account myself, and for the reasons stated.