Ideas on Social Organisation - James Guillaume

A pamphlet written by James Guillaume in the 1870's attempting to sketch out and explain how society will transition from a class based society to a classless one during a revolution.

Submitted by Reddebrek on March 25, 2018

Translators Notes,

Bakunin was above all preoccupied with the theory and practice of revolution and wrote very little about how the everyday practical problems of social reconstruction would be handled immediately following a successful revolution. Nevertheless, these problems were intensively discussed in Bakunin’s circle and among the anti-authoritarian sections of the International. In “Ideas on Social Organization”, Guillaume discusses the transition from capitalism to anarchism – a synthesis of “Bakuninist” ideas on how this transition could be effected without the restoration of authoritarian institutions.”

Its value lies not in the specific recommendations (most of them outdated, some rather naive, although a number of them are remarkably similar to measures adopted by anarchist collectives in Spain during the late thirties) but in its formulation of the fundamental principles of anarchism. Guillaume’s essay was written in 1874 and published in 1876, the year of Bakunin’s death.

Comments

doug

6 years ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by doug on March 26, 2018

Thanks for this! I've been looking for Guillaume in English. Was it you who translated it, or do you have any more info on this translation?

rafi dawn

6 years ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by rafi dawn on March 26, 2018

no pdf ? :-<

AnarchoWinter

6 years ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by AnarchoWinter on March 26, 2018

There are file versions here
http://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/james-guillaume-ideas-on-social-organization

rafi dawn

6 years ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by rafi dawn on March 26, 2018

Source: Bakunin on Anarchy, translated and edited by Sam Dolgoff, 1971.

AnarchoWinter

6 years ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by AnarchoWinter on March 26, 2018

I am proud to say that I am the author of the notes section at the end :)

AnarchoWinter

6 years ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by AnarchoWinter on March 26, 2018

The original source of the notes: https://subversionnews.wordpress.com/2017/08/30/collectivist-anarchism-reexamined/

agapitosalangan

6 years ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by agapitosalangan on March 29, 2018

Will read this. Guillaume is an underrated figure.