1947

Submitted by Juan Conatz on July 8, 2016

Comments

syndicalist

7 years 8 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by syndicalist on July 9, 2016

This was one of the earliest post-WW2 bohemian,anarcho-pacifist, english language non-class struggle US publications.

Juan Conatz

7 years 8 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Juan Conatz on July 9, 2016

My knowledge of the publication isn't deep enough to know whether to consider it "non-class struggle". Certainly it wasn't syndicalist, and in many ways represents a final split between the syndicalist oriented American anarchism and the cultural, as you say "bohemian" aspects of American anarchism of the time.

And yes, it was pacifist, which seemed to be a new development in the post-WW2 scheme of things. I suppose the UK also had this phenomenon with Colin Ward and Anarchy. And like the phenomenon in the UK, this part of anarchism here seems to have been downplayed, ignored or hated by the syndicalist-leaning anarchists. I can see why, but to their credit, the anarcho-pacifists' thought and action around race was more advanced than the syndicalists, who struggled with this issue.

Again, my interest in publications like Resistance stems from Andrew Cornell's recent writings about American anarchist history, which made me realize I knew more about Spanish, British and other European anarchisms than what happened in the country I've lived my entire life in!

I find myself much more politically sympathetic with publications of the time such as Vanguard or Views and Comments. However, I also find myself searching for what can be learned from the non-syndicalist stuff as well, such as Resistance or Retort.

Juan Conatz

7 years 8 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Juan Conatz on July 9, 2016

Couple of more things, since you are one of really the only people I've discussed this era of American anarchism with... I find it also very interesting to see some of this lesser known stuff and then one can understand the developments many decades later. For example, Crimethinc makes more sense when you've read some of the writers of Resistance. Modern-day insurrectionary anarchists make more sense when you've read some of the old Italians. Primitivism and anti-civ stuff makes more sense when you've read Man! etc

Chilli Sauce

7 years 8 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Chilli Sauce on July 9, 2016

For example, Crimethinc makes more sense when you've read some of the writers of Resistance. Modern-day insurrectionary anarchists make more sense when you've read some of the old Italians. Primitivism and anti-civ stuff makes more sense when you've read Man! etc

Just out of curiosity, do you think they consciously drew from those publications or more that they've inherited a legacy from the ideas those journals engendered?

syndicalist

7 years 8 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by syndicalist on July 9, 2016

Right quick. Not meant as a criticism of the effort to put on line.

My comments are based on knowledge of some of the participants. And tis bits of things I've heard from those knew the participants

Edit: One thing of which I found of great interest tho, were the international reports.

Same with the "New Trends"(NYC) magazine. "NT"was basically composed of many of the same people who put of "Challenge" (late 1930s)."NT" also had some interesting stuff, though depressing as the aftermath of WW2 was (see also:"The World Scene from the Libertarian Point of View" (1951) --http://anarvist.freeshell.org/The_World_Scene_from_the_Libertarian_Point_of_View__by_Free_Society_Group_of_Chicago_.htm

Juan Conatz

7 years 8 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Juan Conatz on July 9, 2016

Didn't interpret it as a critisism of the effort and I wasn't trying to start an argument, syndicalist. Guess I'm just thirsty for any sort of discussion on this stuff because I'm spending a lot of time buried in it!

I actually bought that book from the funds we raised recently and am going to digitize it.

Chilli Sauce

Just out of curiosity, do you think they consciously drew from those publications or more that they've inherited a legacy from the ideas those journals engendered?

I'm not quite sure. I bet if you dug deep enough, you might be able to find linked people like so: Crimethinc>anarchopunk>hippie counterculture>anarchist bohemian culture of 1940s-1950s. But I doubt the main people who produced the majority of Crimethinc stuff over the years were reading Resistance.

With the insurrectionaries, I don't believe the older Italian-American insurrectionaryism was all that influential. I know Alfredro Bonanno was big with that tendency, but he doesn't come around until the 1960s and doesn't seem connected to the older stuff of the 1910s-1930s.

Now with the primitivisits/anti-civ people, this may be true. Marcus Graham of Man! wrote a few articles for or letters to Fifth Estate, but this may have been later. Not sure.

syndicalist

7 years 8 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by syndicalist on July 9, 2016

I understand the desire to discuss something you've put a lot of time into.

jesuithitsquad

7 years 8 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by jesuithitsquad on July 9, 2016

Juan Conatz

Didn't interpret it as a critisism of the effort and I wasn't trying to start an argument, syndicalist. Guess I'm just thirsty for any sort of discussion on this stuff because I'm spending a lot of time buried in it!

I actually bought that book from the funds we raised recently and am going to digitize it.

Chilli Sauce

Just out of curiosity, do you think they consciously drew from those publications or more that they've inherited a legacy from the ideas those journals engendered?

I'm not quite sure. I bet if you dug deep enough, you might be able to find linked people like so: Crimethinc>anarchopunk>hippie counterculture>anarchist bohemian culture of 1940s-1950s. But I doubt the main people who produced the majority of Crimethinc stuff over the years were reading Resistance.

With the insurrectionaries, I don't believe the older Italian-American insurrectionaryism was all that influential. I know Alfredro Bonanno was big with that tendency, but he doesn't come around until the 1960s and doesn't seem connected to the older stuff of the 1910s-1930s.

Now with the primitivisits/anti-civ people, this may be true. Marcus Graham of Man! wrote a few articles for or letters to Fifth Estate, but this may have been later. Not sure.

really interesting perspective juan, and i'd guess you're almost certainly right. i think it's important to understand the roots of these tendencies, and can't say i"d ever put much thought into it.

syndicalist

7 years 8 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by syndicalist on July 9, 2016

While there seemingly no direct lines between past groups or ideas, with few memories passed along. While there are striking similiariries, much of it has been organically developed time and again.

With the advent of the cheap photo copies and now the interest the possibilities of establishing links to traditions and, perhaps, carrying them on might be more direct.

Juan Conatz

7 years 8 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Juan Conatz on July 9, 2016

I suppose syndicalist is more or less correct, the lines that exist are not quite direct. Check out this long-winded indirect line between the 1905 Russian revolution and Crimethinc.

Boris Yelensky, a participant in the 1905 Revolution, moved to the United States. In the 1920s, he became involved in the Chicago-based Free Society group, which Sam Dolgoff also was a part of. Dolgoff later became involved in the publication Why?. Paul Goodman also was involved with this, as well as Retort and Liberation. David Dellinger, a frequent contributor to Retort and a volunteer during the Spanish Civil War, is most well-known for being one of the Chicago Seven, which of course, involved the Yippies, of which 2 of the 7 were members of.. Several former Yippies were involved in the early days of punk. And I think we all know that punk served as an incubator and cultural scene for a large segment of anarchist politics during the 1980s and even today. MaximumRockNRoll is a good example of this, a far-left leaning punk print publication started by a former Yippie. MRR published some of the first Crimethinc articles and columns.

Khawaga

7 years 8 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Khawaga on July 9, 2016

This is all really interesting Juan. Thanks for doing all this work!

syndicalist

7 years 8 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by syndicalist on July 9, 2016

Juan Conatz

I suppose syndicalist is more or less correct, the lines that exist are not quite direct. Check out this long-winded indirect line between the 1905 Russian revolution and Crimethinc.

Boris Yelensky, a participant in the 1905 Revolution, moved to the United States. In the 1920s, he became involved in the Chicago-based Free Society group, which Sam Dolgoff also was a part of. Dolgoff later became involved in the publication Why?. Paul Goodman also was involved with this, as well as Retort and Liberation. David Dellinger, a frequent contributor to Retort and a volunteer during the Spanish Civil War, is most well-known for being one of the Chicago Seven, which of course, involved the Yippies, of which 2 of the 7 were members of.. Several former Yippies were involved in the early days of punk. And I think we all know that punk served as an incubator and cultural scene for a large segment of anarchist politics during the 1980s and even today. MaximumRockNRoll is a good example of this, a far-left leaning punk print publication started by a former Yippie. MRR published some of the first Crimethinc articles and columns.

OK. I'm glad good ole Boris is head banging is bald head to the beat of the Ramones after smoking a spliff and then going out for a dinner of dumpster dive.

Juan Conatz

7 years 8 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Juan Conatz on July 9, 2016

One could do a shorter one with MLK to Crimethinc or the 1934 Toledo Auto-Lite strike to Crimethinc. Lol

syndicalist

7 years 8 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by syndicalist on July 9, 2016

Juan Conatz

One could do a shorter one with MLK to Crimethinc or the 1934 Toledo Auto-Lite strike to Crimethinc. Lol

Have fun with that,

Thanks for all the postings of these magazines and newspapers

Juan Conatz

7 years 8 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Juan Conatz on July 9, 2016

syndicalist

Juan Conatz

One could do a shorter one with MLK to Crimethinc or the 1934 Toledo Auto-Lite strike to Crimethinc. Lol

Have fun with that,

Thanks for all the postings of these magazines and newspapers

No problem! In the next few months, there will be multiple issues of Resistance, Retort, View & Comments, and Man! uploaded, as well as The World Scene from the Libertarian Point of View, Ethics and American Unionism by Sam Dolgoff, a Man! anthology and a few dozen issues of Industrial Worker and Industrial Pioneer. Also hopefully some issues of Why? Going to be busy time for the libcom library...

syndicalist

7 years 8 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by syndicalist on July 9, 2016

Juan Conatz

syndicalist

Juan Conatz

One could do a shorter one with MLK to Crimethinc or the 1934 Toledo Auto-Lite strike to Crimethinc. Lol

Have fun with that,

Thanks for all the postings of these magazines and newspapers

No problem! In the next few months, there will be multiple issues of Resistance, Retort, View & Comments, and Man! uploaded, as well as The World Scene from the Libertarian Point of View, Ethics and American Unionism by Sam Dolgoff, a Man! anthology and a few dozen issues of Industrial Worker and Industrial Pioneer. Also hopefully some issues of Why? Going to be busy time for the libcom library...

Having read many, many issues of the above items, people are in for a treat. Ansd then you can see how I claim my lineage going back to the IWPA -:)

Chilli Sauce

7 years 8 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Chilli Sauce on July 10, 2016

7 degrees of revolutionary separation, with Juan as MC. Who's on it?