Whilst the WSM will not be in agreement with all that is written in this book (that "socialism" is a partway society between capitalism and communism, downplaying the importance of the use of democratic machinery and overstating the importance of the Situationists) it none the less represents a simply written but not overly simplistic overview of why a moneyless and stateless society is necessary, what it might be like and how we might get there.
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In this book Ken Knabb presents a series of observations on the problems and possibilities of a global anti-hierarchical revolution. Beginning with a brief overview of the failure of Bolshevism and the inadequacy of reformism, he examines the pros and cons of a wide range of radical tactics, then concludes with some speculations on what a liberated society might be like.
The aim throughout is to bring the real choices into the open and to incite people to make their own radical experiments.
“The Joy of Revolution, is a simple, but not simplistic, outline of why and how a non-hierarchical, non-statist society might be possible… I’d especially recommend the book for people who are vaguely sympathetic to the idea of a non-hierarchical, non-statist society but who are skeptical of how, in practice, it could ever happen. There are some pointers given and some common bugbears demolished along the way. And it is all written with that rare combination of readability and logicality and elan.” Eugenia Lovelace – Red and Black
Ken Knabb has translated numerous works by Guy Debord and the Situationist International (the notorious group that helped trigger the May 1968 revolt in France). His writings and translations are online at the Bureau of Public Secrets website: http://www.bopsecrets.org
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Joy-Revolution-Ken-Knabb/dp/1482589753