I just finished reading this book. It is one of the most clearly written books I've ever read, and though it was originally published in 1929 (under the title What is Communist Anarchism), it remains current and relevant to our times.

The book consists of nine chapters of Berkman's original work What is Communist Anarchism (Chapters 10-18). The first three chapters challenge reformist liberalism much of which still predominates the left in the United States and Canada. Chapter Four critiques the Socialist parties of Europe, and while they have succeeded in getting into power, they have failed to implement true socialism, and have instead become just like their liberal reformist cousins under the banner of "socialism." Chapters 5-9 gives an honest history of the Russian Revolution of 1917. Berkman argues, contrary to both mainstream liberal scholarship, and Marxist scholarship, that Lenin and the Bolshevik Party (later renamed the Communist Party) destroyed the Revolution upon seizing control of the state. Berkman points out that the Bolsheviks, to their credit, helped to destroy the feudal absolutist regime of the Romanov, as well as the weak capitalist regime of Karensky, by appropriating the rhetoric of anarchists and Left Socialist Revolutionists. The Bolsheviks were originally social democrats, however seeing that the peasantry did not want more reforms, they began advocating for more radical tactics like, expropriation and direct action. In other words, the Bolsheviks, while not accepting the anarchist goal of no government, were willing to use anarchist methods, "in order not to be left behind by the Revolution, as happened with the Mensheviks, the Right Social Revolutionists, the Constitutional Democrats, and other reformers." (p.86).

In Chapters 8 and 9, Berkman describes the actual conditions that the Russian proletariat lived under after 1917 up to 1929. Berkman exposes the "dictatorship of the proletariat" as really a dictatorship of one man. "That man was Lenin, and it was he who was the real "proletarian dictatorship", just as Mussolini...is the dictator of Italy." (p.103).

This short little review does little justice to the book. I suggest those who have socialist leanings should read this book, so they can sort fact from fiction, and know which tactics to use in the struggle against capitalism, and which ones not to use.

Reforming capitalism is not socialism. Nor is electing a "socialist" party which manages the entire economy socialism. Nor are the mainstream hierarchical unions, which discourage workers from going on strike and taking over their workplace, and instead beg the bosses for tiny scraps which don't amount to much when the bosses raise the cost of living.

Pacifism and the G20

The mainstream corporate media in Canada has predictably focused on the so-called "violent" actions of some protesters at the G20, while ignoring what caused this behavior in the first place. This had lead to calls for "peaceful protests" and "nonviolence." The media has not been totally uncritical of the G20 summit. It's critique has been focused mainly on the enormous cost of the summit, and that the police were especially harsh to peaceful demonstrators, while letting those damn anarchists get away with their destruction.

While people can debate the tactics used by some, such as breaking windows, vandalism, and even burning cop cars, at least nobody was hurt. Compare that to the violence used by police against people for the crime of getting too close, or being at the wrong place at the wrong time, or just being brave enough to express their anger with words to a cop's face. Yes it is true that people threw bottles at the cops. But we also have to remember that these cops had 5 foot tall shields, plexiglass face shields, helmets, and bullet proof vests to protect them. The cops pose a much greater threat to the health and safety of everyone than the protesters, carrying batons, tear gas guns, assault rifles with rubber bullets, and laser pointers mounted on the guns. And the media proclaims that the cops used "restraint" because they were armed to the teeth, while mostly unarmed protesters were "violent" for putting up the least amount of resistance. Plus the cops had strength in numbers. You had cops in riot teams, cops in swat teams, cops in helicopters and planes, cops in tour buses, cops in delivery vans, cops waiting in alleys, and on every street corner. If one was lucky enough to land a finger on a cop, they would risk getting horribly beaten by about 5 cops or more, like the deaf black man who was beaten down at College Park.

It wasn't just the Toronto Police, the Ontario Provincial Police, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that showed up. You had York Regional Police, Barrie Police, Halton Police, Hamilton Police in Toronto. I saw a man have his camera taken from him by a cop in Allen Gardens, and I heard a few journalists had their cameras confiscated as well. I myself feared the same thing would happen to my camera (luckily it didn't.) However, that didn't stop the cops from installing security cameras in the downtown core to film you.

Is it any wonder that people were fed up? Is it any wonder that people were angry that their city was being invaded by an army of police from out of town telling ordinary people, in their own neighborhoods, to "go home?" And yet the media narrative still prevailed even among those in the protest. Yes, unfortunately some people on the streets adopted the dominant view that its the protesters who are violent, and the cops who are just reacting to violence or "doing their jobs." One quite annoying lady kept yelling "peaceful protest, peaceful protest" and "you gotta keep peace to make peace" not at the cops but at the protesters. And right in front of her, a man was pushed to the ground and savagely beaten by police hitting him on the head with batons. When asked what exactly she was protesting when she chanted "peaceful protest" all she could say was "G20." Unfortunately this brave man had "brought it on himself" by challenging the unwelcome presence of armed riot cops in his own community, for the crime of using free speech to challenge those who protect the most violent and greedy people on Earth.