This text is an introduction to anarchist thought. Written during the Spanish Civil War to explain the ideology that inspired the social revolution in Spain, it is an authoritative account of the early history of international anarchism by one of the movement's leading figures.

Rudolf Rocker's classic survey of anarcho-syndicalism was written during the Spanish Civil War to explain to the wider reading public the ideology which inspired the social revolution in Spain. It remains unsurpassed as a general introduction to anarchist thought and an authoritative account of the early history of international anarchism by one of the movement's leading figures.