Land and Liberty: Anarchist Influences in the Mexican Revolution, Ricardo Flores Magón [Book review]

Land and Liberty: Anarchist Influences in the Mexican Revolution, Ricardo Flores Magón; Edited by Poole, David. Preface by Meltzer, Albert. Sanday, Orkney, England, 1977. Cienfuegos Press . Illustrations. Chronology. Notes. Bibliography . Pp.  156. Paper.
[Reviewed by] John M. Hart
Hispanic American Historical Review (1979) 59 (2): 361.
https://doi.org/10.1215/00182168-59.2.361

This work is a rare treat, especially so since it is largely a book of edited writings. But David Poole’s succinct biography of Ricardo Flores Magón, his compilation of Flores Magón’s essays, and his synoptic history of Mexican anarchism are a credit to his sensitivity and to his overall grasp of anarchism and of its place in Mexican history.

Intended for the well-read student or partisan of libertarian movements and not for scholars, this work is more lively and fast-paced than its academic counterparts, and yet it shows the patience of a careful and highly skilled creator. It contains the finest collection of Flores Magón’s writings yet seen in English. It also presents important evidence in support of the argument that Magón’s influence within the working class and Mexican left between 1910 and 1920 was far stronger than we have previously recognized.

The combination of historical overview and poignant essays makes this a worthwhile acquisition for scholars interested in Latin American social movements, students of the Mexican Revolution, as well as for libertarians.

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Book Notice
Copyright 1979 by Duke University Press [Open Access]