An Essay on War and Revolution

by Bart de Ligt
Introduction by Aldous Huxley
New Introduction by Peter van den Dungen

This series of reprints of classic texts by anarchist writers from the mid-19th century to present day is intended to offer broad access to the roots of this political perspective, to the history of Libertarian thought and action and to the contemporary ideological developments within the movement. A textbook on the theory and practice of non-violence, written by a Dutch pacifist and anarcho-syndicalist who warns that “the more violence, the less revolution”.

He links Gandhi’s principled non-violence with the total non-cooperation advocated by the syndicalists during the General Strike. The result is a theory of non-violent direct action which had a widespread impact on British and American pacifists of the 1930s and remains an influence on activists today.

When first published in English in 1937, The Conquest of Violence soon established itself as the textbook of non-violent revolution, and is still regarded as a classic text dealing with direct action against war and war preparation.

Bart de Ligt (1883-1938) was a leading Dutch anarcho-syndicalist and pacifist – as well as an early feminist – a fighter of all dogma, who was imprisoned in his own country for his anti-militaristic activities both during and after the First World War. He was a great scholar and an exceptional political organiser, deeply admired by Aldous Huxley, whose Introduction to the 1937 edition is reproduced here. Huxley described De Ligt’s work as ‘among the most important contributions to the literature of pacifism’.

The Conquest of Violence presents a strategy for the transformation of society, linking Mahatma Gandhi’s principled non-violence with the total non-cooperation advocated by the syndicalists during the General Strike. De Ligt was an admirer of Gandhi, yet he was also highly critical of his inconsistencies and contradictions: his evaluation of Gandhi is contained in this volume.

The quest for non-violent methods of waging conflict is even more urgent today in the era of nuclear weapons – than when De Lig wrote, and the depth of his exposition in The Conquest of Violence is a guarantee that his voice will continue to be heard.

Peter van den Dungen (b. Holland 1948) studied Economics at the University of Antwerp, and International Relations in Bologna, Washington DC and London. Since 1976 he has been Lecturer in Peace Studies at the University of Bradford. He has contributed articles to major reference works in the field of Peace Studies. Recent publications include Peace Movements and Political Cultures (with Charles Chatfield, eds).

Cover illustration: Bart de Ligt by Ingrid van Peski-de Ligt
Courtesy of J.E. de Ligt
Cover design: Adrian Yeeles/Artworkers

Publisher: Pluto Press
First published 1937, this edition 1989
ISBN: 1-85305-057-1
Format: Paperback
Page count: 306 pages
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