William Morris

Socialism and Anarchism - Introduction

Socialism and Anarchism was first printed as a letter in Commonweal, May 5th, 1889.

By this time the Anarchist faction had secured a majority in the Socialist League and the position of Morris was becoming impossible. This letter, a contribution to a discussion then taking place in Commonweal, illustrates his firmness in principle but also the courtesy and the comradely spirit with which he conducted a polemic which for him was always a most disagreeable necessity. It shows the falsity of the claims sometimes made that he was really an Anarchist. A little later he remarked in a letter to Bruce Glasier, "in good truth I would almost as soon join a White Rose Society as an Anarchist one; such nonsense as I deem the latter." — A. L. Morton.

Socialism and Anarchism was reprinted in William Morris: Artist, Writer, Socialist, May Morris, II, 312-7 and Political Writings of William Morris, ed. A. L. Morton, 209-213.

Socialism and Anarchism was transcribed from the Political Writings of William Morris by Chris Croome for the William Morris Internet Archive, a subarchive of the Marxists Internet Archive, in November 1997.