A guide to direct
action for those disillusioned with the posturing of liberal
“activism.”
The radical left is
losing, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Here is the radical’s
guide to activist work—the manual we need at this crucial moment to
organize for universal human rights, a habitable earth, and a more
egalitarian society.
Thoroughly exploring
the achievements and failures of radical movements throughout
history—from 19th-century anti-colonial rebellions in China and the
environmental actions of First Nations and Native American tribes
throughout the 20th century, to Black Lives Matter and the fight for
Gay Liberation—the two volumes of Full Spectrum Resistance
candidly advocate for direct action, not just risk-averse models of
protest marches and call-ins. With in-depth histories and case
studies of social justice and environmental movements, noted writer,
activist, and farmer Aric McBay explains why passive resistance alone
cannot work, and how we must be prepared to do whatever it takes to
create substantial social change.
In Volume 1:
Building Movements and Fighting to Win, McBay describes the need
for resistance movements, and paints a portrait of what a thriving
resistance movement might look like today. Citing successful
movements such as the Deacons of Defense of the American Civil Rights
Movement, the anti-colonial revolutions in Guinea and Cape Verde, and
activist groups like Act-UP, McBay deftly illustrates how to organize
activist groups and encourage enlistment, while also noting the
necessary precautions one must take to secure these radical circles
from infiltration and collapse.