Freedom newspaper
Encyclopedia
Freedom is a London
-based anarchist newspaper
published fortnight
ly by Freedom Press.
The paper was started in 1886 by volunteers including Peter Kropotkin
and Charlotte Wilson
and continues to this day as an unpaid project. Originally, the subtitle was "A Journal of Anarchist Socialism
." The title was changed to "A Journal of Anarchist Communism
" in June 1889. Today it is unlabelled.
The newspaper's mission statement
is stated in every issue and summarises the writers' view of anarchism:
The paper has historically featured news from the peace
and labour movement
s and events, as well as listing planned events and protest
s. Staying true to Kropotkin's principle of mutual aid, the paper regularly features reviews of other anarchist and libertarian publications, such as Organise! and Direct Action as well as other local and international newsletters and journals.
It regularly features Donald Rooum
's Wildcat cartoon strip as well as Rooum's articles, and has Svartfrosk and Louis Further as regular columnists. In recent years it has heavily focussed on pensions and the NHS
, and on investigative articles over a wide range of topics.
In 2006, the paper gained a colour front for the first time in its history. Along with a number of gradual changes in the content and structure of the paper and organisational changes at Freedom Press, Freedom got a re-design in January 2008. While remaining a fortnightly newspaper, it doubled the number of pages to 16 and reduced to A4 in size, introducing a basic theory section, dedicated business and public sector pages and an increased story count. It currently costs £1 per issue.
with former Freedom writers, which had effectively ceased publication in 1932. The intention was to provide an English-language publication to support Spanish anarchists
who were at that time achieving a measure of political influence through the anarchist trade union Confederación Nacional del Trabajo
(CNT) and other organisations. Spain and the World had several notable contributors, including
Emma Goldman
, Herbert Read
, Ethel Mannin
and John Cowper Powys
.
Between the end of the Spanish Civil War
and the outbreak of the Second World War
, the fortnightly Spain And The World briefly became Revolt! in 1939, before adopting the title War Commentary. In 1945 War Commentary resumed the title of Freedom.
In 1944, Richards, his wife Marie-Louise and two others associated with the paper Philip Sansom and John Hewetson were charged with conspiring to cause disaffection among members of the armed forces. Despite a defence campaign backed by the likes of George Orwell
, Michael Tippett
, T. S. Eliot
, and Benjamin Britten
, Vernon, Sansom and Hewetson were convicted and served nine months in jail.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based anarchist newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
published fortnight
Fortnight
The fortnight is a unit of time equal to fourteen days, or two weeks. The word derives from the Old English fēowertyne niht, meaning "fourteen nights"....
ly by Freedom Press.
The paper was started in 1886 by volunteers including Peter Kropotkin
Peter Kropotkin
Prince Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin was a Russian zoologist, evolutionary theorist, philosopher, economist, geographer, author and one of the world's foremost anarcho-communists. Kropotkin advocated a communist society free from central government and based on voluntary associations between...
and Charlotte Wilson
Charlotte Wilson
Charlotte M. Wilson was an English anarchist who co-founded Freedom newspaper in 1886 with Peter Kropotkin, and edited, published, and largely financed it during its first decade...
and continues to this day as an unpaid project. Originally, the subtitle was "A Journal of Anarchist Socialism
Social anarchism
Social anarchism is a term originally used in 1971 by Giovanni Baldelli as the title of his book where he discusses the organization of an ethical society from an anarchist point of view...
." The title was changed to "A Journal of Anarchist Communism
Anarchist communism
Anarchist communism is a theory of anarchism which advocates the abolition of the state, markets, money, private property, and capitalism in favor of common ownership of the means of production, direct democracy and a horizontal network of voluntary associations and workers' councils with...
" in June 1889. Today it is unlabelled.
The newspaper's mission statement
Mission statement
A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making...
is stated in every issue and summarises the writers' view of anarchism:
The paper has historically featured news from the peace
Peace movement
A peace movement is a social movement that seeks to achieve ideals such as the ending of a particular war , minimize inter-human violence in a particular place or type of situation, often linked to the goal of achieving world peace...
and labour movement
Labour movement
The term labour movement or labor movement is a broad term for the development of a collective organization of working people, to campaign in their own interest for better treatment from their employers and governments, in particular through the implementation of specific laws governing labour...
s and events, as well as listing planned events and protest
Protest
A protest is an expression of objection, by words or by actions, to particular events, policies or situations. Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to mass demonstrations...
s. Staying true to Kropotkin's principle of mutual aid, the paper regularly features reviews of other anarchist and libertarian publications, such as Organise! and Direct Action as well as other local and international newsletters and journals.
It regularly features Donald Rooum
Donald Rooum
Donald Rooum is an English anarchist cartoonist and writer. He has a long association with Freedom Press who have published seven volumes of his Wildcat cartoons....
's Wildcat cartoon strip as well as Rooum's articles, and has Svartfrosk and Louis Further as regular columnists. In recent years it has heavily focussed on pensions and the NHS
National Health Service (England)
The National Health Service or NHS is the publicly funded healthcare system in England. It is both the largest and oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world. It is able to function in the way that it does because it is primarily funded through the general taxation system, similar to how...
, and on investigative articles over a wide range of topics.
In 2006, the paper gained a colour front for the first time in its history. Along with a number of gradual changes in the content and structure of the paper and organisational changes at Freedom Press, Freedom got a re-design in January 2008. While remaining a fortnightly newspaper, it doubled the number of pages to 16 and reduced to A4 in size, introducing a basic theory section, dedicated business and public sector pages and an increased story count. It currently costs £1 per issue.
Related publications
Spain and the World was an anarchist publication founded in 1936 by Vernon RichardsVernon Richards
Vernon Richards was an Anglo-Italian anarchist, editor, author and companion of Marie-Louise Berneri.He was born Vero Recchioni in London in 1915. He was educated at Emanuel School, and King's College London, where he trained as a civil engineer...
with former Freedom writers, which had effectively ceased publication in 1932. The intention was to provide an English-language publication to support Spanish anarchists
Anarchism in Spain
Anarchism has historically gained more support and influence in Spain than anywhere else, especially before Francisco Franco's victory in the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939....
who were at that time achieving a measure of political influence through the anarchist trade union Confederación Nacional del Trabajo
Confederación Nacional del Trabajo
The Confederación Nacional del Trabajo is a Spanish confederation of anarcho-syndicalist labor unions affiliated with the International Workers Association . When working with the latter group it is also known as CNT-AIT...
(CNT) and other organisations. Spain and the World had several notable contributors, including
Emma Goldman
Emma Goldman
Emma Goldman was an anarchist known for her political activism, writing and speeches. She played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europe in the first half of the twentieth century....
, Herbert Read
Herbert Read
Sir Herbert Edward Read, DSO, MC was an English anarchist, poet, and critic of literature and art. He was one of the earliest English writers to take notice of existentialism, and was strongly influenced by proto-existentialist thinker Max Stirner....
, Ethel Mannin
Ethel Mannin
Ethel Edith Mannin was a popular British novelist and travel writer. She was born in London into a family with an Irish background....
and John Cowper Powys
John Cowper Powys
-Biography:Powys was born in Shirley, Derbyshire, in 1872, the son of the Reverend Charles Francis Powys , who was vicar of Montacute, Somerset for thirty-two years, and Mary Cowper Johnson, a descendent of the poet William Cowper. He came from a family of eleven children, many of whom were also...
.
Between the end of the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
and the outbreak of the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the fortnightly Spain And The World briefly became Revolt! in 1939, before adopting the title War Commentary. In 1945 War Commentary resumed the title of Freedom.
In 1944, Richards, his wife Marie-Louise and two others associated with the paper Philip Sansom and John Hewetson were charged with conspiring to cause disaffection among members of the armed forces. Despite a defence campaign backed by the likes of George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
, Michael Tippett
Michael Tippett
Sir Michael Kemp Tippett OM CH CBE was an English composer.In his long career he produced a large body of work, including five operas, three large-scale choral works, four symphonies, five string quartets, four piano sonatas, concertos and concertante works, song cycles and incidental music...
, T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
, and Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
, Vernon, Sansom and Hewetson were convicted and served nine months in jail.
External links
- Freedom Press website Includes the first ever issue.
- Freedom newspaper (1886-) Informational page at the Daily Bleed's Anarchist Encyclopedia
- libcom, which carries some of the newspaper content online.