City of the sun : development and popular resistance in the pre-modern West / Michael Martin.

Contents La Male de Saint-Martin -- Social complexity -- Civilization and the state -- Of metals and morality -- The ancient Greeks -- The ancient Romans -- Christianity in the Roman Empire -- The early Middle Ages in Europe -- Islam in the Middle Ages -- Castles/crusades, communes/cathedrals, crises/calamities -- Popular resistance in the Middle Ages -- Epilogue.
Scope and content "Reviewing history from an anarchist perspective, it is clear that the common people were rarely content to suffer domination by the powerful few. This book traces the evidence and patterns of popular resistance to social domination in the ancient and medieval periods, before European imperialism spread around the world at the end of the 15th century. From Mesopotamia to Khazaria, to feudal France and England, the 'lower classes' rebelled whenever they could; they organized, struck, campaigned, rioted, revolted, fought battles and wars, and otherwise resisted the rule of the socially dominant. All this, well before the existence of modern-day unions, co-operatives, labor and socialist parties, and the philosophical and political movements of anarchism, Marxism, and social or Christian democracy. Some historians offer the conservative judgment to the effect that the lower social orders accepted the rule of a powerful, wealthy minority; that is by no means true, as this sweeping history illustrates. People did resist, whenever they could do so, and often quite successfully. This book shows how, why, and when they did. City of the Sun gathers evidence, mostly from secondary sources, of this popular resistance during pre-modern, historical periods in the Occident. Furthermore, it provides context, theory, and a framework for understanding popular resistance as being part and parcel of the processes of development, that is, societal transformation through the centuries, including the development of religion and state"--Publsher description.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references.
Issued in other formOnline version: Martin, Michael (Michel). City of the sun. New York : Algora Publishing, 2017 9781628942811
Genre/formHistory.
LCCN 2017005098
ISBN9781628942798 paperback; alkaline paper
ISBN1628942797 paperback; alkaline paper
ISBN9781628942804 hardcover ; alkaline paper
ISBN1628942800 hardcover ; alkaline paper

Availability

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Joyner General Stacks HN373 .M37 2017 ✔ Available Place Hold