Our Generation

Our Generation was a Canadian political journal published in Montreal, Quebec, from 1961 until 1994. It began under the title Our Generation Against Nuclear War and was created by members of the Montreal branch of the Combined Universities' Campaign of Nuclear Disarmament, an organization associated with student activism at McGill University and the wider peace movement of the late 1950s and early 1960s. The publication's initial purpose was to examine the causes of war, promote research into world peace, and discuss alternatives to violent conflict. Its inaugural issue featured an introduction by the philosopher and peace campaigner Bertrand Russell, helping establish the journal's early connection to international anti-nuclear and peace activism. During the 1960s, the publication broadened beyond its initial focus on nuclear disarmament. Its editorial direction increasingly engaged with radical political thought, social movements, and critiques of established political institutions. By the late 1960s, the journal was moving toward explicitly anarchist approaches to social organization and political change. In the early 1970s it had become a journal centered on anarchism and libertarian socialism, making it part of the broader international network of anti-authoritarian publications and political debate. Dimitrios Roussopoulos edited the journal throughout its entire run. His long-term editorial stewardship provided continuity as the publication moved from a narrowly defined anti-nuclear title to a wider forum for anarchist and libertarian-socialist ideas. The journal's work included political analysis, theoretical discussion, reviews, and consideration of alternative approaches to social and economic organization. It occupied a role distinct from a commercial consumer magazine: its identity was based on movement publishing, political argument, and the circulation of ideas within activist and intellectual communities. Our Generation ceased publication in 1994 after producing 24 volumes. Its historical significance rests on the way it connected Canadian peace activism with later anarchist and libertarian-socialist publishing. The journal also remains notable for its longevity, its Montreal base, its uninterrupted association with Roussopoulos, and the preservation of its back issues in a scanned archive made available by the publisher. It should not be confused with unrelated commercial brands or periodicals using the phrase “Our Generation.”

Our Generation originated in Montreal during the growth of Canadian student and peace activism in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Its founders were members of the Montreal branch of the Combined Universities' Campaign of Nuclear Disarmament, an organization connected with McGill University students. The publication's first title, Our Generation Against Nuclear War, stated its initial subject directly: the threat posed by nuclear weapons and the search for peaceful alternatives to organized conflict. The inaugural issue appeared in 1961 and included an introduction by Bertrand Russell. Its stated editorial purpose was to investigate the problems of world peace and present alternatives to human conflict. This placed the journal within the international anti-nuclear movement, while its Montreal location gave it a Canadian base from which to address wider political and social questions. The publication's scope changed during the 1960s. Rather than remaining solely an anti-nuclear bulletin, it increasingly examined radical political theory and the organization of social movements. By the end of that decade, the journal was turning toward anarchist perspectives. In the early 1970s, it had developed into a journal of anarchism and libertarian socialism. This transition reflected a broadening from opposition to a particular military danger toward a more comprehensive critique of hierarchy, centralized authority, and conventional political structures. Dimitrios Roussopoulos edited Our Generation for the whole of its existence, from its first issue through its final publication. His continuous editorship was a defining institutional feature of the journal. Under that editorial continuity, the periodical served as a forum for political argument, theoretical writing, movement discussion, and reviews related to peace activism, anarchism, and libertarian socialism. It was a movement publication rather than a mass-market magazine, and its importance is best understood through its role in preserving and circulating dissident political ideas. Our Generation ended publication in 1994, having produced 24 volumes. A publisher-maintained scanned archive of the journal's back issues provides access to its historical record through free PDF downloads. The archive and the journal's long publication span make Our Generation a useful source for studying the relationship between Canadian peace activism, international anti-nuclear organizing, and the development of anarchist periodical culture in the second half of the twentieth century.

1. 1994Publication ceases

   Our Generation ends after publishing 24 volumes.

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2. 1970Becomes a journal of anarchism and libertarian socialism

   By the early 1970s, Our Generation has established a broader identity as a journal of anarchism and libertarian socialism.

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3. 1961Launch as Our Generation Against Nuclear War

   The publication begins in Montreal under its original anti-nuclear title. The inaugural issue includes an introduction by Bertrand Russell and presents a program centered on world peace and alternatives to war.

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4. 1960Editorial direction turns toward anarchism

   By the late 1960s, the journal is increasingly oriented toward anarchist approaches to political and social change.

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A movement-oriented political journal that evolved from Canadian anti-nuclear and peace activism into an anarchist and libertarian-socialist publication.

• Our Generation Against Nuclear WarAnti-nuclear and peace journal1961

  The original form of the publication, launched in 1961 in Montreal. It focused on nuclear disarmament, world peace, the causes of conflict, and possible alternatives to war. The inaugural issue included an introduction by Bertrand Russell.

• Our GenerationAnarchist and libertarian-socialist journal

  The later journal developed from the anti-nuclear publication into a periodical covering anarchist and libertarian-socialist ideas, political theory, social movements, and related commentary. It continued publication until 1994 and produced 24 volumes in total.

• 1994Cease publicationOther

  After 24 volumes and more than three decades of publication, the journal ended its run.

  What changed. Our Generation stopped publishing in 1994.

  Aftermath. The publication became a historical archive of Canadian peace activism and anarchist periodical culture; scanned issues remain available through the publisher's archive.

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• 1960Broaden editorial focus toward anarchismStrategy

  The journal began as a publication focused on nuclear disarmament and world peace but expanded its political and theoretical scope during the late 1960s.

  What changed. Its editorial orientation moved toward anarchist approaches and, by the early 1970s, libertarian socialism.

  Aftermath. The change established Our Generation as a broader anarchist and libertarian-socialist journal rather than solely an anti-nuclear publication.

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• 1994Our Generation ends publication after 24 volumes

  The journal ceased publication in 1994 after completing 24 volumes.

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• 1961Our Generation begins publication as an anti-nuclear journal

  The Montreal publication launched under the title Our Generation Against Nuclear War, with a mission focused on world peace, the study of human conflict, and alternatives to war.

  Product launch
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• 1960Our Generation shifts toward anarchist politics

  During the late 1960s, the journal's editorial orientation moved beyond its original anti-nuclear focus toward anarchist solutions and broader radical political analysis.

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1. Our Generation (journal)
2. Our Generation publisher archive