The Introduction establishes the basic historical framework for this study’s thesis, expands upon the purpose and rationale of the argument, and provides an overview of its contents and methodologies. The concept of surrealist sabotage is discussed in relation to the surrealists’ return from service in World War I, their refusal to participate in France’s postwar reconstruction effort, and their rejection of careerism. The surrealist work refusal is defined and contextualised in relation to surrealism’s goals and techniques, in particular its position of ultra-leftist defeatism. Surrealist sabotage is also compared to the development of industrial sabotage and strike tactics in the international labour movement at the beginning of the twentieth century.