In this book, Wilhelm Reich summarizes the criticism of the prevailing sexual conditions and conflicts as it resulted from his sex-economic medical experiences over a period of years. He demonstrates, by way of individual examples, the general basic traits of the conflicts in presentday sexual living, dealing particularly with the institution of marriage and the revolution in family life as well as with the problems of infantile and adolescent sexuality. He also presents a detailed and revealing study of the sexual revolution that occurred briefly in Soviet Russia in the first few years of their economic revolution.

"What we are living through," Reich stated, "is a genuine, deep-reaching revolution of cultural living [which] goes to the roots of our emotional, social and economic existence. ... The senses of the animal, man, for his natural life functions are awakening from a sleep of thousands of years."

The Sexual Revolution was first published in English in 1945. This revised fourth edition includes Reich's prefaces as well as all the other material that appeared in earlier editions.