User:Real World/An Introduction to Anarchism

[This essay was built upon another written in 1988 by Liz and the Black Rose anarchist group in Boston, MA]

What is Anarchism?
Anarchism could easily be described as the most mis-understood political philosiphy of our age. This is largely due to the fact that anarchism is a truly diverse way of thinking, one which cannot be characterized by simple slogans or party lines; resulting in its views often presented in an altered form to society. In fact, if you ask 10 anarchists for their description of anarchism, you are likely to get 10 different answers. Anarchism is more than just a political philosophy; it is a way of life that encompasses political, pragmatic and personal aspects.

The basic tenet of anarchism is that hierarchical authority -- be it state, church, patriarchy or economic elite -- is not only unnecessary, but is inherently detrimental to the maximization of human potential. Anarchists generally believe that human beings are capable of managing their own affairs on the basis of creativity, cooperation, and mutual respect. It is believed that power is inherently corrupting, and that authorities are inevitably more concerned with self-perpetuation and increasing their own power than they are with doing what is best for their constituents. Anarchists generally maintain that ethics are a personal matter, and should be based upon concern for others and the wellbeing of society, rather than upon laws imposed by a legal or religious authority. Most anarchist philosophies hold that individuals are responsible for their own behavior. Paternalistic authorities foster a dehumanized mindset in which people expect elites to make decisions for them and meet their needs, rather than thinking and acting for themselves. When an authority arrogates to itself the right to overrule the most fundamental personal moral decisions, such as what is worth killing or dying for (as in military conscription or abortion), human freedom is immeasurably diminished.

Anarchists acknowledge the connection between various forms of oppression -- including sexism, racism, heterosexism, classism, and national chauvinism -- and recognize the futility of focusing opposition on one form of injustice while others continue to exist. Anarchists believe that the means one uses to transform the world must be in accord with the ends that one hopes to achieve. While anarchists disagree about strategies and tactics, including the need for formal organizations and the use of violent action to overthrow existing violent institutions, most agree that the focus must not be on merely destroying the current order, but on fashioning new, more humane and more rational alternatives to take its place.

Anarchists in History
Anarchists have played a part in revolutionary movements throughout history. The French Revolution begun in 1789 had a strong anarchist element. Anarchists such as Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Peter Kropotkin, Mikhail Bakunin, and Errico Malatesta played an essential part in the development of revolutionary anarchist theory in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Anarchists played a substantial role in the revolutionary movements in Russia in 1905 and 1917, but were suppressed, often ruthlessly, once the Bolsheviks had consolidated power (see: Makhno). The Spanish Revolution of 1936-1939 set the stage for the most widely known large-scale manifestation of anarchist practice, in which anarcho-syndicalist organizations (the FAI and CNT) successfully created workable, non-hierarchical social and economic alternatives. In the United States, as well as in Mexico and Latin America, there was an anarcho-syndicalist influence within the trade union movement (for example the Industrial Workers of the World). Prominent anarchists such as Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman participated in a variety of radical causes throughout the early 1900s. There was a strong anarchist current in many of the social change and alternative lifestyle movements of the 1960s (including parts of the feminist movement, the gay liberation movement and the anti-war and free speech movements), although in many cases these were overshadowed, if not frankly repressed, by Marxist/Leninist/Maoist currents. More recently, the Zapatista movement in Mexico has shown many anarchist qualities.

See: Past and present anarchist communities

The Anarchist Society
(note: this section will look at an anarcho-communist society, this is in no way the sole way theorised that an anarchist society would look like, but the one this writer is most knowlegable about)

An anarchist society is one which an anarchist believes that both freedom and equality will be maximised, while not removing such things as productivity, innovation and social organisation. Generally, anarchists believe that this would best be achieved by a few basic steps:
 * The establisment of a voluntary decentralised direct democracy as an alternative to government.
 * The destruction of all social coercion that leads to the innocent being punished or restrained.
 * The destruction of involuntary tax.
 * Overhaul of the legal system to be replaced by laws chosen by the people under the principles of direct democracy.
 * The removal of the unelected, unrecallable police force, to be replaced with a more suitable organisation if deemed necessary by the people.

Anarcho-communists suggest that this base can be improved upon by:
 * A voluntary switch from money to a gift economy system. (the gift economy will be later described in detail)
 * The abolition of bosses and wage labour, the people begin collectively making decisions regarding production and management. If required ambassadors will be chosen to temporarily represent the workers under the principles of direct democracy. This is suggested to finalise the assimilation of the people into a single class.
 * Socialism is completed by replacing competition, in the form of companies competing for a greater profit, with cooperation, where separate production bases work together to increase the total output; underneath the control of the people through direct democracy.

The core of Anarcho-communism is the gift economy. The gift economy can best be described by an example:

Ted is a farmer living on the outskirts of a town. When his crop has grown, instead of demanding the townspeople pay for his labour, he freely gives the crop away. Why does Ted give it away? because he needs the help of the towns people to survive. By giving to them freely, he demonstrates that he is a valueble member of society. How will being a valueble member of society help him when he needs a new tractor, or when he needs new clothes? Its simple, the townspeople freely give him the products of their own personal work, so that Ted may continue to provide food. So the cycle continues, the townspeople are reliant on Ted and Ted is reliant on the townspeople, motivating all involved parties to sustain each other indefinately.

Suppose Ted were to decide that since the townspeople will provide him with what he needs, he does not need to work. Under this situation, the townspeople simply decide that Ted is not worth his cost, and stop maintaining him. There is no major group meeting to decide this, each individual decides on his or her own. Throughout the gift economy system, it must be stressed that there is no formal agreement, no pressure to participate other than a will to live a better life.

The gift economy is in no way an abstract ideal, looking at society one can see examples of it working, despite the pressure of capitalism. It can be seen in blood and organ donation, in charity, in the scientific community, free schooling, libraries....etc.

What Anarchism is Not
In an effort to clarify what anarchism is, it is useful to examine what anarchism is not:

Chaos: Anarchists are often accused of trying to destroy all order, they are accused of being against organization, they are accused of being against law. What these statements describe are anomie, or a society without law; not anarchism. Anarchists are not against order, except where it harms the people. Anarchists are not against organisation, except where this organisation is used for involutary control and the gaining of power. Anarchists are not against law, except where the law does not both reflect the will of the people and respect the rights of the minority.

Marxism: While many anarchists value communalism and collectivism, anarchists reject the totalitarianism of the existing and recently fallen 'communist', or more accurately Marxist-Leninist, states. The rift between anarchists and Marxists developed as early as the 1870s as anarchists perceived that the Marxists were perpetuating authoritarianism under a different name. Marxist-Leninists groups have traditionally emphasized the need for a vanguard party and the dictatorship of the proletariat, ideas which are fundamentally opposed to the anarchist focus on anti-authoritarianism and maximum individual freedom. Although orthodox Marxism predicts that the state will "wither away" with time, we have repeatedly seen in such regimes a consolidation of state power and its attendant repression and insistence on conformity.

Libertarianism: Libertarians are often confused with anarchists and do, in fact, overlap in many respects. Both share an emphasis on individual freedom and the desire to do away with the state. Many libertarians assign primary importance to the individual and emphasize the principle of enlightened self-interest. Many anarchists tend to focus more on mutual aid and efforts to improve the circumstances of all members of the community. Libertarianism is most often characterized by its economic viewpoint, which places maximum value on unimpeded free market capitalism (some proponents call themselves "anarcho-capitalists"), condones the use of force in the defense of private property, opposes any governmental interference that impedes efforts to maximize personal economic gain, and discounts values that can not be measured in economic (typically monetary) terms. While libertarians are anti-state, they often are not opposed to domination and hierarchy in all its forms (there is often a strain of "survival of the fittest" or "[economic] might makes right" in the libertarian philosophy), and do not seek to radically alter societal power relations, especially those based on economic power. Anarchists tend to have a more socialist perspective, and favor doing away with any system in which the wealthy can achieve disproportionate benefit while the less fortunate suffer undue hardship. While anarchists value individual initiative, intelligence, and creativity, it is recognized that those who possess such talents to a lesser degree should still be treated with respect and justice. Objectivists are an extremist type of libertarian. The Libertarian Party is relatively moderate, and tends to focus on issues like electoral reform, abolishing drug laws, and reducing governmental regulation. Many libertarians are "minarchists" who believe that some form of government is necessary but that it should be as minimal and unobtrusive as possible. The question of what type of economic system would exist in an anarchist society is an open one. Some anarchists believe that all forms of capital and the market economy must be abolished, others favor a system that promotes worker ownership and full participatory democracy within a market economy, and still others believe that a variety of economic systems can co-exist as long as they do not try to impose their systems and values on each other.

Liberalism: The prevailing political notions in this country equate anarchism with leftism, and leftism with liberalism, but there are real differences, both quantitative and qualitative. The idea of "the left" is problematic in the 1990s, since much of modern politics tends to fall outside the traditional left (liberal)/right (conservative) spectrum. Although most anarchists do support "progressive" causes, anarchism does not really have a place within the traditional political spectrum. Some theorists have proposed a matrix that looks at degree of economic authoritarianism and degree of social authoritarianism as two separate axis; often those who favor economic liberty oppose social liberty and vice versa. Much of modern progressive politics is based on "identity politics," the idea that one's primary concerns and alliances should be made on the basis of race, gender and/or sexual orientation. Although many anarchists are heavily invested in identity politics, a more comprehensive anarchist philosophy looks forward to a time when people will not need to focus so much on such categorizations. While liberals tend to advocate efforts to reform the existing system (through such means as voting, lobbying, and organized demonstrating), anarchists have a more radical view, and wish to replace corrupt institutions entirely, and refashion a more humane society by means of direct action, without reliance on any form of statist intervention. While anarchists generally recognize the validity of evolutionary as well as revolutionary change, they acknowledge that in order to achieve a true reordering of society it is necessary to eradicate hierarchical dominance relations wherever they exist; this has not historically been a priority of liberals. Anarchists recognize that the structures of power themsleves (be they capitalist or communist, "democratic" or totalitarian) are the root of the problem, and as such, cannot be the basis for a solution. Although some anarchists engage in voting and organized protest in the belief that even small localized improvements are worthwhile, they recognize that such activities are merely interim steps, which one must go beyond in order to achieve real and lasting change.

Nihilism: In contrast to the "anti-everything" credo of nihilism, anarchists do not promote random violence, destruction, and "every man for himself" lawlessness (although there are always a few with this philosophy who call themselves "anarchists"). The common perception that anarchy is equivalent to chaos is an unfortunate misconception arising from the widespread belief, instilled by those in power, that authority is necessary to maintain order. Anarchists believe that an efficient, organized, and just society can be achieved on a non-hierarchical, decentralized, and participatory basis.

Anti-Religion:While anarchists generally oppose the nature of the church, they are not in opposition to voluntary, egalitarian religious organisation. In fact, many religious anarchists see anarchism as an extension of their religion, rather than a revolt against it. Many also note the anarchist nature of the early christian church and the fact that many of the founders of world religions made statements that were very anarchist in nature.

Some Issues of Contention
Anarchists hold disparate views on many issues. One of the major areas of disagreement is the question of the individual versus the community. Individualist anarchists place primary importance on the freedom of the individual, while anarcho-communists (and anarcho-syndicalists) focus on the benefit of the social group at large, and mutualists lie somewhere in between. In an ideal anarchist society, it is hoped that the needs of the community as a whole can be met in a just manner without unduly impinging on the free will and self-determination of the individuals within it.

Another debate within the anarchist movement concerns the issues of ecology and technology. Classical anarchism displays similarities to the traditional Marxian notions of the value of science and rationalism, and the belief that technological progress generally benefits society. Many modern anarchists believe that technology is inherently neither good nor evil, but that it must be scrutinized and applied in a socially responsible manner in order to best serve those who use it and are affected by it. Other contemporary anarchists have an anti-technology, ecology-centered perspective (the most extreme being primitivists and neo-Luddites), and believe that an anarchist society can only be achieved by abandoning technological advances and returning to a more primitive, localized and ecologically harmonious way of life.

The issue of nationalism is also important. In general, anarchists advocate the idea of internationalism (or rather, `no-nation'alism) and view nationalism and patriotism as manifestations of the state's concious or unconcious attempt to increase its power by promoting artificial divisions among people. Patriotism is thought to be one of the most significant reasons a nation's people allow themselves to enter war, lower civil rights and silence dissenters. Anarchists say that ideas like patriotism and nationalism spread the belief that the nation itself is more important than the sum of the people in it; leading to the people turning a blind eye to the crimes committed by their leaders(very few Germans during WW2 proffessed to be aware of the death camps, despite the sudden disappearance of the Jews). Despite this, some anarchists maintain that it is worthwhile to support certain national liberation struggles (such as the efforts of the Palestinians in the middle east)in the belief that smaller independent nations, albeit authoritarian, are preferrable to exploitive, monolithic empires.

Conclusion
In summary, anarchism is a diverse, broadly defined philosphy that has been adopted in one form or another by a wide range of individuals and groups, many of whom do not explicitly label themselves as "anarchist." Anarchism can have relevance to all facets of one's existence. In emphasizing freedom, self-determination, personal responsibility, direct action, and the creation of voluntary, cooperative alternatives, anarchism has the vision and the flexibility to provide a viable way to transform one's own life, while working for the radical and lasting social change that will transform the world.