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In 1840, in his controversial "What Is Property", French political writer and socialist
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon became the first person to call himself an Anarchist. In this
book, Proudhon stated that the real laws of society have nothing to do with authority,
but stem instead from the nature of society itself .
He also predicted the eventual dissolve of authority and the appearance of a natural
social order. "As man seeks justice in equality, so society seeks justice in anarchy.
Anarchy - the absence of a sovereign such is the form of government to which we
are every day approximating.
." He was a 'peaceful anarchist'; he believed that within existing society, the
organizations could be created that would eventually replace it. Proudhon was born
in 1809, originally a peasant, the son of a brewer. His "What Is Property" and
"System of Economic Contradictions" established him in the socialist community.
Later he went on to write "The Federal Principle" and "The Political Capability of the
Working Class".
Although he declared in "What Is Property" that "property is theft", he did not support
communism, and regarded the right of workers to control the means of production as
an important part of freedom. He never considered himself the originator of a
movement, but he did propose a federal system of autonomous communes.
He had many followers, but they preferred the title 'Mutualists' to 'Anarchists';
Anarchism still bore a negative connotation. Proudhon and the Mutualists, along with
British trade unionists and socialists, formed the First International Workingmen's
Association.
"The passion for destruction is also a creative passion" - These words would
accurately summarize the position of Mikail Bakunin and the Collectivists. Bakunin
believed that Anarchy was only possible through a violent revolution, obliterating all
existing institutions.
He was strongly opposed to Karl Marx, also a member of the International, and his
ideas of a proletarian dictatorship. This conflict eventually tore the International apart
in 1872. He died in 1876, but the next International that he and the Collectivists
started in 1873 lasted for another year. Later, his followers finally accepted the title
of 'Anarchist'.
Even before Proudhon entered the scene, Anarchist activism was going on. The first
plans for an Anarchist commonwealth were made by an Englishman named Gerrard
Winstanley, who founded the tiny Digger movement.
In his 1649 pamphlet, "Truth Lifting Up Its Head Above Scandals", he wrote that
power corrupts, that property is incompatible with freedom, and that men can only be
free and happy in a society without governmental interference, where work and its
products are shared (what was to become the foundation for Anarchist theory in the
years to come).
Among Italian Anarchists, an activist attitude was prevalent. Said Errico Malatesta in
1876,"The insurrectionary deed, destined to affirm socialist principles by acts, is the
most efficacious means of propaganda." The first acts were rural insurrections, meant
to arouse the uneducated citizens of the Italian countryside, but these were
unsuccessful.
Afterward this activism tended to take the form of individual acts of protest by
'terrorists', who attempted to assassinate ruling figures in the hope of demonstrating
the vulnerability of the structure of authority and inspiring others by their selfsacrifice. From 1890- 1901, a chain of assassinations took place: King Umberto I,
Italy; Empress Elizabeth, Austria; President Carnot, France; President McKinley,
United States; and Spanish Prime Minister Antonio C novas del Castillo.
Unfortunately, these acts had the opposite effect of what was intended- they
established the idea of the Anarchist as a mindless destroyer.
Also during the 1890's, many French painters, writers, and other artists discovered
Anarchism, and were attracted to it because of its individualist ideas. In England,
writer Oscar Wilde became an Anarchist, and in 1891 wrote "The Soul of Man Under
Socialism".
Anarchism was also a strong movement in Spain. The first Anarchist journal, "El
Porvenir", was published in 1845, but was quickly silenced. Branches of the
International were established by Guiseppe Fanelli in Barcelona and Madrid. By
1870, there were over 40,000 Spanish Anarchists members; by
The Spanish civil war was the perfect opportunity to finally put ideas into action on a
large scale. Factories and railways were taken over. In Andalusia, Catalonia, and
Levante, peasents seized the land. Autonomous libertarian villages were set up, like
those described in Kropotkin's 'The Conquest of Bread'.
Internal use of money was abolished, the land was tilled collectively, the village
products were sold or exchanged on behalf of the entire community, and each family
received an equal share of necessities they could not produce themselves.
Many of these communes were even more efficient than the other villages. Although
the Spanish Anarchists failed because they did not have the ability to carry out
sustained warfare, they succeeded in inspiring many and showing that Anarchy can
work efficiently.
Throughout American history, there has been a tradition of both violent and pacifist
Anarchism. Henry David Thoreau, a nonviolent Anarchist writer, and Emma Goldman
an Anarchist activist, are a couple of examples. Activist Anarchism, however, was
mainly sustained by immigrants from Europe.
In the late 1800's, Anarchism was a part of life for many. In 1886, four Anarchists
were wrongfully executed for alleged involvement in the Haymarket bombing, in
which seven policemen were killed. President McKinley was assassinated in 1901 by
Leon Czolgosz, a Polish Anarchist.
After World War] [, Anarchist groups reappeared in almost all countries where they
had once existed, excepting Spain and the Soviet Union. In the 1970's, Anarchism
drew much attention and interest, and rebellious students often started collectives.
Still published is a monthly British publication, called "Anarchy", which applies
Anarchist principles to modern life.
Central themes
Anarchism is the oppositions to state and accompanying
institutions of the government and law. Anarchists have a
preference for stateless society in which free individuals manage
their affairs by voluntary agreement, without compulsion or
coercion.
Link- anarchist -can have a stateless society all political authority absolute freedom, very
optimistic view human nature social harmony
but individualism doesn't mean will live peaceful - anarchism adds utopian rationality,
market system
Collectivist Anarchism
human sociability, mutual aid (ultra-socialism)
Individualist Anarchism
personal autonomy, libertarianism(reconciled with order)
society - atomic/organic
turned away from active politics, against state so dont win government power- corrupts
pacifist - moral optimistic view human nature model community - cooperation mutual
respect, hope people will want that thing
Mutualism
System of fair equitable exchange, bargaining and taxing goods and services without
profiteering or exploitation
WHAT IS ANARCHISM?
Anarchism can be defined by its central belief that political authority is evil
and unnecessary. This is especially in the case of the state. The goal of
anarchists is the creation of a stateless society, through the abolition of law
and government. Government is coercive and an offence the principles of
freedom and equality.
Anarchists do advocate the abolition of law and government, but in the belief
that a more natural and spontaneous social order will develop. Proudhon
suggested 'society seeks order in anarchy'.
The goal of anarchism, the overthrow of the state and dismantling of all
forms of political authority, is widely considered to be unrealistic, if not
impossible. Most view the notion of a stateless society as A UTOPIAN
DREAM.
Anarchists reject the very concept of the state. the state, as the most potent
symbol of authority, is nothing less than a concentrated evil, and an offence
against freedom and equality
Anarchists fundamentally reject the liberal notion of a social contract and the
idea that political authority arises from voluntary agreement. Individuals are
subject to state authority merely through the accident of birth.
Natural Order
The state is not just evil, it is unnecessary - humans are essentially rational
creatures, capable of enlightened behaviour through education
William Godwin people have a natural prosperity to organize their own lives
in a harmonious and peaceful fashion.
Anarchists are extremely optimistic about humanity and our capacity for selfimprovement - MERE UTOPIANISM?
ANTI-CLERICALISM
Religion has often been viewed as the ultimate source of authority, the
historical basis for social hierarchy.
Bakunin - "the abolition of the Church and State must be the first and
indispensable condition of the true liberation of society"
ECONOMIC FREEDOM
19th century anarchists identified themselves with the poor and oppressed
and sought to carry out a social revolution in the name of the 'exploited
masses', in which both capitalism and the state would be swept away.