Anarchism: Difference between revisions
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'''Anarchism''' is a [[political ideology]] advocating the immediate abolition of the [[state]], unjustified hierarchy, and [[wage-labour]], seeking to replace it by decentralised voluntary networks. Some forms of market anarchism advocate collectively-owned [[private property]], whereas [[anarcho-communism]] advocates communal or [[common ownership]]. While this article is referring to [[left-wing politics|leftist]] anarchists, [[right-wing politics|right-wing]] anarchists do exist | '''Anarchism''' is a [[political ideology]] advocating the immediate abolition of the [[state]], unjustified hierarchy, and [[wage-labour]], seeking to replace it by decentralised voluntary networks. Some forms of market anarchism advocate collectively-owned [[private property]], whereas [[anarcho-communism]] advocates communal or [[common ownership]]. While this article is referring to [[left-wing politics|leftist]] anarchists, [[right-wing politics|right-wing]] "anarchists" do exist, largely in the form of [[Anarcho-capitalism|anarcho-capitalists]], but are more akin to [[Right-libertarian|right-wing libertarians]] rather than anarchism, and are largely rejected by anarchists entirely. | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
==Why anarchism | ==Why anarchism is inferior to Marxism== | ||
Anarchism has always been a large failure in comparison to [[Marxism]]. While revolutionary movements following Marxist doctrine have been able to conquer state-power and build successful socialist societies, anarchists possess not a single example of an "anarchist society" which ever survived longer than a few years (with their most cited examples of the [[Free Territory|Ukrainian Free Territory]] and [[Anarchist Catalonia]] only being able to exist as small war-time entities). | |||
This is due to a number of reasons. The mundane reason being that anarchist tactics are inherently unproductive. Without a centralized vanguard party to secure revolutionary gains, organize militant workers, coordinate actions, etc. anarchists are left only with ineffective "direct action" (largely street-violence and terrorism) as usable tactics. Further, even if anarchists were ever to overthrow the bourgeois state in one area, bourgeois states would still exist in other parts of the world. While Marxists would be able to defend a revolution from the forces of external capitalist states and internal counter-revolution via the development and empowerment of the [[dictatorship of the proletariat]], anarchists, on account of their inflexible idealist notions, would (and have) quickly be defeated. As Joseph Stalin said in [[Foundations of Leninism|''Foundations of Leninism'']]: | |||
{{Quote box|The victory of the dictatorship of the proletariat signifies the suppression of the bourgeoisie, the smashing of the bourgeois state machine and the substitution of proletarian democracy for bourgeois democracy. That is clear. But by means of what organisation can this colossal work be carried out? The old forms of organisation of the proletariat, which grew up on the basis of bourgeois parliamentarism, are inadequate for this work-of that there can hardly be any doubt. What, then, are the new forms of organisation of the proletariat that are capable of serving as the gravediggers of the bourgeois state machine, that are capable not only of smashing this machine, not only of substituting proletarian democracy for bourgeois democracy, but also of becoming the foundation of the proletarian state power?}} | |||
==Anarchist areas== | ==Anarchist areas== | ||
The more abstract explanation for the inferiority of anarchism in comparison to Marxism would be its aforementioned idealist views. Anarchism, like other petite-bourgeois and bourgeois ideology, views the ideals of people as dominate to actual material circumstances. Therefore, anarchists believe that the [[state]] can be entirely abolished in a short period so long as the people are "convinced" in the need to abolish the state, rather than accounting for the material circumstances (that being of class struggle) which result in the state existing in the first place.<ref name=":0">[http://www.marx2mao.com/Stalin/AS07.html ''Anarchism or Socialism?''] Josef Stalin </ref> | |||
Anarchists, in addition, are individualists; believing that true liberation comes from "liberating" the individual first and foremost. Whereas Marxists understand that liberation can only be attained via destroying the exploitive class system and liberating the exploited classes in order to achieve liberation of individuals.<ref name=":0" /> | |||
== Anarchist communities == | |||
===Freetown Christiania=== | ===Freetown Christiania=== | ||
Mostly featured cannabis products, not really significant otherwise. No revolutionary activity going on. Its anarchist leaning is not really serious; it has closer roots in the hippie counterculture than anarchism proper. It is not even a commune as it has private business everywhere. | They are largely associated with squatting, and is particularly thriving in Francophone countries as well as Spain and Greece (especially with the example of Exarcheia). Mostly featured cannabis products, not really significant otherwise. No revolutionary activity going on. Its anarchist leaning is not really serious; it has closer roots in the hippie counterculture than anarchism proper. It is not even a commune as it has private business everywhere. | ||
==Variants of anarchism== | ==Variants of anarchism== | ||
Revision as of 17:15, 10 August 2023
Anarchism is a political ideology advocating the immediate abolition of the state, unjustified hierarchy, and wage-labour, seeking to replace it by decentralised voluntary networks. Some forms of market anarchism advocate collectively-owned private property, whereas anarcho-communism advocates communal or common ownership. While this article is referring to leftist anarchists, right-wing "anarchists" do exist, largely in the form of anarcho-capitalists, but are more akin to right-wing libertarians rather than anarchism, and are largely rejected by anarchists entirely.
History
Why anarchism is inferior to Marxism
Anarchism has always been a large failure in comparison to Marxism. While revolutionary movements following Marxist doctrine have been able to conquer state-power and build successful socialist societies, anarchists possess not a single example of an "anarchist society" which ever survived longer than a few years (with their most cited examples of the Ukrainian Free Territory and Anarchist Catalonia only being able to exist as small war-time entities).
This is due to a number of reasons. The mundane reason being that anarchist tactics are inherently unproductive. Without a centralized vanguard party to secure revolutionary gains, organize militant workers, coordinate actions, etc. anarchists are left only with ineffective "direct action" (largely street-violence and terrorism) as usable tactics. Further, even if anarchists were ever to overthrow the bourgeois state in one area, bourgeois states would still exist in other parts of the world. While Marxists would be able to defend a revolution from the forces of external capitalist states and internal counter-revolution via the development and empowerment of the dictatorship of the proletariat, anarchists, on account of their inflexible idealist notions, would (and have) quickly be defeated. As Joseph Stalin said in Foundations of Leninism:
The victory of the dictatorship of the proletariat signifies the suppression of the bourgeoisie, the smashing of the bourgeois state machine and the substitution of proletarian democracy for bourgeois democracy. That is clear. But by means of what organisation can this colossal work be carried out? The old forms of organisation of the proletariat, which grew up on the basis of bourgeois parliamentarism, are inadequate for this work-of that there can hardly be any doubt. What, then, are the new forms of organisation of the proletariat that are capable of serving as the gravediggers of the bourgeois state machine, that are capable not only of smashing this machine, not only of substituting proletarian democracy for bourgeois democracy, but also of becoming the foundation of the proletarian state power?
Anarchist areas
The more abstract explanation for the inferiority of anarchism in comparison to Marxism would be its aforementioned idealist views. Anarchism, like other petite-bourgeois and bourgeois ideology, views the ideals of people as dominate to actual material circumstances. Therefore, anarchists believe that the state can be entirely abolished in a short period so long as the people are "convinced" in the need to abolish the state, rather than accounting for the material circumstances (that being of class struggle) which result in the state existing in the first place.[1]
Anarchists, in addition, are individualists; believing that true liberation comes from "liberating" the individual first and foremost. Whereas Marxists understand that liberation can only be attained via destroying the exploitive class system and liberating the exploited classes in order to achieve liberation of individuals.[1]
Anarchist communities
Freetown Christiania
They are largely associated with squatting, and is particularly thriving in Francophone countries as well as Spain and Greece (especially with the example of Exarcheia). Mostly featured cannabis products, not really significant otherwise. No revolutionary activity going on. Its anarchist leaning is not really serious; it has closer roots in the hippie counterculture than anarchism proper. It is not even a commune as it has private business everywhere.
Variants of anarchism
- Egoism, Individualist anarchism
- Mutualism
- Anarcho-Communism
- Anarcho-Syndicalism
- Communalism
- Anarcho-primitivism
See also
- Free Territory, an anarchist faction in the Russian Civil War
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Anarchism or Socialism? Josef Stalin