Anarchism

what are the two broad types of anarchism?

collectivist anarchism - human nature is cooperatitive, rational and altruistic, which leads to common ownership.

individualist anarchism - individuals are self interested, and make judgements in their best interest.

Core beliefs - rejection of the state
do all anarchists dislike the state?

-alll anarchists loath a governing state.
-democracy gives an illusion of freedom, and people give up their sovereingty to a ruling elite via elections.

Core beliefs - rejection of the state
what did emma goldman think of elections?

“if voting changed anything, they’d make it illegal” (emma goldman)

Core beliefs - rejection of the state
what was the anarchist definition of the state?

-the state is the instutituions of authority such as the legislature, judiciary, police and army.

-it uses coercion to reduce liberty.

Core beliefs - rejection of the state
how do anarchists view power?

-all anarchists agree that the exercise of power over another is morally wrong.

-the state uses its power to exploit individuals.
-individuals must regain sovereingty over themselves.

Core beliefs - rejection of the state
what did Pierre Joseph Proudhon say about hte state?

to be governed is to be “commanded all by creatures that have neither the right, nor the wisdom, nor the virtue” (Pierre Joseph Proudhon”

Core beliefs - rejection of the state
what did Mikhail Bakunin say about the state?

“every command slaps liberty in the face” (Mikhail Bakunin)

Core beliefs - rejection of the state
what did Max Stirner say about the state?

“we two, the state and I, are enemies” (Max Stirner)

Core beliefs - rejection of the state
what did Peter Kropotkin say about hte state?

advocated for “no government of man by man”” (Peter Kropotkin)

Core beliefs - rejection of the state
what do all these quotes therefore show?

all anarchists agree that the removal of the state is a prerequisite for human society to thrive.

Core beliefs - human nature
what is the broad, anarchist view of human nature?

-anarchists have a broadly positive view of human nature.

-the state and power however corrupt individuals.

“the best of men, the most inteligent, unselfish, generous and pure, will always inevitably be corrupted” (bakunin)

Core beliefs - liberty
what is the core anarchist belief of liberty?

-All Anarchists argue that liberty can only be achieved via abolishment of the state.

-however, collectivists and individualistsd disagree on what liberty actually is.

Core beliefs - liberty
how do individualist anarchists view liberty?

-individualists/egoists such as Max Stirner and Anarcho Capitalists argue that liberty is freedom of the individaul from state inteference.

what is the egoist branch of individualist anarchism?

-Max Stirner argued that all individuals are self interested ‘egoists’.

-individuals are autonomous, and liberty can only exist if individuals are free from external influence and obligation.

what is the anarcho capitlist branch of individualist anarchism?

-Anarcho Capitalists such as Murray Rothbard and David Freidman argue that liberty can only be expierenced via an atomistic society, without an abolished staet.

-the states key functions such as law and order, and welfare would be carried out by an unregulated free market.

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Core beliefs
what is the core belief on insurrection?

-Insurrection is anarcho direct action.
-this can be violent or passive resistance.

-it also involves the removal of individuals from the systems and norms of the state.

Max Stirner (1806-56)
what was stirners view of the ego?

-concepts such as the state, society and religion are artificial construct that act like “wheels in the head” to manipulate individuals.

-individuals must see through the deceit of the state and realise that their self interest is at the centre of the moral universe.

Max Stirner (1806-56)
what is stirners view of the union of egoists?

-state must be abolished to ensure individual sovereingty.

-this will form the “union of egoists”

Max Stirner (1806-56)
what were stirners means?

stirners egoism is the most individualistic and nihlistic strand of anarchism, he rejects religion and moral principles.

-insurrection via the withdrawal of labour will force the state to wither and die.

Core beliefs - liberty
how did collectivist anarchists view liberty?

-collectivist anarchists view liberty/freedom as a communal phenomon.

similarities and differences on anarcho-collectivist views of liberty
what was the mutualism/proudhon view of liberty? (1)

Proudhons mutualism sees rational humans have an innate sense of justice, which is suppressed by the state and religion.

-individuals would therefore form an altruistic society of communitites, while upholding individualistic freedom to enter contracts for goods.

similarities and differences on anarcho-collectivist views of liberty
what was proudhons idea of nationlaism and sexism?

Proudhon added a nationalisitc aspect to anarchism, as he argued native citizens should receive preference.

-the idea of liberty was also male centric, with women inferior to men.

similarities and differences on anarcho-collectivist views of liberty
what were collectivist anarchist bakunin views on human nature and how society would be structured?

-Bakunins collectivist anarchism argued that individuals are all born with equal intelligence and moral thought, however, like proudhon, this is corrupted by the state.

-society would choose to be collective, and those who dont would suffer “anomie” (emotiaonl disclocation)

similarities and differences on anarcho-collectivist views of liberty
how did bakunin view private property ?

Bakunin advocated complete collectivisation and the removal of private property.

similarities and differences on anarcho-collectivist views of liberty
what was mutual aid/anarcho communist/kropotkin view of human nature and society?

-Like Bakunin, Kropotkin argued that human nature is positive and inclined to cooperation and mutual aid.

-the state would be replaced by an anarcho communist society of voluntary assocations.

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (1809-65)
what are the key ideas of proudhon in terms of property, and mutualism?

-unlike other collectiivsts, Proudhon distinguished between property and posessions.

-advocated for a contractual system of mutualism which balanced individual liberty with the rights of the commune. he therefore opposed the radical collectivism of Bakunin.

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (1809-65)
what are proudhons views on how the state should be overthrown?

-unlike other key thinkers, Proudhon aimed for a peaceful transistion to anarchism.

-his mutualist society would exist in the shell of the old state, with new institutions such as a peoples bank.

Emma Goldman (1869-1940
what are the key ideas of goldman in terms of patriotism, the police and war?

-the state is a cold monster which uses militarism and patriotism to manipulate people.

-the police is used to oppress those who question the law. all soldiers are indoctrinated killers.

-patriotism leads to war. this should be opposed via universal fraternity.

Emma Goldman (1869-1940)
what are hte key ideas on how the state should be overthrown?

-all political participation of the state is corrupting. soviet communism was therefore simply “compulsory state communism”

-Goldman therefore adocated violence and civil disobedience, along with industrial sabotage and strikes. the state cannot be reformed .

Anarchy is Order
what is the idea that ‘anarchy is order’?

all anarchists agree that anarchist society would organise itself in a more superior way to a state based society.

economic freedom - collectivist anarchism
how do collectivist anarchists view the economy?

Proudhon argued that “property is theft”

-concept of property is a social construct to exploit the masses.

-collectivist anarchists seek to abolish private property.

economic freedom - collectivist anarchism
how did proudho envison his economy?

-Proudhon envisioned mutualism, in which the means of production are owned collectively, and the economy is organised in small communitites.

economic freedom - collectivist anarchism
how did kropotkin envision the economy?

Kropotkin argued for mutual aid, which, like mutualism, required common ownership and federalised communitites.

economic freedom - collectivist anarchism
how did bakunin envision the economy?

Bakunin envisioned economic freedom via full scale collectiivsation. this limited individual freedom too much for Proudhon and Kropotkin to agree with him.

economic freedom - collectivist anarchism
how did anarcho syndicalism view the economy?

Anarchi syndicalists argue that the means of production should be controlled by “syndicates” rather than individauls.

Mikhail Bakunin (1814-76)
what were Bakunins ideas of ‘propoganda by the deed’

Bakunin argued that “propoganda by the deed” would bring revolution via direct action through general strikes, non payment of taxes and violent acts.

Mikhail Bakunin (1814-76)
what were bakunins ideas of human sociability?

-bakunin argued that humans are naturally sociable. society should therefore be abolished to allow collective communes to flourish, on a basis of stateless natural law.

-communes trade with eachother based on true labour value, rather than market value.

economic freedom - Individaulist anarchism
whats stirners views on economics ?

Stirner’s egoism argues that individuals are materialists who wish to satisfy their needs. they can therefore reorganise the economy fairly to fit their self intersest.

economic freedom - Individaulist anarchism
what is the individaulist idea of anarcho capitlism?

Anarcho Capitalism promotes private property and the free market to ensure atomism.

-businessmen are more competent than the state, and will replace the role of the state in providing infastructure

what are the substrands of collectivist anarchism?

anarcho communism - kropotkin

mutualism - Proudhon

anarcho syndicalism - Georges Sorel

what are the sub strands of individaulist anarchism?

egoism - max stirner

anarcho capitlism - murray rothbard/david friedman

Collectivist anarchism
what are the key ideas of collectivist anarchism?

common economic ownership, altruism and cooperation.

end ‘surplus value’ exploitation

free market must be abolished with hte state.

Collectivist anarchism - Anarcho Communsim
Kropotkin is the anarcho communist. What were his views on private property?

Kropotkin opposed private property and viewed communism as natural economics.

-argued that “all belongs to all”

Collectivist anarchism - Anarcho Communsim
how did anarcho communist Peter kropotkin use sceince to back his points?

Kropotkin used his anthropological knowledge to inform his ideas. he argued against Darwin’s “survival of the fittest”, stating that species thrived when cooperating rather than competing.

Collectivist anarchism - Anarcho Communsim
what was kropotkins theory of ‘mutual aid’?

Kropotkin dubbed cooperation “mutual aid” and argued that this existed in both Ancient Greece and Medieval Europe before capitalism corrupted human nature.

-following hte states abolishment, huamns would revert to the natural state of mutual aid.

Peter Kropotkin (1842-1921)
what are the key ideas of kropotkin, in terms of science, revolution and the economy?

-used science to back his points while rejecting darwinism

-state is beyond gradual reform and revolution can transform society

-anarcho communism based on voluntary assocation will flourish.

Peter Kropotkin (1842-1921)
what are the key ideas of kropotkin in terms of the law, means of production and goods and services ?

-laws to be replaced with regulated relationships between communes.

-means of production collectively owned, with property abolsihed.

-goods and services freely available, but based on individual need.

Collectivist anarchism - Anarcho Communsim
how do anarcho communists/kropotkin view laws and democracy?

Union of Communes form a network of cooperation to replace the state. laws will be abolished in favour of customs and trade agreements.

-direct democracy would create unanimous decisions. if a minority feels outvoted, it can leave and start a new community.

Collectivist anarchism - Mutualism
how does proudhons mutualism work?

Proudhon promoted a system in which vouchers reflected the labour value inherent in a product.

-pay is not based on supply and demand, but rather workers contributions.

a peoples bank would oversee this system of contracts.

Collectivist anarchism - Anarcho-Syndicalism
what is anarcho syndicalism?

Revolutionary form of collectivie anarchism, based on socialist trade unionsim.

-society would be ran by sy1ndicates which cooperate freely with each other for mutual benefit.

Collectivist anarchism - Anarcho-Syndicalism
who is the important (non key) thiknker for anarcho syndicalism? what were his/her thoughts?

Georges Sorel argued for workers solidarity via syndlicalism.

state would be abolished via propoganda by the deed.

Collectivist anarchism - Anarcho-Syndicalism
once the state falls, how would anarcho syndicalism run the economy ?

-once capitalism and the state is abolsihed, syndicates would become the owners of their particular means of production.

-like anarcho communism, goods and services would be priced at their true labour value.

Individualist anarchism - Egoism
why does Egoism/ Stirner reject the state?

each individual is akin to a sovereign state, possessing an ownness/ autonomy. the state is therefore pointless.

Individualist anarchism - Egoism
why does egoism/stirner reject collectivism?

Stirner feared collectivist anarchism, as he feared ones individualism could be compromised by collective expectations.

Individualist anarchism - Egoism
how do egoists/stirner aim to remove the state?

-Stirner rejects revolution, and instead proposes spontaneous insurrection as egoists remove themselves from the false values of the state.

-also argued for propoganda by the deed.

Individualist anarchism - Egoism
why do egoists/ stirner reject capitlism?

-stirner rejected conventional capitalism, arguing work should be useful and fulfilling to the individual, and that aspects of capitalism were akin to slavery.

Individualist anarchism - Egoism
how did stirner/egoism envision society would be ran?

Society to be ran via voluntary agreements that are non binding.

Individualist anarchism - Egoism
how did stirner and egoists view cooperation?

stirner argued that it is logical for conscious egoists to make peaceful contracts.

altruism however only exists if it is in the individuals moral compass.

Individualist anarchism - Egoism
how does egoism/stirner view human nature?

humans are selfish, but in appealing to their selfishnesss it would be in everyones interest to avoid conflict.

Individualist anarchism - Anarcho-Capitalism
what is anarcho capitalism? who are associated with these ideas?

Murray Rothbard and David Friedman
-argue for negative freedom and atomistic individualism
-dismantling of the state and tax. the market shall be totally free.

Individualist anarchism - Anarcho-Capitalism
how do anarcho capitalists view the state?

taxation is theft and exploitatitve, harming political and economic freedom.
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Individualist anarchism - Anarcho-Capitalism
how do anarcho capitalists view human nature?

the unregulated free market is the perfect habitat for the rational, self intersted individual.