Political Ideologies: Anarchism

Anarchism Key Thinkers

Collectivist:
Peter Kropotkin (Anarcho Communist)
Pierre Joseph Proudhon (Mutualism)
Mikhail Bakunin (Anarcho Syndicalism)
Individualist:
Murray Rothbard (Anarcho capitalism)
Max Stirner (Egoism)

Core ideology

- Rejection of the state
- Opposition to coercive relationships
- Stateless society both achievable and desirable
- Complete Individual liberty
- Natural order via removal of the state
- Economic freedom
- Utopian society

Kropotkin: Human Nature

- Mankind is a sociable animal
- Cooperative animals are more successful
- Anti competition bees and ants "don't compete, competition is injurious"

Kropotkin: Society

- Communes were to be small, independent internally democratic units.
- Mutual aid (everyone aids each other)

Kropotkin: State

- The capitalist state must be destroyed by revolution and replaced by a voluntary system of independent self-governing communities.
- State protects the interest of the rich, state is an "engine of oppression"

Kropotkin: Economy

- Advocated for a libertarian communist economy (common ownership)
- No property, absolute economic equality "All is for all"
- "The product should be the collective property of the race" mutual aid
- Capitalism creates competition
- Voluntary exchange of goods

Pierre Joseph Proudhon: Human Nature

- our productive abilities and creativity characterise us
- Rationality allows us to calculate consequences of actions
- Rejected idea that humans are selfish or competitive

Pierre Joseph Proudhon: Society

- Mutualism, where people are bound together by economic and social relations which are mutually beneficial.
- Social order "Anarchism is order without power"
- Small communes

Pierre Joseph Proudhon: State

- The state is oppressive "government of man by man" and must be abolished though possibly by peaceful, democratic means.
- Replace state with a loose federation of communes

Pierre Joseph Proudhon: Economy

- Trade on the value of labour input
- Means of production common to all, but not the fruits of production
- "Property is theft" allows one person to have power over another, possessions cannot.

Mikhail Bakunin: Human Nature

- We are fundamentally social and cooperative animals
- Productive work characterises our humanity
- Inherently autonomous and rational

Mikhail Bakunin: Society

- Within a society humans can experience liberation, outside of society would deprive people of fulfilment
- Power oppresses and corrupts
- Natural law (empathy and cooperation)

Mikhail Bakunin: State

- The state is the servant of capitalism both the state and capitalism must be destroyed by revolution.
- State is illegitimate and hinders freedom
- State concentrates power into hands of the elite

Mikhail Bakunin: Economy

- Common ownership of means of production "freedom without economic equality is a lie"
- trading for mutual benefit, and based off of labour input (like Proudhon)

Murray Rothbard: Human Nature

- Individualism, subject preferences and rational action characterises humanity
- Subjective constructs in human mind is where value derived from
- Individual liberty important

Murray Rothbard: Society

- Contractual society where voluntary cooperation and voluntary exchanges occur.
- Society based off individual rights and non-aggression

Murray Rothbard: State

- State has a monopoly on force
- Rejects need for state under laissez faire principles
- Public services can be better provided by private sector
- "organisation of robbery"

Murray Rothbard: Economy

- Free market capitalism
- Property protected by private agencies (not state)
- State intervention disrupts market forces
- Taxation is theft
- Govt welfare creates dependency

Max Stirner: Human Nature

- Fundamentally self-interested egoists with no interest of welfare of others
- People should be able to act anyway they choose
- State, religion etc. restricts humans
- Individuals entitled to everything
- "we have only one relation to each other, use"

Max Stirner: Society

- Society of any kind restrains. We must be completely self-reliant
- working together is rational not natural
- Individuals should act in self interest without any inherent immorality or antisocial behaviour

Max Stirner: State

- The state is in complete denial of our egoism and individualism.
- Violent insurrection to bring down the state

Max Stirner: Economy

- The accumulation and retention of property is our main economic motivation
- anti-capitalism
- Anti division of labour resulting from private property as it deadened the ego
- Didn't accept property rights