Anarchism - Lesson One

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Key Thinkers :

Joseph Pierre Proudhon

Max Stirner

Mikhael Bakunin

Emma Goldman

William Godwin - outside specification

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The word ‘anarchism’ itself comes from the ancient Greek anarchos and literally means ‘without a government or ruler’

At the core of anarchism is the belief that people should be free from political authority in all forms most notable state control

Anarchism is defined by a number of key beliefs or features:

• All forms of political authority, notably the state, are unnecessary and evil because they are controlling, commanding, coercive and corrupting
• The creation of a stateless society (without government or imposed laws) is the only way to guarantee freedom, equality, natural order and social harmony
• Humans can organise their own lives through their own initiative and voluntary agreements; they do not need to regulated by ‘top down’ social and political hierarchies or a system of incentives and sanctions
• Anarchism is not based on a single ideological tradition: individualist anarchism is influenced by liberalism, and collectivist anarchism rests on socialist foundations

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How do anarchists view human nature?

Anarchism holds by far the most positive view of human nature - it is an utopian and libertarian ideology

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How do anarchists view the exercise of power ?

Anarchists believe that the exercise of power by the various agents of the state is illegitimate , immoral and criminal

‘The state is itself the greatest criminal, breaking every written and natural law, stealing in the form of taxes and killing in the form of war and capital punishment’ Emma Goldman

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William Godwin - not a key thinker but for wider knowledge

Godwin looked at cooperation and community whereas Sterner looked at radical change. Stirner thought the dialectic of history would progress towards individual freedom where each man stood on his ‘own footing’ , agreeing with Hegels

Godwin expanded on Locke’s idea of ‘tabular rasa’ and how therefore we do not need to exist under state control as education can set us free.

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Max Stirner

Sterner argued that morality came from the individual ego therefore the state was restraining freedom. He believes there was no transcendent morality , he believed that instead of the state workers and people should band together.

He therefore would support union strikes for pay although believing in egoism.

‘we, the state and I , are enemies’

‘I am free in no state’

Pierre Joseph Proudhon

Pierre Joseph Proudhon published What is Property - one of the most famous anarchist texts.

‘the doctrinaire authoritarian dictatorial governmental communist system is based on the principle that the individual is essentially subordinate to the collective’

Instead of laws Proudhon proposed contracts and agreements within groups.

He believed that labour produced property is legitimate - that which you have created with your own hands. He opposed the proceeds of capitalism - indirect property or land

‘the state enslaves the governed and every command slaps liberty in the face’

Mikhail Bakunin

Bakunin believed in the commune whilst federated in the right units would always guarantee subsistence

Bakunin states on the importance of education and equal opportunity for all ‘equal means of subsistence , support education and opportunity for every child, boy or girl, until maturity and equal resources and facilities in adulthood to create his own well being by his own labour’

‘in the matter of boots , I refer to the authority of the boot maker ; concerning houses , canals, or railroads, I consult that of the architect or engineer .But I allow neither the boot maker nor the architect …to impose his authority on him’ - on authority and how we do not allow those with knowledge to exert authority upon us

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Peter Kropotkin

communist anarchist - conquesste du pain

He argues that mutual aid and altruism exist biologically within humans and therefore the state was required to establish order.

believed strongly in the survival of fittest - natural altruism is guaranteed

He refers to the English lifeboat association and how they provide mutual aid based upon morale.

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6 Main schools of Anarchist thought :

Mutualist

Individualist

Collectivist

^^Communist^^

Christian

Literary

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‘The Accidental Anarchist’ - Video Notes

Talk is from resigned UK foreign office diplomat

Complexity theory - it is impossible to understand a complex system from the top down due to its dynamics - makes it impossible for a government to predict policy outcomes when the political system continously shifts

Therefore, small agents and individual agents are believed to be able to trigger better change in the system.

Gives the example of Mohammed Aziz who set himself on fire.

Trying to control a system of complexities is more likely to create disorder rather than order.

He believes that cooperating and collaborating with radical change and he therefore thinks that change is up to individual agents rather than a singular system of government

Reflects that anarchism can only be a government for the people.

Anarchists instead proposed direct democracy where citizens took it in turns to make direct decisions for the country.

The cooperative model - when everyone has a share in the enterprise and practices collaboration

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