155 lines
5.4 KiB
Plaintext
155 lines
5.4 KiB
Plaintext
Thinking about Anarchism
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What is Anarchism
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ANARCHISM IS a much maligned and
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misunderstood set of ideas. It has
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come to symbolise, to many people, a
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society of destruction and disorder.
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Yet nothing could be further from the
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truth. Anarchism has been
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deliberately slandered and
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misrepresented, not only by those
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running this society but also by most
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on the Left. Deliberately, for the
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reason that its uncompromising and
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radical critique of society and how to
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change it poses a challenge that can
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not be met except by slander. Its roots
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and association with the working
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class of all countries tells the real
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truth.
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Anarchism views society, what it is and how
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it should be, on the basis of two fundamental
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pillars. These are the economic nature of
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society and the manner in which political
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power is organised. We believe that the
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economic system under which we presently
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live must be abolished. We also say that the
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political institutions of capitalism, which are
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hierarchical and authoritarian, must go too.
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These institutions serve the employer class
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and will have to be replaced with ones based
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on mass participatory democracy and freedom.
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WORKERS COUNCILS
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In the new economic order the workers of the
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world will own and share all the wealth they
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produce. Decisions will be made through
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workplace and community councils which will
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be federated at all levels and centrally co-
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ordinated. Thus political power will not be
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organised in a hierarchical manner, where a
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central government tells everyone else what
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to do.
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Those socialists who follow the ideas of Lenin
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hold that such a society can only be built by
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using the State structures, albeit a "workers
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state", under the leadership of their Party.
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Anarchists reject this since both the State
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and Party are hierarchical and authoritarian.
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They are diametrically opposed to the aims
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and organisation of the new society.
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STATE CAPITALISM
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Rather than building a real socialist society
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where both economic and political power
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would be everyone's possession and nobody's
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property, these people end up building
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societies that are no more than State
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Capitalism like Russia was and China still is.
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In these countries ordinary people do not
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have any say in how things are run or in the
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decisions that effect them. They are ordered
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about and exploited just as happens in the
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"free world".
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Anarchists predicted this long before it was
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confirmed by the betrayal of the Russian
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revolution, when the workers' soviets and
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factory committees were suppressed by the
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Bolshevik state. After all, the means you use
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and what you end up with are connected.
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Thus, if the structures used to build socialism
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are hierarchical and undemocratic you should
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not be surprised if the society you end up
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with is hierarchical and undemocratic. This
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scientific law seemingly escapes some self-
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proclaimed followers of "scientific socialism".
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FREEDOM
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The question of freedom is not just a subject
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for some mere philosophical debate. It is at
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the very heart of revolutionary change and
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socialism. A successful revolution is not just
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a shift in economic power from the employers
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to the workers.
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It is a time of real freedom. It is a time when
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the shackles of the old oppressive order are
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thrown off and the workers movement
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explodes into a recreativity as it copes with
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organising every facet of society so that the
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needs of all are met. Everyone can get
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involved, through their assemblies and
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delegate councils, in decision making and
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planning that used to be the sole concern of
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central government. Freedom of ideas,
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criticism and input will not only be a practical
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reality but a necessity.
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Capitalist society is organised in a top-down
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way. Orders come from the top and those at
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the bottom obey them. The institutions by
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which the bosses rule, the Government and
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the State, are built so that the rule of a
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minority over the majority is possible.
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Control of political freedom, ideas and
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information is fundamental to their working.
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Participation is strictly limited so that most
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people never have any say.
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WORKERS STATES
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That is why we wish to abolish these
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structures. They can never be used to create
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socialism but instead will actively sabotage
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the workers' cause. The "workers states"
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advocated by the Leninists for the transition
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to socialism have proven to be its greatest
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enemy. Only workers' councils can form the
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basis of the new society.
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We stand uncompromisingly for a new world.
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One which will be owned and managed by all
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those who work. It will be organised from
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the bottom up and production will be to meet
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peoples' needs, not for the private profit of a
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few. Anarchist society will make real the old
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call "from each according to ability, to each
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according to need". Every individual will
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enjoy complete control of her/his life with no
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limit on their freedom as long as they do not
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encroach on the freedom of anyone else.
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Now, isn't that something worth struggling
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for?
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Kevin Doyle
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+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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The Workers Solidarity Movement can be contacted at
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PO Box 1528, Dublin 8, Ireland
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Some of our material is available via the Spunk press electronic archive
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by FTP to etext.archive.umich.edu or 141.211.164.18
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or by gopher ("gopher etext.archive.umich.edu")
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in the directory /pub/Politics/Spunk/texts/groups/WSM
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