A description of the Libertarian League's views. The Libertarian League was an anarchist organization in NY during the 1950s and 1960s. Members included Sam Dolgoff, Esther Dolgoff Russell Blackwell, Dave Van Ronk, Enrico Arrigoni and Murray Bookchin.
The “free” world is not free; the “communist” world is not communist. We reject both: one is becoming totalitarian; the other is already so.
Their current power structure leads inexorably to atomic war and the probable destruction of the human race.
We charge that both systems engender servitude. Pseudo-freedom based on economic slavery is no better than pseudo-freedom based on political slavery.
The monopoly of power which is the state must be eliminated. Government itself, as well as its underlying institutions, perpetuates war, oppression, corruption, exploitation, and misery.
We advocate a world-wide society of communities and councils based on cooperation and free agreement from the bottom (federalism) instead of coercion and domination from the top (centralism). Regimentation of people must be replaced by regulation of things.
Freedom without socialism is chaotic, but socialism without freedom is despotic. Libertarianism is free socialism.
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These ideas are expanded upon in the provisional statement of the principles of the Libertarian League and in other literature that will be supplied free on request.
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LIBERTARIAN LEAGUE
P.O. Box 261, Cooper Station
New York 3, N.Y.
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from View and Comments, #45 (Fall 1963), back cover [p 26]
Originally posted: May 11, 2010 by Radical Archives
Comments
I don't believe Bookchin was
I don't believe Bookchin was part of the LL. Arogni was the wonderful comrade Frank Brandt. Frank was basically an individualist who knew the meaning of working collectively. I also don't believe he was part of LL
We've quite a few issues if V &C. Had some good stuff in it. It was much better the the immediate post war newsmagazine "New Trends"