Two main currents of anarchism

Submitted by meerov21 on September 2, 2017

There were a two historical ways of development of the anarchist (libertarian-socialist) movements. One was associated with resistance at the workplace, second with community's uprisings.

The first course is usually associated with revolutionary syndicalism or anarcho-syndicalism, which is not entirely true. Anti-autoritarian section of the International I, which was under the influence of Mikhail Bakunin, created ideological-anarchist "workers societys" in Switzerland, Spain and some other countries. In the 20th century this tradition has evolved in Argentina (FORA) . These movements fought for higher wages by using illegal strikes and acts of violence directed against strikebreakers and businessmen, but their main goal was uprising to change entire existing system. However, this tradition did not become dominant and eventually became weaker.

In the late 19th - early 20th centuries a new revolutionary labor movement - revolutionary syndicalism (France, Italy, Spain, USA) appears and spontaneously develops, merging closer with anarchism. Anarcho-syndicalism is the result of this development. As Bakunin's workers societys syndicalism was aimed to build self-organization in labor movement during strikes for wages. Like the supporters of Bakunin, anarcho-syndicalists maintained a direct action at the factory. They went on strike without complying with the laws of the state, they used violence, refused to negotiate collective labour agreements with the managers (they argued that workers should not make commitments in the face of the enemy) and the mediation of the state in labour conflicts, including the court. Anarcho-syndicalists understood that the struggle for a salary by itself does not go beyond capitalism. So it was important to educate workers not only self-organization but the rejection of laws: It was a way of preparing for the social revolution.

Another direction of anarchism is connected with the uprisings of territorial self-governing communes. Of course we can use as an example the Paris Commune (although it was not only anarchists), Makhnovshchina, The movement of workers-anarchists in Bialystok (Russia, now Poland) in 1904-1907 and part of Bakunin's section of the International I in Spain, which totaled of 300 thousand members in the 19th century . Interestingly, that supporters of the communitarian rebellion ("Andalusians") and supporters of the strikes worked together in the Spanish anarchism more than half a century, though their paths sometimes diverged.

Those were two ways to radical transformation of society and turning it into a Federation of self-managed collectives: Anrcho-syndicalism and Communitarian libertarian Rebellions. Sometimes these movements cooperated. Although they cannot create an anarchist society that would have existed on the territory of the whole country for a long time, all historical examples of anarchist social experiments associated with them (Paris Commune, Spanish revolution, Makhnovshchina).

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Let's see what are the modern anarchists in Europe and USA doing? Strikes in the framework of bourgeois law? Cooperation with state courts and bosses (collective agreements)? Street fights with the Nazis (in contrast to historical far-right this is mainly just another subculture) ? Rallies in support of LGBT rights? Yes, this is modern European and USA anarchism. Good or bad? I don't even want to argue about it. It just has no any connection with the preparation of the anarchist revolution.

The anarchist society never grew from such actions and will never grow, because these actions are irrelevant to the training of millions of people to the libertarian social revolution. Communes of Aragon, self-management factories of Barcelona, the Autonomous villages in the territory of the Makhnovshchina had completely different roots.

There are some anarchists in Europe who are creating a self-governing communes and participate in radical actions - direct action in some social movements. I have great respect for them but this is minority.

Battlescarred

6 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Battlescarred on September 2, 2017

What the hell are you on about?

Khawaga

6 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Khawaga on September 2, 2017

Yup, that's usually my reaction to his posts.

meerov21

6 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by meerov21 on September 3, 2017

Battlescarred What the hell are you on about?

Well... What the hell is unclear to you?

meerov21

6 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by meerov21 on September 3, 2017

Khawaga: Why do you keep posting nonsense?
https://libcom.org/forums/history/prisons-ussr-homosexuals-had-name-cocks-02092017

Khawaga: ...Again, stop shit posting.
https://libcom.org/forums/general/antifa-charlottesville-20082017

Oh, I had a fan! He goes everywhere with me and repeats the same thing.

akai

6 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by akai on September 3, 2017

l don't agree with some details of the description, but for me the topic is crystal clear.

Agent of the P…

6 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Agent of the P… on September 3, 2017

Its a revisionist reaction against revisionism; meerov21 is guilty of that which he trying to condemn.

Its a reflection of the circular back and forth that has plagued retrospective accounts of anarchism and anarchist history, even those writing history books on our side.

meerov21

6 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by meerov21 on September 3, 2017

Its a revisionist reaction against revisionism;

To a certain extent you're right. Modern anarchism in the United States and the European Union is not working to change society. I see communitarian Autonomous movements and uprisings in Mexico, in the Arab part of Syria (Autonomous councils) and, to some extent in Rojava (but there does seem to be a one-party centralized government on the top). This is a movement to change society.

And then, the other is not. With all due respect to anti-fascists (those who do not cooperate with the red fascists and did not support the use flags of USSR), it does not work on the preparation of social revolution. And trade unionism will not help to prepare the social revolution.

I'm interested in the anarchism of the Golden age, the time of Bakunin, Kropotkin, Arango, Durruti, anarchists of Bialystok. It worked, and your anarchism is not working.

But it is important to keep in mind the following thing: there is no way back. I like Renaissance to some extent. So Renaissance had the original goal of a return to the "Golden antiquity". But In reality, It laid the Foundation of the greatest (and most controversial for sure!) civilization in the history - civilization of Modernity. I hope you understand what I mean

"meerov21 is guilty of that which he trying to condemn"

But I'm not worried about condemn. I'm interested in the results.

.

meerov21

6 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by meerov21 on September 7, 2017

Agent of the Proletariat
Its a reflection of the circular back and forth that has plagued retrospective accounts of anarchism and anarchist history, even those writing history books on our side.

As said the Japanese anarchists of the early 20th century: "Life consists of repetitive movements." But this does not mean that you can return to the past. Something is always changing.

zearendil

6 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by zearendil on September 8, 2017

The anarchist society never grew from such actions and will never grow, because these actions are irrelevant to the training of millions of people to the libertarian social revolution. Communes of Aragon, self-management factories of Barcelona, the Autonomous villages in the territory of the Makhnovshchina had completely different roots.

@meerov21, I would like to know if you could recommend some actions or people that actually work towards a libertarian social revolution. I agree with your points, but it is very hard to convince people, when you do not have a positive examples ahead.

meerov21

6 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by meerov21 on September 8, 2017

Thank you for your question! I somewhat addressed this issue in these texts, which refers to the communalistic uprisings in Mexico (Guerrero) and Syria (I mean not Rojava, but Autonomous non-party Councils in the region of Idlib, and elsewhere). As for Europe, that is interesting to me the movement in France, which is trying to create a self-managed communes and simultaneously engage in radical social protest are the ones who wrote the book The Coming Rebbelion or haw do you call that... It's about a libertarian communalism. Unfortunately. anarcho-syndicalism is dead in the modern world.

https://libcom.org/forums/theory/revolution-urban-communes-yesterday-today-tomorrow-02092017
https://libcom.org/forums/general/libertarian-communalism-self-government-syria-07092017