Has connections with both
Liberalism and Socialism
as an extreme form of
either
Part company with Liberals
over the belief that no (as
opposed to limited) authority
should be allowed to
restrain individuals
Parts company
with Marxism over
their opposition to
the Dictatorship of
the Proletariat
Stems from the belief that people
such as Napoleon and Stalin
were the inevitable consequence
of allowing a popular revolution to
be captured by the state
Thus believe that it
is impossible for
people to 'capture'
the state for good
purposes
Anti-Statism
Anarchists believe that
any form of authority is
bad as any external
authority is tantamount
to opression
Only form of authority that is
acceptable is one that is
volunteered for by the
individual. I.e. Learning a trade
from a master
Anarchism have a
universal belief in the
Sovereign, Autonomous,
Rational Individual
Rational humans need no external authority to make
decisions for them or to organise their activity.
Believe that the sole reason for the existence of
hierarchy, authority and religion is to perpetuate the rule
of elites
Stateless Society
Anarchism's belief
in a stateless society
is often described as
utopian
Anarchists believe this
to be possible due to a
perfectiable view of
Human Nature
Anarchistssee widespread
examples of alturism as an
example of true human
nature showing itself despite
the state
Political Practice
They reject political parties
as a means to change society,
instead forming 'federations'
Some Anarchists attempt to create
anarchist islands within current society,
these experiments often follow the
principles of Mutualism
Mutualism is a view of how
production might be organised in an
anarchist society.
In this society, producers
have the right to posses
the outcome of their
labour and the right to
posses in order to use
necessary means
There would however, be some
free association of producers
beyond the family unit. This would
be a system of democratic
association of workers.
The workers would
have an absolute
right to an equal
share of the output
of their enterprise
Other anarchists have attempted to overthrow the
state using revolutionary violence, however this was a
complete failure and their view of the state has led
them to either underestimate (Italy) or overestimate
(Spain) the problems in taking power and transforming
society
Individualist Anarchism
Places emphasis on the
individual and rationality and
is thus, an extreme form of
Liberalism
Egoism - The belief that it is
morally right to do whatever
is in your own self interest.
This version lent itself to
the free-market aspects of
economic liberalism and
then to what became
known as libertarianism
Libetarians hold that any state
authority is oppressive because it is
a restraint on the free excercise of
rational decision making by the
individual
Social relations
should only be
regulated by freely
made contracts
between individuals
Private Property is central
to this ideology, leading to
development of a sub
variant - Anarcho
Capitalism
Anarcho Capitalism is the most
extreme form of Individualist Anarchism
Anarcho-Capitalists believe
that the liberty of rational
individuals can only be
guaranteed by the absence of
restraints on their ability to
enjoy their property.
Since this means there
can be no taxation,
there can be no state
All residual state functions
noted by Smith (Law and Order,
Justice, and defence) could be
carried out by individual
corporations
Collectivist Anarchism
Belief that Humans are naturally social beings,
who spontaneously co-operate with each other.
There are two principal interpretations:
Anarcho-Communism and Anarcho-Syndicalism
Anarcho-Communists
advocate the abolition
of private property and
the redistribution
according to need
Production would be
carried out through
voluntary associations as
in other anarchist
traditions
All Anarcho-Communist principles
are identical to conventional Marxism
with the exception to their opposition
to the Dictatorship of the Proletariat
Anarcho-Syndicalism is a form of Anarchism
based on Trade Unions as the agent of
revolutionary change on basis of organisation
in society.
Anarcho-Syndicalism also
wishes to abolish the
wage system
These Trade Unions were
created, funded and controlled
by their members and could be
used as weapons against
Capitalism and the State
Notable Thinkers: Mikhail
Bakunin/ Pierre Joseph Proudon
Peter Kropotkin