Portal:Anarchism

Anarchism portal

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Anarchism (from Greek ἀν (without) + ἄρχειν (to rule) + ισμός (from stem -ιζειν), "without archons," "without rulers") is a political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which support anarchy or the elimination of state, abolition of private property, and prefigurative politics (i.e. modes of organization that consciously resemble the world you want to create. Or, as an anarchist historian of the Spanish Revolution formulated, "an effort to think of not only the ideas but the facts of the future itself".) Though the terms "anarchist" and "anarchy" have been used to describe purported anti-statists and their positions since ancient times, political anarchism originates with the first self-declared anarchist, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon's publication of What is Property? Or, an Inquiry into the Principle of Right and of Government in 1840. Proudhon's famous declaration that "Property is Theft!," along with his less famous declaration that "Property is Liberty", inspired different anarchist economic models throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

While political anarchism has its roots in the same 19th century social foment that produced Marxism, the two philosophies diverged sharply, beginning with a personal split between Karl Marx and anarchist Mikhail Bakunin. Anarchists were active in the abolition of slavery, and have continually been active in the labor movement, civil rights, women's liberation, both anti-capitalism and pro-capitalism (with varying definitions of capitalism), the anti-war movement, LGBT rights, both anti-globalization and pro-globalization (with varying definitions of globalization), tax resistance, and other forms of anarchist activism. (learn more...)

Selected article

The Bolshevik Myth (Diary 1920–1922) is a book by Alexander Berkman describing his experiences in Bolshevist Russia from 1920 to 1922, where he saw the aftermath of the Russian Revolution of 1917. Written in the form of a diary, The Bolshevik Myth charts Berkman's recollections after having been deported from the United States along with Emma Goldman and over two hundred socialists, anarchists and other leftists.

The book describes how Berkman's initial enthusiasm for the revolution faded as he became disillusioned with the Bolsheviks and their suppression of all political dissent. Berkman recounts the economic scarcity in the cities of Petrograd and Moscow, his meeting with Lenin and his intercessions with the Bolshevik leadership on behalf of anarchist political prisoners. Berkman and Goldman learn of the anarchist Revolutionary Insurrectionary Army of Ukraine fighting the Bolsheviks in the Free Territory, and of the Kronstadt rebellion against the regime in Russia. In a climate of increasing repression of anarchists, they leave the Soviet Union for the last time in 1921. The Bolshevik Myth was published to positive reviews in 1925, following Goldman's My Disillusionment in Russia (1923) and My Further Disillusionment in Russia (1924). (read more...)

Selected image

Credit: James Northcote,

James Northcote, William Godwin, oil on canvas, 1802, the National Portrait Gallery. William Godwin (1756-1836) was one of the first modern proponents of philosophical anarchism

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Did you know?

• ... that the Russian anarchist-communist organisation Chernoe Znamia (pictured) were the first with a deliberate policy of terror against the established order?
• ... that the Manifesto of the Sixteen was a controversial declaration of support for the Allied cause in World War I from a group of prominent anarchists?
• ... that Anarchy Alive!, a 2007 book by Oxford-educated academic and anti-authoritarian activist Uri Gordon, has been cited as a "defining text" of the contemporary anarchist movement?
• ... that French anarchist and writer Charles Malato had a Neapolitan grandfather who suppressed a popular insurrection as commander-in-chief of the army of the last King of Naples?
• ... that Ramon Vila Capdevila continued to fight against the government of Francisco Franco for 24 years after the end of the Spanish Civil War?

Selected quote

“ "I am an anarchist." "Oh! I understand you; you speak satirically. This is a hit at the government." "By no means. I have just given you my serious and well-considered profession of faith. Although a firm friend of order, I am (in the full force of the term) an anarchist. Listen to me." ” — Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, What Is Property?, 1840.

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Anarchism news

• August 16: Noam Chomsky receives honorary doctorate from Peking University.

Fanfan, Wang (August 16, 2010). "Guarding Noam". Global Times. http://www.globaltimes.cn/www/english/metro-beijing/community/news/2010-08/563989.html. 

• August 6: Anarchists in Santa Cruz, California stage protest outside of county jail in opposition to police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Wilson, Ali (August 6, 2010). "Demonstrators use noise to break down barriers; anarchist march held at County Jail in solidarity with prisoners". Santa Cruz Sentinel. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15697532. 

• August 6: Portland anarchists come to aid of 7-year-old girl, when Multnomah County health inspectors threaten the child's mother with a $500 fee for operating an unlicensed lemonade stand.

Resitone, Dan (August 6, 2010). "Oregon girl's lemonade stand shut down by health inspector". KIRO Radio. http://www.mynorthwest.com/category/local_news_articles/20100806/Oregon-girl%27s-lemonade-stand-shut-down-by-health-inspector/. 

• August 4: An alleged spy for Joint Base Lewis-McChord is sued by anti-war protesters for posing as an anarchist to infiltrate and monitor civilian activities.

Pawloski, Jeremey (August 4, 2010). "Spy suspect leaves job". The Olympian. http://www.theolympian.com/2010/08/04/1325075/spy-suspect-leaves-job.html. 

• July 22: Rare anarchist books signed by authors Emma Goldman and Peter Kropotkin are returned to the McMaster University library, decades after being presumed lost in the 1960s.

Hemsworth, Wade (July 22, 2010). "Anarchism books back -- decades overdue". Thespec.com. http://www.thespec.com/article/811639. 

• July 20: Hamilton, Ontario anarchists report being spied upon by police before and in the aftermath of the 2010 G-20 protests.

Clairmont, Susan (July 20, 2010). "Hamilton anarchists say they're under surveillance". The Hamilton Spectator. http://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/242801--hamilton-anarchists-say-they-re-under-surveillance. 

• July 20: Canadian-based journalist Nicholas Köhler analyzes the anarchist organizers of the 2010 G-20 Toronto summit protests, finding examples who defy common stereotypes.

Köhler, Nicholas (July 20, 2010). "Middle-aged anarchists". Macleans.ca. http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/07/20/middle-aged-anarchists/. 

Anniversaries for September 7

• 1872 – Mikhail Bakunin (pictured), leading anarchist opponent of Karl Marx, is expelled from the First International during the Hague Congress

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