anarchism Flashcards
What are the core principles of anarchism?
- opposition to the state as it is unnecessary and evil due because they are controlling and corrupting
- the creation of a stateless society is the only way to gain freedom
- humans can organise their own lives through initiative and voluntary agreements
what are the 2 main strands of anarchism?
- collectivist
- individualist
What is individual anarchism?
a strand of anarchism that prioritises personal freedom and opposes any form of collective control
What is collectivist anarchism?
A belief that true freedom can only be achieved through cooperation and communal living rather than individualism
How do individualist and collectivist anarchists differ on freedom?
- individualist: freedom is about autonomy and the right to make personal decisions
- collectivists: true freedom can only exist when individuals work together for the common good
What are the different types of anarchism under individualist
- egoism
- anarcho-capitalist
What are the different types of anarchism under collectivist?
- anarcho-communism
- mutualism
- anarcho-syndicalism
What are the key thinkers and each type of anarchism they believe in?
- Max Stirner (egoist)
- Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (mutualist)
- Mikhail Bakunin (anarco-communist)
- Peter Kropotkin (anarcho-communist)
- Emma Goldman (anarcho-feminist)
why do anarchists reject the state?
- coercive: the state denies freedom and autonomy
- punitive: inflicts punishment e.g. harm on those who act against it
- exploitative: taxation is seen as theft and those who work for the state enrich themselves using money taken from others
How do anarchists view society?
- natural order will emerge without the state
- collectivists: society should be based on voluntary cooperation and mutual aid
- individualists: fear collective oppression
what are anarchists views on the economy?
- all anarchists oppose state-controlled economies
- individualists: argue for voluntary exchange, sometimes accepting markets
- collectivists: believe in worker ownership and communal living
Who was Max Stirner?
- individualist anarchism
- leading figure in the egoism sub-strand
- believed individuals should be free from all constraints
What was Max Stirners view on human nature?
- humans are egoistic and self-interested
- people should reject imposed morality and fixed ideas such as religion, nationalism and tradition
- once the state is gone individuals will purse self-interest
what was Max Stirners view on the state?
- the state is oppressive and limits individual freedom
- it forces individuals to obey laws they did not consent to
what was Max Stirners view on society
- society of any kind restrains individuals
- proposed the ‘Union of Egoists’, a voluntary association where individuals work together but can leave at any time
What was Max Stirners view on the economy?
- the accumulation of private property is our main economic motivation
- allow the individual to enjoy the fruits of their labour
- rejected both capitalism and collectivism, both imposed restrictions on the individual
Who was Mikhail Bakunin?
- collectivist anarchism
- syndicalism sub-strand
- developed the idea of federalism
What were Bakunin’s views on human nature?
- humans are naturally social animals
- people are corrupted by hierarchies and state control
- true freedom can only be achieved through collective struggle and revolution
what were Bakunin’s views on society?
- there should be a federal system and the abolition of national boundaries
- workers would cooperate, not compete
- society should be based on self-governing federations of workers
what were Bakunin’s views on the economy?
- the market system should be replaced and replaced by exchange based of true value of labour and goods
- advocated for common ownership of resources
Who was Peter Kropotkin?
- collectivist
- anarcho-communist
- born into a russian aristocracy but disliked the actions of his class
What were Bakunin’s views on the state?
- the state is a tool of oppression
- both the state and capitalism must be destroyed
- any form of government will always lead to tyranny
what were Peter Kropotkin’s views on human nature?
- humans are sociable and prefer collective activity
- he argued that cooperation, not competition, is key
- once the state is gone individuals will be able to fulfil their potential and live in harmony
- disagrees with Stirner
What were Peter Kropotkin’s views on the state?
- the capitalist state must be destroyed by revolution
- must be replaced by a voluntary system of independent, self governing communities
- the current state enforces hierarchy and inequality, preventing natural cooperation
What were Peter Kropotkin’s views on society?
- society should be based on small, self-sufficient communities
- no central authority should exist; instead voluntary federations should organise resources
- believed that order would emerge once authority was removed
What were Peter Kropotkin’s views on the economy?
- capitalism was to be replaced by the communal system of small economic units.
- Each of these should be self-sufficient
- rejected wage labour and capitalism, arguing that competition is unnatural
Who was Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
- collectivist
- mutualism sub-strand
what were Proudhon’s views on the human nature?
- humans are characterised by our productive abilities and our creativity
- human’s have a natural sense of justice
- capable of self-organisation without gov intervention
- different from Bakunin and Kropotkin, he saw a balance between individualism and cooperation
what were Proudhon’s views on the state?
- the state is oppressive and must be abolished
- this could happen through peaceful, democratic means but may have to happen through force
- ‘Anarchy is order’, meaning that without a state society would still function
what were Proudhon’s on society?
- mutualism is the basis of a strong society
- this involves people being bound together by mutually beneficial economic and social relations
- rejected both authoritarianism and extreme individualism, promoting a middle path
what were Proudhon’s view on economy?
- people divided into independent units, trading with each other on a mutual beneficial basis
- ‘property is theft’ criticised private property as a source of exploitation
Who was Emma Goldman
- Collectivist
- both Anarcho-communist and Feminist
What were Goldman’s views on human nature?
- individual liberty must be upheld
- humans are naturally individualistic
- people can only reach their full potential in absolute freedom
What were Goldman’s views on the state?
- state is only on source of oppression, religion and private ownership are equally oppressive
- even democratic systems are coercive
- famous for saying: ‘if voting changed anything, they’d make it illegal’
what were Goldman’s views on society?
- people should be treated as equal, no matter, economic status, gender and race
- should be based on individual liberty, voluntary cooperation
What were Goldman’s views on the economy?
- communism is more preferable to other systems
- resources should be shared, and people contribute based on their abilities and needs
- all other systems restrict individual autonomy
