Anarchism and society
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This article discusses the anarchist critiques of society and proposed solutions from the anarchist perspective.
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Conceptions of an anarchist society
Many political philosophers justify support of the state as a means of regulating violence, so that the destruction caused by human conflict is minimized and fair relationships are established. Anarchists argue that pursuit of these ends do not justify the establishment of a state, and in fact many argue that the state is incompatible with those goals. In fact, anarchists argue that the state helps to create a monopoly on violence, and uses force and violence to expand and protects the elite's interests. Anarchists also argue that security of communities would be much more effective by having institutions that everyone can have access, control over, and input into, as opposed to statist institutions that are control by a small minority, and lead to a population's alienation regarding their public lives. Much effort has been dedicated to explaining how anarchist societies would promote these values.
In general anarchists agree on these points when it comes to a future society:
- Anarchists generally agree that an anarchist economy would lack markets and wage-labor systems. Production would be generally self-managed by and for the workers and the communities it would affect, and thus need the products it produced. Workers councils, assemblies, and larger organs of worker control could link up to form organizations that could settle broader issues on a regional, national, and even international level. Such examples of this type of structure, (and one that has existed with hundreds of thousands of people, and with great success), is the Israeli Kibbutz self-managed farms, and the worker and farmer collectives in during the Spanish Revolution. Some anarchists propose gift economies, which would make the materials and intellectual property of various technologies open to the people, and would thus lead to more people being able to work on various projects and industries. The free-software movement is often looked upon as an example of the gift economy in action using anarchist principles. Others, mostly green anarchists and primitivists, want a return to more pre-agricultural world or living. Participatory economics (also called "Parecon") proposes that a system of "credits" be given for work, but still proposes self-management and worker control over production.
- Community and neighborhood decisions would be carried out by those in the communities that were being effected by the decisions outcome. Organs of direct democracy and community control would be established to discuss problems and come up with solutions. Community councils and general assemblies would also be able to plan various things, propose projects, and rotate various jobs that needed to be done. An excellent example of a working system of community assemblies are the community general assemblies occurring in Argentina in the present day. Groups of neighbors meetly weekly, (sometimes bi-weekly), then meet with other neighborhoods, then with other assemblies on a regional level. Like economic self-management, anarchists propose that these local councils could link up with other communities in various sets of federations, and networks.
- As with large scale examples of production, (the economy), and communities, ('politics'), many critics of anarchism contend that whole masses of society would not be able to reach consensus on various issues, and such a system would be impossible. However, anarchists generally propose systems of delegates for transcribing information in large federations and networks, and for dealing with issues on an international level. Anarchist proposals of delegates are not "elected representatives", and are not even really "representatives". Delegate structures proposed by anarchists are ways in which various "gofers" simply transcribe information that has been decided upon by various communities. Delegates are generally selected, (as opposed to asking for the job), and instantly recallable if they step out of bounds, (i.e., begin acting like government representatives, and not community delegates). In this way, large groups can come to agreements and understandings, and complicated issues can be brought to the table. An example of this type of structure can be seen in the union formation of groups like the Industrial Workers of the World, (or IWW), and spokescouncils. Spokescouncils generally involve various huge activist groups, with various collectives and affinity groups choosing a delegate to dictate what the large group has decided by consensus. Such models have helped to organize tens of thousands around various issues. Zapatista communities also have a similar structure, with communities holding assemblies, and then selecting delegates that meet to discuss issues that affect cross-communities.
- Crime, and various other social problems within various communities will have to be settled by and in their set communities, and not through hierarchal and outside institutions like the police or the state. Community based systems of mediation and courts could be established to deal with conflicts within communities. Volunteer systems of community self-policing, and security have also been proposed as possible alternatives of police, with work being done through rotation, and watched over by the community. Such a system can be seen in the Zapatista communities with the creation of the Indigenous Community Police (ICP), which exist as a volunteer group of people from the community who do security work. Zapatistas note that crime has gone down, organized crime has almost disappeared, and police corruption is non-existent. Anarchists also point to various examples of working anarchist societies in which the non-hierarchal organization of the community lead to a large disappearance of crime. Anarchists also contend that in a society that lacks private property and the organs of capitalism and state force, would make property crime non-existent. Anarchists then contend that social crimes, (rape, murder, incest), will have to be confronted by changing the format of society, helping victims, and finding ways of preventing repeat offenders.
- Anarchists generally agree that any sort of production in an anarchist society must be done ecologically, and sustainably. Anarcho-primitivists contend that large scale industrial production is largely environmentally destructive, and must be abolished. Likewise, anarcho-syndicalists state that industrial production is abusive on workers, leads to massive alienation, and only helps to create massive amounts of products to feed markets. To counter this, anarchists generally propose community based production and self-management over industries in order to cut down on surplus production, and also create better distribution. Anarcho-primitivists however, state that agriculture and domestication of plants and animals leads to the creation of private property, (largely over the earth), earth destruction, and propose systems of permaculture, and returning to pre-industrial sustenance.
- Anarchists propose that with the destruction of the state, violence from statist forces will generally come from counter-revolutionaries, or those that want a return to hierarchal structures. Marxist-Leninists are critical of anarchists on this issue, and argue without a strong centralized group, or vanguard, a revolutionary society will not be able to defend itself. Although some anarchists are pacifists, many anarchists propose self-defense against counter-revolutionary forces through the construction of popular militias. Such examples of such militias can be found larger during the anarchist revolutions and movements in the Spanish and Russian Revolution.
Anarchist social organization
Anarchists generally want society to continue to be organized around various communities. However, unlike capitalist or state-socialist communities which are organized by the government or by business, anarchists want society to be organized and managed by and for the people that live within them.
Schools, social centers, parks, fire-stations, etc. are all seen as things that are needed to be turned over and run by the people through systems of direct democracy and self-management. Anarchists point to the fact that many areas of our lives are already communal and anarchistic; a barn raising, community building, sharing recipes, group childcare, city parks, etc. Many of these places are areas that we set aside within our communities in which land and things are held in common by those within the communities in which these institutions. Anarchists simply want to expand this communal space, and complete community self-management towards all walks of public life. Anarchists also want to expand the communal space which exists within our cities and public areas, not only to remove capitalist institutions that are not needed, but also to allow for public spaces to have more opportunities for sustainability. Such aims of community self-sustainability is not that hard to grasp. In the 1940's during the II World War, victory gardens spread across the United States, and in some areas like San Francisco, the city became 40% sustained by it's own produce production. With removal of unwanted capitalist infrastructure, anarchists contend that urban spaces and community can under go organic recreations into self-sustaining centers for better human development.
Green anarchists, and primitivists take these ideas even further, and contend that groups of hundreds make up the desired group size, and communities of people can begin to build and live directly off the land without having to cultivate or domesticate plants and animals. They contend that this style of community will lead to more leisure time and less work, and will allow for increased freedom of movement and pursuit of enjoyment, such as seen in various indigenous communities. See also primitive communism.
Social services that are needed in societies that are specialized, (such as teaching and medicine), would be carried out by those interested in those set "jobs". Anarchists also propose that with production, (anarchist economics), being shared, rotated, and self-managed, people will have more time and access to engage in working in more complicated tasks and jobs that would benefit themselves and their communities directly. Indeed, if the modern medical field was treated like the open software movement, more people would have access to work on cures for diseases, and other problems that threaten society.
Like production and community affairs, anarchists often point out the success of the postal system, which despite being hierarchically organized with a boss, has no central postal leader, simply various autonomous postal outposts. Federations and networks of doctors, schools, and other community institutions could follow this method as well, and apply anarchist principles to its organizational structure. An example of this in action is the 19th century Modern School movement, which was an anarchist-run school for working-class children (author Jack London taught there). The 'Modern' Modern School movement is alive and well, with Free Schools popping up across the globe offering free classes based upon anarchist principles.
As stated before, anarchists see assemblies and councils of neighborhoods coming together as the possible anarchist organs for community organization. These councils would decide day to day issues, resolve problems, begin work on roads and projects, and work to further advance the community. Anarchists point to the success of the community council system in Chiapas Mexico, under the Zapatista autonomous communities. Further examples of the neighborhood council system can be seen in the ongoing popular uprising in Argentina, where neighborhood councils meet weekly, and then in larger councils with other groups to discuss various issues.
In regards to solving issues of crime and settling disputes, anarchists generally are in favor of councils, courts, and assemblies of community mediation and discourse. In a society lacking private property, anarchists assume that social crimes will be the problems to focus on, (i.e. rape, murder, etc). Anarchists are generally skeptical of the prison system, which they see as simply authoritarian, and not working to fix problems within society, and only manifesting new ones.
See also: prison abolition.
Anarchist economic organization
Main article: Anarchist economics
The modern state is deeply involved in society's economic activities, ranging from the protection of property, to the regulation of markets, and even the provision of goods. Most anarchists would agree that radical restructuring of existing economic systems is necessary, wage-labor must end, markets must be abolished, capitalism unsustainability must be halted, and labor exchange must be destroyed. For example, Bob Black proposed that anarchy would allow for "the abolition of work"[1].
Many anarchists advocate the use of collectives and co-operatives for organizing small-scale production. These units would be coordinated by voluntary associations that could range from community arrangements, to tightly coordinated trade federations. An example of a large-scale anarchist system is "The Industrial Commonwealth", proposed by the Industrial Workers of the World. Workers, through unions organized by type of product, would democratically govern output. The model assumes that benefits arise by organizing workers based on the type of good produced (health, agricultural goods, communication, domestic labour). Means and tools of production would be held in common, through the unions. The Industrial Commonwealth was initially focused on the six sectors of Agriculture, Transport, Construction, Manufacturing, Government Services and Non-Government Services: a model which omitted to recognise particular industries like domestic labour or sex work. The contemporary model of the Industrial Commonwealth more explicitly recognises this work. Anarchists can point to examples during the Spanish Revolution, in which collectives (both industrial and agrarian) shared tools, resources, and technology, on the basis of mutual aid (much like the modern free software movement).
Anarcho-syndicalist economies are often supposed to grow within the old capitalist one, and are an example of dual power. As unions became more powerful, and more workers worked in worker controlled industries, society would be gradually transformed by a constant struggle.
While anarcho-syndicalism is generally based on production taking place via trade unions, and networks, federations, and syndicates of workers factories, and industries, anarcho-communists propose to extend this to every aspect of production. Many anarchists point out that in many countries, there is a de-industrialization (anarcho-primitivists and green anarchists also point out that all industry is largely environmentally destructive), and thus an economic vision must go beyond simply anarchist unions and industry. Anarcho-communist propose that communities apply ideas of workers control and self-management to various production systems in their associated communities, and work them for the common good of that community in which it exists under. Anarcho-communists' economic structure can be described often as a gift economy, in which there is no intellectual property, and all means of production would be held in common. Anarcho-communists propose that people not work for wages, but instead work directly to gain the products that they produce. They theorize that this will cut down on worker alienation, and production of unwanted material goods. It would also (as theorized by Peter Kropotkin) lead to shorter work days, and leave more time for more complicated tasks that would benefit communities (such as the medical field, schools, community repair, etc.). Anarcho-communists point to the examples of the occupied factories in Argentina, in which self-managed workers work much less with no boss and receive more pay, than they did with a boss and under longer hours.
Anarcho-primitivists are against any sort of economy that requires people to live by domesticating plants and animals, and instead want systems of permaculture, hunter/gathering, and small self-sustaining eco-villages. Under this framework, communities would be self-sustaining, and would work without much effort to gather the needed for a set community or village. Anarcho-primitivists cite the small amount of work done by indigenous people in most native cultures, and a possible eco-paradise, in which nature provides most of the food require for any given small community.
Participatory economics, developed by Michael Albert and Robin Hahnel, was created to present a clear vision of a possible anarchist economy. Its advocacy of councils reflects ideas found in the works of Bakunin and the practices of syndicalists. Most anarchists remain critical of Parecon, although it has sparked debate and discussion in all radical circles.
Sexual relations
For most anarchists, marriage and sex are private matters to be resolved between consenting adults. In their opinion, authorities like governments and clergy have no business meddling with private affairs of individuals who do not voluntarily desire to follow their commands — at which point they are no longer authorities and have no power to command those who dissent, only the opportunity to advise those who consent.
Others, however, believe that the concept of marriage is a fundamentally coercive institution, pointing to the wealth of assumptions about what gender pairings can be acceptable partners, the number of people that can be involved in a relationship, and the proper roles for members of a relationship to have. They argue that marriage is ultimately a heteronormative concept, and that it is a particularly subtle form of control.
Some anarchists in Spain viewed love as a dangerous concept and advocated "change of commune" for those experiencing "the sickness of love." This, however, is a small minority view. Many anarchists, including Emma Goldman, believe that love between people is at the core a powerful and benign force, though possibly corrupted by institutions or traditions.