Anarchist Philosophy: Core Principles and Key Figures

The Origins and Principles of Anarchism

Anarchism is a political philosophy developed in 1840 that advocated self-governed societies based on voluntary institutions.

It reinforced the utopian vision of decentralized communities. Its main contributions to socialism were the intransigent opposition to the state and the belief that a revolutionary movement should prefigure the society it wished to create. Such views contained a critique of the standard views of socialism.

Key Figures in Anarchist Thought

• Pierre-Joseph Proudhon: He was an extremely puritanical Frenchman, anti-feminist, and anti-homosexual. He believed that labor should be the basis for social organization and that all systems of government are oppressive. The first step for the restoration of healthy economic relations between people was to abolish the structure of credit and exchange. This would restore the dignity of labor. He believed that centralized states are connected with the economic system and that they worked with capitalists against the people.
• Mikhail Bakunin: Although his ideas were helpful for socialism, he had major disagreements with Marxism. The first concerned the emphasis Marxism gave to the industrial working class in the most advanced capitalist societies as the revolutionary class. Bakunin believed that it was the most oppressed who were potentially the most revolutionary, and that they would be found in the least developed countries. The other conflict he had focused on issues of organization, both before and after the revolution. In 1864, Marx founded the First Socialist International, and although Bakunin joined it, he opposed Marx’s ideas of creating a party to win support for socialism and ended up declaring that he hated communism. The culmination of the conflict was after the Paris Commune in 1871. Marx believed that after the suppression of the commune, it was time to turn the International into a more organized working-class political party, and Bakunin was directly opposed to the idea.

Anarchism in Practice and History

Anarchism would remain important in certain areas, like Spain, where it was crushed by Franco in the Civil War (1936–1939). Anarchists believed that power should and could be achieved by workers themselves rather than through political parties and the state.

Summary of the Anarchist Warning

In summary, anarchism provides a perpetual warning for all movements: beware of the trappings of power, beware of bureaucracy, and ensure that authority is always distrusted.