Anarchy (1545 words)

Anarchy
Anarchism seems to be defined many ways by many different sources. Most
dictionary definitions define anarchism as the absence of government. A leading
modern dictionary, Webster’s Third International Dictionary, defines anarchism
briefly but accurately as, “a political theory opposed to all forms of
government and governmental restraint and advocating voluntary cooperation and
free association of individuals and groups in order to satisfy their
needs.” Other dictionaries describe anarchism with similar definitions. The
Britannica-Webster dictionary defines the word anarchism as, “a political
theory that holds all government authority to be unnecessary and undesirable and
advocates a society based on voluntary cooperation of individuals and
groups.” William Godwin was the first proclaimed anarchist in history and
the first to write about anarchism. Godwin published a book called Political
Justice in 1793 which first introduced his ideas about anarchism, Godwin was
forgotten about, however, and after his death Pierre Joseph Proudhon became a
leading anarchist figure in the world. His book What is Property? incorporated
greater meaning to the word anarchism; anarchism became not only a rejection of
established authority but a theory opposing ownership of land and property as
well. Anarchism fully blossomed as a defined theory when Russian anarchists
Mikhail Bakunin (1814-1876) and Peter Kropotkin (1842-1921) started to write and
speak. Bakunin had a major influence in the world and introduced anarchism to
many people. Kropotkin was one of the many people inspired by Bakunin. Kropotkin
wrote many books on anarchism, including Muitual Aid, Fields Factories and
Workshops, and The Conquest of Bread, and greatly aided in the evolution of the
theory of anarchism. As the 20th century emerged anarchism began to peak and the
definition of anarchism became concrete with the growth of new anarchist writers
and movements. The execution and imprisonment of eight anarchists in Chicago in
1886 sparked anarchism’s growth in the United States. The “Haymarket
Eight” flourished anarchists such as Voltairine de Cleyre and Lucy Parsons.

Parsons was born into slavery and later became an anarchist and an ardent
speaker and working class rebel; the Chicago police labeled Parsons,
“…more dangerous than a thousand rioters.” Although the word
anarchism is understood by many in its classic sense (that defined by
dictionaries and by anarchists of history), the word often seems to be misused
or misunderstood. Anarchism, because of the threat it imposes upon established
authority, has been historically, and is still, misused by power holders as
violence and chaos. The claim that anarchism is chaos was refuted long ago by
Alexander Berkman when he wrote: “I must tell you, first of all, what
anarchism is not. It is not bombs, disorder, or chaos. It is not robbery or
murder. It is not a war of each against all. It is not a return to barbarianism
or to the wild state of man. Anarchism is the very opposite of all that.” So,
what is anarchism? All of the pro-anarchy sources I found say that, basically,
anarchism is a political philosophy that embraces democracy and freedom, and
seeks to destroy all forms of coercion and oppression. The root of human
oppression is seen as authority and inequality. This is why they think it is the
perfect ideological guide for destroying poverty, racism, and sexism. All these
oppressions are systems of power based on hierarchy. Hierarchy means top-down,
like a pyramid. Hierarchical constructions of power create positions of relative
privilege and relative oppression. Capitalism, white supremacy, and patriarchy
(male supremacy) are also top-down constructions of power. Anarchism
conceptualizes power differently. Instead of power over, anarchism proposes
power with, cooperation. This means that social systems and institutions should
be based on cooperation and compromising. Power would rest in individuals and
the collectives they freely associate into. Anarchism revolves around five basic
principles: 1) equality; 2) democracy; 3) free association; 4) mutual aid; 5)
diversity. Equality can have many different meanings. In regards to the
anarchist political philosophy, they speak of equality in reference to power.

This doesn’t mean they want a new society based on a totalitarian vision of
everyone looking and acting the same, in fact they see strength in diversity.

Instead they mean that everyone should have equal access to power, to determine
how he or she wants to live his or her lives. It appears the best way for equal
power to be institutionalized is through different forms of democracy. Democracy
is a vague notion, but in general it seeks to empower everyone to have an equal
say in decisions that affect their lives. This is only useful if it extends to
all areas of social life. Capitalism is undemocratic, in my