Lucy Parsons & The Anarchist Movement

Theories about anarchism and how it can be achieved or applied range widely, from anarcho-syndicalism and anarcho-communism, to anarcha-feminism, social ecology, mutualism, collectivism, individualism, and beyond. Anarchists have always been unique, in that they call for a social revolution, instead of a political one. Political revolutions replace one master for another, while social revolutions call for the permanent abolition of all rulers.

Anarchist struggles have manifested themselves in the Paris Commune, the Haymarket Affair, the powerful Cuban anarcho-syndicalist movements, the Russian revolution, the Chinese revolution, the massive Argentine anarchist struggles, the Brazilian anarchist labor movements, and most notably the Spanish revolution of 1936 (arguably the most successful and important anarchist event in history). Anarchism made a resurgence in the wake of the 1970's and 80's with English anarchist punk bands such as Crass. Recent revivals within the anarchist movement have been expressed in the anti-globalization actions in Seattle and beyond, the Zapatista uprisings in Latin America, Palestinian solidarity actions (such as Anarchists Against the Wall), and a growing new radicalism among peace and justice movements around the world.

In praxis, anarchism is anti-authoritarian socialism. It is "the confluence of the two great currents", explains German anarchist Rudolf Rocker; "Socialism will be free or it will not be at all. In its recognition of this fact lies the genuine and profound justification of Anarchism." Russian anarchist Mikhail Bakunin also believed that every anarchist must necessarily be a socialist, but demanded stateless socialism: "Freedom without socialism is privilege and injustice; socialism without freedom is slavery and brutality." Lucy Parsons's Haymarket comrade, Adolph Fischer, explained it this way: "Every anarchist is a socialist, but not every socialist is necessarily an anarchist." Another term for anarchism is libertarian socialism.

Prominent anarchists of history include William Godwin (the first person to write about anarchism in his book Political Justice), Pierre Joseph Proudhon (the first person to declare himself an anarchist), Mikhail Bakunin, Louise Michel, Peter Kropotkin (the father of anarcho-communism), Rudolph Rocker, Emma Goldman, Alexander Berkman, Annie Netter, Lucy Parsons, the Haymarket martyrs, Voltairine de Cleyre, Leo Tolstoy (the most famous proponent of Christian anarchism), Errico Malatesta, Kate Austin, Marie Louise Berneri, Ricardo Flores Magon, Mollie Steimer, Henry David Thoreau, Lizzie Holmes, Sacco and Vanzetti, Luisa Capetillo, Buenaventura Durruti, Federica Montseny, Syusui Kotoku, Murray Bookchin, Augustin Souchy, Esther and Sam Dolgoff, Noam Chomsky, Natasha Notkin, Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin and countless others all over the world.

"Government is for slaves; free men govern themselves"! —Albert Parsons

At the core of anarchist theory "is the desire to free society of all political and social coercive institutions which stand in the way of the development of a free humanity", writes Rocker. Anarchists view the state, their corporate masters, and the myriad of power dynamics and oppression which result from these institutions as not only unnecessary, but counter-productive to human freedom and aspirations. Anarchists believe that most of society's inequities, violence and conflict stem from unequal power relations between rulers and ruled. Wars, social violence, widespread racism, poverty and oppression are in large part the results of arbitrary social relations designed to serve the interests of the rich and powerful and their authoritarian institutions. Anarchists seek to identify these power dynamics and systems of control, and challenge their legitimacy. If they cannot be justified then they should be considered illigitimate and abolished.

Noam Chomsky explains it best: "At a very general level we should be concerned with any structure of authority and domination and hierarchy that exists - any, from whether it's inside the family, to international affairs. And we should question it. We should ask: is it legitimate? Does it have a justification? The burden of proof is on authority... Not many kinds of authority can be justified, and if they can't we should be moving to dismantle them and to create a more free and just society."(Source)

Anarchism has always been about advancing certain principles. Whereas neo-liberalism and state power promote doctrines of violence, authoritarianism, competition and greed, anarchism promotes principles of peaceful co-existence, freedom, and mutual aid. Principles of freedom and mutual aid extend back as far as human history is recorded, long before anarchism was ever known or heard of. Anarchism is the highest and most evolved expression of these principles, "the very finest thing," wrote Alexander Berkman, "that humanity has ever thought of." It continues as a permanent tendency in the ongoing struggle for freedom and justice.

Anarchism today has begun to encompass a broader and deeper analysis of power and inequality, realizing the importance of intersectional struggles on behalf of class, race, gender, and every form of oppression which shackles us from being free, while also maintaining a commitment to anti-capitalist and anti-authoritarian protest and direct action. Anarchism is diverse, broad, and demands social and cultural freedom in every sphere of life. Anarchists now, and have always, envisioned advancing a society built on principles of collective liberation, mutual aid, self-determination, and uprooting dominator culture.

Note: The term "collective liberation" was coined by bell hooks in her book Outlaw Culture (1994). The term "dominator culture" was coined by Riane Eisler in her book The Chalice and the Blade (1987).

More information about Anarchism:

The Principles of Anarchism By Lucy E. Parsons

What is Anarchism? By Albert R. Parsons

An Introduction to Anarchism By Liz A. Highleyman

ABC of Anarchism By Alexander Berkman

Anarchism: What it Really Stands For By Emma Goldman

Anarchist Theory and Practice By Lorenzo Komboa Ervin

Anarchism By Peter Kropotkin

Anarchism: It's Aims and Purposes By Rudolf Rocker

Anarchism?! By Michael Albert

Anarchism and American Traditions By Voltairine de Cleyre

Notes on Anarchism By Noam Chomsky