Anarchism
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in that the state merely replaces the capitalist class as the main source of exploitation. Anarchists of all kinds have a preference for an economy in which free individuals manage their own affairs without the need for state ownership or regulation. However, this has allowed them to endorse a number of quite different economic systems, ranging from anarcho-communism to anarcho-capitalism. TYPES OF ANARCHISM Collectivist anarchism The philosophical roots of collectivist anarchism (sometimes called anarcho-collectivism or social anarchism) lie in socialism rather than liberalism. Anarchist conclusions can be reached by pushing socialist collectivism to its limits. Collectivism is, in essence, the belief that human beings are social animals, better suited to working together for the common good than striving for individual self-interest. Collectivist anarchism stresses the human capacity for social solidarity, or what Kropotkin termed ‘mutual aid’. As pointed out earlier, this does not amount to a naive belief in ‘natural goodness’, but rather highlights the potential for goodness that resides within all human beings. Human beings are, at heart, sociable, gregarious and cooperative creatures. In this light, the natural and proper relationship between and among people is one of sympathy, affection and harmony. When people are linked together by the recognition of a common humanity, they have no need to be regulated or controlled by government: as Bakunin (1973) proclaimed, ‘Social solidarity is the first human law; freedom is the second law’. Not only is government unnecessary but, in replacing freedom with oppression, it also makes social solidarity impossible.
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PETER KROPOTKIN (1842–1921) A Russian geographer and anarchist theorist, Kropotkin’s work was imbued with a scientific spirit, based on a theory of evolution that he proposed as an alternative to Darwin’s. By seeing ‘mutual aid’ as the principal means of human and animal development, he claimed to provide an empirical basis for both anarchism and communism, looking to reconstruct society on the basis of self-management and decentralization. Kropotkin’s major works include Mutual Aid (1902), The Conquest of Bread (1892) and Fields, Factories and Workshops (1898).
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Philosophical and ideological overlaps between anarchism and socialism, particularly Marxist socialism, are evident in the fact that anarchists have often worked within a broad revolutionary socialist movement. For example, the First International, 1864–72, was set up by supporters of Proudhon and Marx. A number of clear theoretical parallels can be identified between collectivist anarchism and Marxism. Both: z z fundamentally reject capitalism, regarding it as a system of class exploitation and structural injustice z z have endorsed revolution as the preferred means of bringing about political change z z exhibit a preference for the collective ownership of wealth and the communal organization of social life
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