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oppressive, regardless of whether it is acquired through the ballot box or at the point of a gun. Similarly, anarchists are disenchanted by political parties, both parliamentary and revolutionary, because they are bureaucratic and hierarchic organizations. The idea of an anarchist government, an anarchist party or an anarchist politician would therefore appear to be contradictions in terms. To make matters worse, denied the option of using conventional means of political activism, anarchists have sometimes employed terrorist tactics, creating a damaging link in the popular consciousness between anarchism and violence. Anarchist violence was prominent in two periods in particular – in the late nineteenth century, reaching its peak in the 1890s; and again in the 1970s – but, on each occasion, it left the state stronger not weaker, its repressive machinery significantly expanded. Nevertheless, not only does anarchism stubbornly refuse to die, but it may also be set to remain a significant ideological force for years to come. One reason for this is that, because of its uncompromising attitude to authority and political activism, anarchism has an enduring and often strong, moral appeal, especially to the young. By its very existence, anarchism thus keeps alive the idea that, in the words of the anti-capitalist slogan, a ‘better world is possible’. Furthermore, using anarchism’s failure to achieve power and reshape societies as evidence of its limited influence may be to miss the point of anarchism itself. By seeking to radically disperse and decentralize political power – rather than to seize power in the conventional sense – anarchism exerts a socio-cultural influence that extends over a broader range of concerns than many other ideologies. Thus, not only does anarchism currently operate within a highly diverse and sometimes fragmented anti-anti-globalization movement, but the anarchist element within this movement is itself highly eclectic. Among other things, anarchists give priority to addressing the climate crisis, uphold animal rights, oppose consumerism , condemn
global inequality, and support new thinking in areas ranging from transport and urban development to drugs policy and gender politics. However, while this span of political concerns may be impressive, particularly in demonstrating anarchism’s capacity to stimulate innovative and wider reflection, it may also underline the disparate nature of anarchist ideology, calling its coherence into question.
Consumerism: A psychic and social phenomenon whereby personal happiness is equated with the consumption of material possessions.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
y y Why do anarchists view the state as evil and oppressive? y y How and why is anarchism linked to utopianism? y y How, and how effectively, have anarchists sustained the idea of natural order? y y Is collectivist anarchism simply an extreme form of socialism? y y How do anarcho-communists and Marxists agree, and over what do they disagree? y y To what extent are anarchism and syndicalism compatible?
y y How do individualist anarchists reconcile egoism with statelessness? y y Is anarcho-individualism merely free-market liberalism taken to its logical conclusion? y y To what extent do anarchists disagree about the nature of the future anarchist society? y y How can the political success of anarchism best be judged? y y Why have anarchist ideas been attractive to modern social movements? y y Do anarchists demand the impossible?
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