Anarchism

Figure 1.--Here New York City Police are searching 18-year old Max Dolinger after a bombing by anarchist Selig Cohen aka Selig Silverstein, ayoung tailor, in Union Square. Cohen tried to throw a bomb at a group of policmen, but it exploded prematurely (March 28, 1908). It killed a bystander named Ignatz Hildebrand and mortally wounding Cohen, who died a month later. We are not sure why Dolinger was suspected of complicity. He was held on $3,000 bail, a sizeable amount in 1908, but was subsequentky exhinerated. The 'New York Times' reported, "NO "RED" PLOT, SAY THE POLICE; Nothing to Indicate That Bomb Outrage Was Part of a Conspiracy. WATCH ON ANARCHISTS Detectives Keep Sharp Vigil on All Their Known Haunts on the East Side. BERKMAN DENIES LETTERS Bomb-Thrower Expected to Recover, but Surgeons Say He Will Be Blind and Crippled." (March 30, 1908). Photo: Baines News Service.

Anarchism was an offshoot from the world socialist movement of the 19th century. It is essentially the belief that all government is corrupt or evil and that there should be no government or laws and coersive agents like the police and army. Rather society should be built on the free association of all people. One of the leading intelectual lights of anarchism was William Godwin who wrote and lectured in Britain during the late- 18th century. He wrote that the "euthanasia of government" could be achieved through "individual moral reformation". This was essentially a pacifist approach and for many years anarchism was seen as more of a pacifist movenment than the terror image it eventually acquired. Anarchism was of little importance until the spread of socialist ideals. The triger point seems to have been the failure of the 1848 revolutions in Europe. This convinced many that reform was not possible throiugh constitutional means. The anarchist movement was especually prominant in Europe where authoritative monarchies (Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Russia) governed most of the continent providing limited opportunity for social reform, especially in absolutist Russia. Anarchists were responsible for various acts of terror during the later half of the 19th century. Their actions primarily targeted leading political figures. Not all of the revolutionary violence of the time was launched by anarchists. In fact the anarchists still had more of a pacifist image. Revolutionaries had a wide range of political motives and were responsible for most of the prominant acts of terror such as the assasinatioin of Tsar Alexander II. At the time large numbers of Europeans were immigrating to the United States, introducing radical socialist and anarchist thought to the American labor movement and political discourse. And this included anarchism. Two early figures in the American anarchist movement were William Greene and Benjamin Tucker. They founded journals like The Word and Liberty where they published the work of important European anarchists such as Peter Kropotkin, Michael Bakunin, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, and Leo Tolstoy. At this time anarchism still had an essentially pacifist ethos. In response to scts of terror, European monarchies became increasingly repressive, especially in Russia. This was just as large numbers of European immigrants began reaching America. Important anarchists in Europe, including Johann Most and Emma Goldman, joined the immigrant flow to the United States. Seeing the poor working conditions here and a government largely favoring moneyed interests, they both inisisted that as in Europe, violence was acceptable to overthrow capitalism. Neither saw that the democratic system was a tool for change or the importance of law. (Goldman was to see first hand when she returned to Lenin's Russia after the Revolution the horrors of violence in a society without laws.) Anarchists were blamed for the Haymarket Bombing in Chicago (1886). The Chicago authorities were never able to identify the actual person who threw the bomb. They did identify an anarchist cell (Albert Parsons, August Spies, Adolph Fisher, Louis Lingg and George Engel) who helped organized the meeting. They were tried and sentenced to death for "conspiracy to murder". Alexander Berkman, a Russian immigrant and anarchist attempted to murder industrialist William Frick (1892). Gaetano Bresci, am Italian immigrant, returned to Italy and assassinated King Umberto. Another anarchist, Leon Czolgosz, from a Polish immigrant family assassinated President William McKinley (1901). . This resulted i the passage of the Immigrant Exclusion Act (1901). Anarchis as a political philosophy was self defeating. The very cornerstone of human society is law, the very laws anarchists wanted to destroy. And without a strong organization to control the movement, the anarchists were unable to seize power. This proived to be theirr demise when they were some of the first victims of Lenin's police state.

Basic Philosophy

Modern anarchism is an offshoot from the world socialist movement of the 19th century. It is essentially the belief that all government is corrupt or evil and that there should be no government. The term is based on the Greek word anarchos, which meahns meaning without government or authority. Anarchists object to laws and coersive agents like the police and army. Rather they believe that society should be built on the free association of all people. There beliefs are based on philosophical outlook that human beings are naturally good, but are corrupted by society and its institutions. This was an reinteration of the 18th century Engligtement with writers cribing the nobel savage or children with minds that were tabla rasa. Anarchism was at first a kind of pacifism that gradually evolved into a more violent effort aimed at destroying the state and existing government structures so that more beneficial voluntary associations could develop naturally.

Early Anarchist Communities

Forms of anarchism may have existed in ancient times. The best example is probably early Christian sects.

Foundation

One of the leading intelectual lights of anarchism was William Godwin who wrote and lectured in Britain during the late- 18th century. He wrote that the "euthanasia of government" could be achieved through "individual moral reformation". This was essentially a pacifist approach and for many years anarchism was seen as more of a pacifist movenment than the terror image it eventually acquired. Anarchism was of little importance until the spread of socialist ideals.

Revolutions of 1848

The triger point seems to have been the failure of the 1848 revolutions in Europe. This convinced many that reform was not possible through constitutional means. The revolutuonaries established the Third Republic in France, but failed throughoput Germany, including Austria, in part because of the intervention of the Tsarist Army. The anarchist movement was especually prominant in Europe where authoritative monarchies (Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Russia) governed most of the continent providing limited opportunity for social reform, especially in absolutist Russia.

19th Century Terrorism

The largely pacifist anarchist movement of the early 19th century gradually became associated with violence and terrorism in the second half of the 19th century. A key figure in bringing about this shift was Russian revolutionary Mikhail Bakunin (1814-76). Bakunin competed with Marx among revolutiinry thinkers after the mid-19th century. Marx an socialism emerged as the major current in the ideological struggle. Anarchists were responsible for various acts of terror during the later half of the 19th century. Their actions primarily targeted leading political figures. Revolutionaries pursued political assassinations as a means of destroying government. This was based on the primarily monarchial governmental systems. Until World War I, most of Europe was governed by monarchies. Not all of the revolutionary violence of the time was launched by anarchists. Revolutionaries had a wide range of political motives and were responsible for most of the prominant acts of terror such as the assasinatioin of Tsar Alexander II.

Emigration

At the time that European workers were becoming increasingly radicalzed, large numbers of Europeans were immigrating to the United States. Emigration was one of the responses to poor working and social conditions. It is notable that late-19th century emigration was especially pronounced from the most repressive countries--the Russian and Austrian Empires. These emigrants helped introduce radical socialist and anarchist thought to the American labor movement and political discourse. And this included anarchism.

American Anarchism

Anarchism has had little appeal in the United States. There was some interest in utopian communities. An important early advocate was Josiah Warren (1798-1874). Even the utopian communities that developed, however, had rules. Two early figures in the American anarchist movement were William Greene and Benjamin Tucker. They founded journals like The Word and Liberty where they published the work of important European anarchists such as Peter Kropotkin, Michael Bakunin, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, and Leo Tolstoy. At this time anarchism still had an essentially pacifist ethos. In response to scts of terror, European monarchies became increasingly repressive, especially in Russia. This was just as large numbers of European immigrants began reaching America. Important anarchists in Europe, including Johann Most and Emma Goldman, joined the immigrant flow to the United States. Seeing the poor working conditions here and a government largely favoring moneyed interests, they both inisisted that as in Europe, violence was acceptable to overthrow capitalism. Neither saw that the democratic system was a tool for change or the importance of law. (Goldman was to see first hand when she returned to Lenin's Russia after the Revolution the horrors of violence in a society without laws.) Anarchists were blamed for the Haymarket Bombing in Chicago (1886). The Chicago authorities were never able to identify the actual person who threw the bomb. They did identify an anarchist cell (Albert Parsons, August Spies, Adolph Fisher, Louis Lingg and George Engel) who helped organized the meeting. They were tried and sentenced to death for "conspiracy to murder". The anarchist movement in America lost whatever minor support it had as it becamne associated with violence. Alexander Berkman, a Russian immigrant and anarchist attempted to murder industrialist William Frick (1892). Gaetano Bresci, am Italian immigrant, returned to Italy and assassinated King Umberto. Another anarchist, Leon Czolgosz, from a Polish immigrant family assassinated President William McKinley (1901). . This resulted in the passage of the Immigrant Exclusion Act (1901). This barred known anarchists from entering the United States. A group of anarchists founded the political journal with the imcendiary title Blast (January 1916). Alexander Berkman edited the journal and published articles by Emma Goldman, Mary Heaton Vorse, and Robert Minor. After World War and the Russian Revolution, the United States experienced the Red Scare (1919). Authorities deported a number of leading radicals, including anarchists (Emma Goldman, Alexander Berkman, and Mollie Steimer). Two Italian immigrants with anarchist sentiments (Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti) were tried and executed for murder. The case became an international cause ceklebre. Many believed that their conviction was based more on their anarchist beliefs than the evidence.

Russian Anarchism

Italian Anarchists

Spanish Anarchists

Workers in many European ciuntries during the early-20th century began increaingly to achieve political influence through the democratic system. This varied from country to country. The major force was socialist parties which achieved wide support among workers. Workers in Spain faced a very conservative society. Anarchist developed a particularly stroing influence among Spanish workers, especially workers in Barcelona. Activists there formed the anarcho-syndicalist trade union, the National Confederation of Trabajo (CNT) (1911). The Spanish Republic attempted to conduct major social reforms, resulting in opodsition from conservative, traditionl sectors of the society. When Col. Francisco Franco attempted to overthrown the Spanish Republic, the anarchists were among worker groups thst ralied to support the Republic in the resulting Spanish Civil War. About 0.1 million Spanish workers rushed to join Anarcho-Syndicalists militias. It was the Anarchists who formed the Iron Column of about 3,000 fighters. Cipriano Mera, leader of the CNT construction workers in Madrid, formed the Rosal Column from Guadalajara workers. The leading Anarchist leader in the first monts of the War was Buenaventura Durruti. He was killed in Madrid (November 20, 1936). The CNT charged that he was murdered by the Communist Party (PCE), a early example of disunity among the Republic's supporters. President Manuel Azaña reflecting the support of workers in preventing an immediate victory pf Franco's Loyalists, appointed a left-wing socialist as prime minister--Francisco Largo Caballero (September 1936). Largo Caballero insisted on also receiving the important role of war minister. He formed a government with left-wing ministers. This included four important anarchists: Juan Garcia Oliver (Justice), Juan López (Commerce), Federica Montseny (Health), and Juan Peiró (Industry). Montseny in particular was a precedent setting appointment. She was Spain's first woman cabinet minister. She proceeded to enact a series of reforms that were shocking to conservative Spainards (sex education, family planning and the legalization of abortion).

Modern Anarchism

The anarchit movement today is a fringe political movement. It has little real appeal and is unable to contest elections which philosophically are commonly seen as fradulent. Anarchists are sometimes involved in protest statements at major international economic meetings. The protests are generally carried out by mindless youths attracted to the ethos of protest for protest sake. Ignored of course is the simple fact that the international system built by America and Europe after World War II has resulting in freeing more people from poverty than at any time in human history. Increasingly people in developing countries are adopting the free markets reforms that are generating real economic growth.

Impact

Anarchis as a political philosophy was self defeating. The very cornerstone of human society is law, the very laws anarchists wanted to destroy. And without a strong organization to control the movement, the anarchists were unable to seize power. This proived to be theirr demise when they were some of the first victims of Lenin's police state.

Created: 7:39 PM 5/30/2009
Last updated: 11:52 AM 12/20/2014