Anarchism

1.4 Political Science

Submitted by –
Rajas Salpekar
UID No. UG 2019-84

B.A. LL.B (Hons.) 1st year 1st semester

Submitted to

Mr. Madhukar Sharma

(Assistant Professor of Political Science)

MAHARASHTRA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, NAGPUR

Table of Contents

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 1

History of Anarchism ................................................................................................................................. 2

Types Of Anarchism ................................................................................................................................... 3

Criticism of Anarchism .............................................................................................................................. 4

Relevance in Contemporary World........................................................................................................... 5

 Anarchism

Introduction

The English word anarchism is said to be derived from the Greek word ‘anarkhia’, which means
without an ‘arkhos’ or ruler. Thus, anarchism literally means a state not ruled by a ruler or which
lacked a governing authority. The philosophical concept of Anarchism is a political theory
holding all forms of governmental authority to be unnecessary and undesirable and advocating
a society based on voluntary cooperation and free association of individuals and groups. by
Anarchism is often used in a pejorative sense and is seen as a situation of tyranny and havoc but
this concept also has a lot of supporters, a few of which are talked about in this paper.

It is better explained by Peter Kroptokin, a Russian anarchism and philosopher, defines

anarchism in his 1910 Encyclopedia Britannica edition as,“the name given to a principle or
theory of life and conduct under which society is conceived without government – harmony in
such a society being obtained, not by submission to law, or by obedience to any authority, but by
free agreements concluded between the various groups, territorial and professional, freely
constituted for the sake of production and consumption, as also for the satisfaction of the infinite
variety of needs and aspirations of a civilized being.” (Kropotkin, 1970, p284)

In a broader sense, ‘anarchism’ means a state where people are not dominated by a governing
authority or an administrative body and where people will not be bound by any law and the
society will function on free social contracts.

As per an English philosopher and economist, G.D.H. Cole, “Anarchism as a philosophic

doctrine sets out from a root and branch opposition to all forms of society which rest on the basis
of coercive authority. Anarchism, as an ideal, means a free society from which the coercive
elements have disappeared”.1

William.O.Reichert, in his book on American anarchism.`Partisans of Freedom’, supported the

theory of anarchism by stating that anarchism drew its inspiration from the modern world science

1
http://www.politicalsciencenotes.com/essay/anarchism-definition-theories-and-other-details/400
but from the nature.As the nature requires an ecological balance to be maintained, similarly
anarchism wants a balance of power and status between all living beings and also elaborates that
if the natural living processes are kept in an artificially restricted and confined environment they
would decay and die whereas they would prosper and flourish if left at their own will.

He also supported the famous theory propounded by Kropotkin that if human being are freed
from the shackles of an authoritative governance then they will naturally find a way to live
peacefully together and practice it thereafter. For example, the Caribs of Venezuela and North
Sentinel Tribe of Andaman and Nicobar, live in jungles and secluded islands but no one has ever
heard of them being devoured by wild beasts. This shows that humans can have a sanguine
relation with nature even without a governing body.

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, a French philosopher, is often regarded as the father of anarchism. He

was a staunch adversary to the concept of state and believed that it sowed the seeds of inequality
in the society. He consolidated his argument by propounding the slogan of ‘Property is Theft’, in
his 1840 book,What is Property? Or, an Inquiry into the Principle of Right and of Government.
He believed that the concept of private property was nothing but an act of theft as land was
provided to us by the nature and each and every person had an equal right on claiming natural
resources. He also criticized the concepts of wage labor, worker exploitation and capitalism and
said that all of these had existed because the concept of state gave some people (the
administrators) certain privileges over others and contributed largely to inequality.

But, John P Clark, an American author and philosopher, has mentioned that anarchism has a
different meaning in the contemporary world. He says that anarchism is sometimes seen as
implying a desire to destroy all established social institutions, preferably through violence. Yet
none of the major anarchist theories from Godwin to the present has held such an extreme view,
and no anarchist popular movement has presented such a proposal as part of its program.2

David Miller, a British political scientist, further states that modern anarchism to him is
something which proposes and promotes voluntarism, decentralization, and/or freedom. He also

2
Clark, John, 1978, ‘What is Anarchism’, Anarchism: Nomos XIX,
says that anarchism in modern times is any movement which tries to oppose or agitate against the
oppressive rules, laws or policies of the government.3

History of Anarchism

The roots of anarchism can be traced back to 1840, when French philosopher, Pierre-Joseph
Proudhon used the word for the first time in his book, ‘What is property? Or, an Inquiry into the
Principle of Right and of Government.

The early anarchist movements can be traced back to 1870, when Mikail Bukanin, a Russian
revolutionary anarchist, lead an unsuccessful revolt to overthrow the French government in Lyon
during the Franco-Prussian War. 4

Another such event was the Haymarket Affair of 1886, when a group of workers gathered in
Haymarket square and protested against the violent treatment meted out to them by the American
authorities, it ended in violent clashes with the police and several anarchists were arrests and
executed.5

There were a variety of anarchistic religious and political movements in Europe during the Middle
Ages and later, including the Brothers and Sisters of the Free Spirit, the Klompdraggers,
the Hussites, the Adamites, the early Anabaptists, the Diggers and the Levellers, but none had
much widespread influence. Likewise, anarchist uprisings were seen in almost every part of the
world including Spain, Italy, France, Russia, America and others.

In modern times, the definition of anarchism has changed and anarchists take to the streets to
oppose or protest against the arbitrary or unjust laws of the state. The zaptista Uprising of 1994
and the 1999 Seattle protests against the World Trade Organization, are some examples of
revived anarchism.

3
https://philosophynow.org/issues/128/A_Brief_Explanation_of_Anarchism
4
https://study.com/academy/lesson/anarchist-definition-movement-quiz.html
5
Ibid.
Recently, the yellow vest movement in France has also been an example of contemporary
anarchism where people protested against the exorbitant fuel taxes imposed by the state.

Types of Anarchism –

The major difference is between individual anarchism and communalism.Although the economic
arrangements are not mutually exclusive, there exist some minor differences. The theory of
individualism sees through the individual perspective whereas communalism wants things to not
be individual centric like no personal property rather a collective ownership.

In a broader sense, individual anarchism wants every individual to be self sufficient in all the
needs and thereby avoid any concept of social status whereas communal anarchism wants a
community of people to collectively own a plot of land and share other resources and thereby
abolish any social and economical differences.

 Individual Anarchism – It states that individual interest should not be compromised

away. It also states that self-interest of individuals should not be constrained by any
governing body or authority. It however promotes holding private property to promote
the welfare of peasants and farmers. Its ultimate goal is a society where everyone has
equal land and equal resources and no one is subservient to other.

Some forms of communal anarchism are -

 Anarcho-Pacifism – Also known as non-violent anarchism, it is a school of thought in

anarchism which propounds no use of violence while bringing about a social change. An
example can be the teachings of ‘Ahimsa’ by Mahatama Gandhi and the concept of
‘satyagriha’ i.e. non-violent civil resistance.

For example- The ‘champaran satyagraha’, India’s first civil disobedience movement was an apt
example of anarcho-pacifism as it not only opposed the stringent enforcement to grow indigo but
also was non-violent in its spirit.
  Anarcho- Syndicalism – It’s another type of anarchism which requires workers to form a
syndicate or a union to raise their voice and influence the decision making of the
government and capture the economy thereafter.

Anarcho-syndicalists seek to abolish the wage system, regarding it as "wage slavery," and state or private
ownership of the means of production, which they believe lead to class divisions. The demand for better
wages becomes revolutionary only when it is coupled with the demand that the exploitation of labor must
cease.6

 Religious Anarchism – This school of anarchism believes in following the teachings of a

particular religion in bringing about a social change. For example – the followers of
Christian anarchism, say that Christianity gives credence and confidence to the theory of
anarchism. Their ultimate aim is to combine the teachings of Jesus Christ with anarchism.

Other forms of religious anarchism include Buddhist and Jewish Anarchism.7

Some other forms of anarchism include – ‘anarcho-queerism’, ‘anarcho-naturism’, ‘anarcho-

feminism’etc.

Criticisms of Anarchism –

Some of the most prominent criticisms of anarchism are stated below -

 ‘Anarchism has considered the state an unnecessary evil and criticized it bitterly’ –

The anarchist practice of revolting against the government and demanding its removal has no
relevance in today’s world as today the state has become a welfare institution.State today
provides subsisdies on several high priced goods, makes policies for the upliftment of the
marginalized strata and do all other needful activities for appeasement of the society.

 The Anarchists believe that in a stateless and classless society there will be an end to the
crimes and all the functions will be performed on the basis of mutual co-operation, but
this does not seem to be practical –
6
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Anarcho-syndicalism
7
Walter,Nicholas,1991, ‘Anarchism and Religion’,South Place Ethical Society
The concept of class is inevitable and would have arose anyways. Class would have had
different parameters than social status and economic background in a society without a state and
the concepts would have been efficiency in working, racial discrimination, or any other
parameter would have naturally arose.

 Several times anarchism takes violent forms –

Even though anarchism was never intended to be violent, several anarchist movements turn violent if they
initially fail or are unable to achieve their target. Some others have violent roots. The zaptista rebellion
was a quintessential violent anarchist movement.

Relevance in contemporary world.

Anarchism can be used as a tool to raise one’s voice and influence the decision making of the government
but in its true sense i.e. in a peaceful and non-violent manner.