What is Anarchism? Definition and Characteristics

Mudabicara.com_ Anarchism is a political ideology that is familiar to mudabicara. Historical records show that anarchism has participated in the process of the struggle for independence.

If you are still allergic to hear the word anarchism because it is synonymous with the word violence, disorder, then you should read the following mudabicara articles :

The political ideology of anarchism has clear roots in the struggle for a just world order. The real ideology is not only based on violent narratives, but is also based on values ​​and struggles.

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Understanding Anarchism

Etymologically anarchism comes from the word anarchy which is rooted in the Greek anarchos or anarchein. When in German it means anarchie and in English anarchy. 

Anarchos or A archein itself means without a ruler and without a government . The adherents of anarchism do not believe in the existence of control and authority that governs coercively and repressively.

Anarchism can be interpreted as an ideology that does not believe in the existence of a relationship between government and being ruled.

In principle, anarchism believes that a philosophy about humans as members of society will provide the best benefits if there is no governing relationship and narrative authority.

They believe that humans are independent beings who are able to live in harmony without any intervention by power.

Understanding Anarchism According to Experts

1. Piere Joseph Proudho

Pierre Joseph Proudho was an early thinker of the ideology of anarchism. He was the first person to claim to be an anarchist. Piere Joseph Proudho’s most famous words are that man’s rule over man is slavery.

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As an early figure, Pierre Joseph Proudho taught peaceful anarchism. According to him, anarchism is an anti-armed attitude because the armed forces are both a reinforcement and a tool of the state system.

For him society is morally worthy of survival and should only depend on the voluntary goodwill of its members.

Some of Piere Joseph Proudho’s major works are Economic Contradictions, What is Property and The Political Capacity of The Working Classes .

Three works full of ideas that later became the forerunners of future thinking and the development of anarchist ideology as a mass movement.

As the originator of peaceful anarchism, Piere Joseph Proudho tries to bring out the negative connotations of anarchism. He believed that the best way to achieve social order was anarchism.

2. Mikhail Bakunin

For the adherents of this school, who does not know Mikhail Bakunin , the figure of a powerful anarchist and full of revolutionary energy. Bakunin’s anarchism is anti-socialism and anti-communism anarchism.

Based on the book entitled The Political Philosophy of Bakunin (1953) , Bakunin gave a surprising statement, namely “Freedom without socialism is injustice, and socialism without freedom is slavery and brutality”.

This means that Bakunin asserts that anarchism is different from socialism. As an ideology, socialism still accepts the existence of the state which of course results in brutality and slavery.

As an authoritarian figure, Bakunin envisions freedom in expressing his potential without the existence of a state that regulates and restricts that expression.

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At first Bakunin was one of the sons of Proudhon’s ideology but he developed the discourse of anarchism into the economic field. This was done by Bakunin when First International recognized collective property rights over land and the means of production.

His main goal was that Bakunin wanted to limit a person’s personal wealth even if it was his work.

3. Erico Malatesta

As an Italian agitator and anarchist, Errico Malatesta’s name is no stranger to the study of anarchist ideology. Even this revolutionary and propagandist figure was able to become a leader of movements in various countries.

The ability to influence and mobilize is unquestionable. Some of the countries he has led include: Argentina, North and South America, Egypt, Spain, Romania and his own country Italy.

In his movement, he is a figure who is able to adapt well, very dynamic and situational. The principle of the Malatesta movement is a social revolution by rejecting the existence of political parties.

Even in certain positions Malatesta distrusted the anarcho-syndicalists who formed the revolutionary trade unions. Malatesta advocated violence against capitalism and the struggle for the emancipation of workers.

Although it seems ambiguous in practice when imagining a free association, Malatesta believes that joining an organization will only serve as an extension of the organization’s interests.

Some of Malatesta’s sentences about Anarchism in “The Revolutionary ‘Haste'” include:

The elimination of human exploitation and oppression can only be achieved through the abolition of greedy capitalism and oppressive governments

Every new idea and institution, all progress and every revolution have been made into the struggle of the minorities. It is our aspiration and goal that all people will be socially aware and successful; but in order to reach this end, it is necessary to equip it all with a meaning of life and development, and therefore to destroy (a social order) violence is indispensable, since one person cannot do otherwise, violence will deny (inability) it’s for workers

4. Alexander Berkman

Russian writer Alexander Berkman explains in his book What is Communism Anarchism? (1929), “Anarchism is not bombs, disorder and chaos. Not even robbery and murder. Nor is it a war between the few against all. It does not mean a return to a life of barbarism or the wild conditions of man”

For Alexander Berkman anarchism is the opposite of it all. An anarchist should not have anyone enslave, master, rob or coerce you. Anarchism’s true goal is freedom and away from violent narratives.

5. Peter Kropotkin

As the philosopher Peter Kropotkin defines anarchism as a socialist system without government. In his book Kropotkin’s Revolutionary Pamphlets (1927) he wrote about anarchism.

For him anarchism is a socialist system without government. He began among humans, and will maintain his vitality and reactivity as long as it is the movement of humans.

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Characteristics of Anarchism

1. Opposing the Organizational Existence and Hierarchical Narrative

As a political theory, the ideology of anarchism rejects the existence of a hierarchical narrative because the hierarchy provides opportunities for levels or castes.

There is no organization, there is only the role of the community and the ability of the community to adapt to every problem they face. Everyone is free to determine their actions as long as they do not limit the freedom of other individuals.

2. No State and No Government

For adherents of Anarchism, the state and government are something that threatens the social order of society. Basically the government and the state are only instruments that can limit the existence of norms, rules and laws.

People with anarchist ideology strongly reject any restrictions on people’s freedom. So the state and government do not need to exist.

For an anarchist there is no person who has a higher degree than other nations, all humans have the same position and degree.

3. High Individualism

The role of the individual or a person’s personality is more important and noble than the social role in the social environment. Demands from outside need not be ignored anymore.

Each individual is free to express all forms of his will and desire.

4. Education is Born Naturally

As people who reject the existence of a rule system, supporters of the ideology of anarchism consider education to be something that will emerge naturally.

It will grow by itself even without going through a formal training and education process. Community development is usually through chat and discussion so that mutual agreement arises regarding directions and goals.

5. Don’t Believe in Bureaucratic Rules

Adherents of this understanding strongly oppose the existence of economic discrimination because it will benefit one party, especially the upper class.

The same applies to bureaucracy. Bureaucracy is an order that creates a hierarchical narrative so that it will certainly be rejected in an anarchist-leaning society.

6. Identical to Violence and Chaos

In many cases this ideology is synonymous with violence and chaos. Whereas early thinkers such as Piere Joseph Proudho introduced the concept of peaceful anarchism.

Usually anarchists commit violence in the midst of a government system that is too bureaucratic. This can be seen from what happened in Russia during the era of Tzar Leon Czolgos.

In the era of Tzar Leon Czolgos there were many social conflicts in the community because of the narrative of the nihilism group. Anarchists view the state as only a source of misery because through various rules it is unable to behave fairly.

Although in the end anarchism itself underwent various changes to the definition of the movement that gave birth to right anarchism and left anarchism.

In principle, this understanding is against economic discrimination, capitalism, corporations, racism. They explicitly state that all nations, races, ethnicities, skin colors are the same thing.

Even sexism, fascism, xenophobia, militarism are part of the narrative that needs to be removed from human life.

So the analysis of the young talk this time about what anarchism is, hopefully it will be a reference for you in understanding what anarchism is and how to view it. see you next analyzed politics.