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The theory and practice of [[anarchism]] has been controversial since it came to prominence in the 19th century. Some of the criticisms made of anarchism come from the interests it opposes, such as governments. Other criticisms have been made internally of other anarchists or by political movements that share similar goals, such as [[Marxism]].
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'''Criticisms of anarchism''' originate from the interest groups it opposes as well as related theories such as [[Marxism]]. Specific ideas within anarchism have been criticized, as has anarchism generally. Some charges leveled against anarchism by its critics are [[utopia]]nism, [[authoritarianism]], tendency towards [[nonviolence]], [[hypocrisy]] and being an expression of the class interests of the [[petite bourgeoisie]].
  
 
{{anarchism}}
 
{{anarchism}}
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==Violence==
 
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Since anarchism has often been associated with violence and destruction, it has been portrayed as being inherently violent. This is a matter of much debate between [[anarcho-pacifists]] and those who argue for the right to use violence in self-defense, whether of individuals or of [[Social class|class]] interests.
 
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[[Friedrich Engels]] criticized anarchists for not being violent enough:
 
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:''"A revolution is certainly the most authoritarian thing there is; it is the act whereby one part of the population imposes its will upon the other part by means of rifles, bayonets and cannon — authoritarian means, if such there be at all; and if the victorious party does not want to have fought in vain, it must maintain this rule by means of the terror which its arms inspire in the reactionists. Would the Paris Commune have lasted a single day if it had not made use of this authority of the armed people against the bourgeois?"<ref name=Engels>[http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1872/10/authority.htm ''On Authority'']</ref>
 
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This is considered dishonest by many anarchists as [[Bakunin]] and most anarchists have historically advocated for the use of revolutionary violence. The true difference lies in the way anarchists have organized to defend the revolution, that is, voluntary popular militias with elected officers and without the use of coercion to impose obedience to orders from a centralized command (see [[Nestor Makhno]] and [[Buenaventura Durruti]] for two anarchist military leaders), contrast this with forced conscription with unelected officers (and political officers to control them, as they were reactionaries most of the time) in a centralized and hierarchical chain of command, and death penalty for insubordination and desertion (see [[Trotsky]] and [[Stalin]] for two Marxist military leaders). Also, anarchists advocate revolutionary pluralism instead of one part dictatorship (as [[Lenin]] imposed, although allegedly as a temporary measure, and Stalin and [[Mao]] defended as the form of the dictatorship of the proletariat), not taking revenge towards reactionaries for being reactionaries (only taking measures in the case of active opposition, like sabotage, spying, or murder, and when the person had acted ruthlessly against workers previously to the revolution) and convincing others to join collectivities by example instead of under threat (this can be seen in the Spanish revolution, most collectivities were partial, individualists were allowed to work land plots without hired labor, compare it with Mao's Great Leap Forward or Stalin's forced collectivization).
 
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{{seealso|Anarchism and Marxism}}
 
  
 
==Utopianism==
 
==Utopianism==
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Anarchism is often criticized as unfeasible, or plain [[utopian]], even by many who agree that it is a nice idea in principle. For example, Carl Landauer in his book ''European Socialism'' criticizes anarchism as being unrealistically utopian, and holds that government is a "lesser evil" than a society without "repressive force." He holds that the belief that "ill intentions will cease if repressive force disappears" is an "absurdity."<ref name="landauer">Landauer, Carl. ''European Socialism: A History of Ideas and Movements'' (1959)</ref> However, not all anarchists hold the Utopian view that conflict can be eliminated. Many anarchists view anarchy as a continuing goal that in fact cannot be reached, but should be continuously worked toward. For example, [[Rudolf Rocker]] once said, "I am an anarchist not because I believe anarchism is the final goal, but because there is no such thing as a final goal"
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<ref name=Rocker> {{cite book | last = Rocker | first = Rudolf | authorlink = Rudolf Rocker | year = 1956 | title = The London Years}}</ref>. [[William Godwin]] addressed the "anarchism as Utopia" criticism by suggesting people are "perfectible," or always capable of improvement. Godwin's belief, shared by many anarchists, is a key difference between Anarchism and attitudes of [[Nihilism]].{{Or|date=October 2007}} However, other anarchists, such as Sir [[Herbert Read]], proudly accept the characterization "utopian."
  
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Anarchism is often criticized as unfeasible, or plain [[utopian]], even by many who agree that it is a nice idea in principle. For example, Carl Landauer in his book ''European Socialism'' criticizes anarchism as being unrealistically utopian, and holds that government is a "lesser evil" than a society without "repressive force." He holds that the belief that "ill intentions will cease if repressive force disappears" is an "absurdity."<ref>[[Carl Landauer|Landauer]], Carl. ''European Socialism: A History of Ideas and Movements'' (1959)</ref> However, it must be noted that not all anarchists have such a utopian view of anarchism. For example, some, such as Benjamin Tucker, advocate privately-funded institutions that defend individual liberty and property. Other anarchists view anarchy as a utopia that in fact cannot be reached but should be continuously worked toward. [[Rudolf Rocker]] once said, "I am an anarchist not because I believe anarchism is the final goal, but because there is no such thing as a final goal"
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[[Anarchist communists]] have historically fought for social change that is neither utopian nor unfeasible.{{cn|date=December 2007}} The key difference being in who has the power, Marxists and statists in general agree that a centralized and hierarchical (although with elected leaders in democratic governments) apparatus is needed to keep peace and organize social life, anarchists on the other hand believe that the people are perfectly capable of doing both things by their local organizations in a direct democratic and federalist way and that a centralized government is inefficient, bureaucratic and authoritarian. Critics counter that anarchists have never produced a compelling explanation of how those decentralized local organizations could resist the organized fascist movement that the critics believe would inevitably step into the power vacuum to seize control,<ref name="landauer"/> although decentralized armies might be mustered should the need arise, as in [[Revolutionary Insurrectionary Army of Ukraine|Ukraine]] or the [[Anarchism in Spain|anarchist resistance observed in Spain]].
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<ref name=Rocker> {{cite book | last = Rocker | first = Rudolf | authorlink = Rudolf Rocker | year = 1956 | title = The London Years}}</ref>.
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However, other anarchists, such as Sir [[Herbert Read]], proudly accept the characterization "utopian."
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Also, anarchist communists have historically fought for social change that is neither utopian nor unfeasible. The key difference being in who has the power, Marxists and statist in general agree that a centralized and hierarchical (although with elected leaders in democratic governments) apparatus is needed to keep peace and organize social life, anarchist on the other hand believe that the people are perfectly capable of doing both things by their local organizations in a direct democratic and federalist way and that a centralized government is inefficient, bureaucratic and authoritarian.
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==Hypocrisy==
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Some critics point to the [[sexist]]<ref>[[Jenny P. d'Hericourt]], ''"[http://www.pinn.net/~sunshine/whm2003/hericourt2.html Contemporary feminist critic of Proudhon]"''</ref> and [[racist]] views of some prominent anarchists, notably [[Pierre-Joseph Proudhon|Proudhon]] and [[Mikhail Bakunin|Bakunin]], as examples of an alleged [[hypocrisy]] inherent within anarchism. While many anarchists, however, dismiss that the personal prejudices of 19th century theorists influence the beliefs of present-day anarchists, others criticise modern anarchism for continuing to be [[Eurocentric]] and reference the impact of anarchist thinkers like Proudhon on [[fascism]] through groups like [[Cercle Proudhon]].<ref>[http://www.stewarthomesociety.org/ai.htm ''Anarchist Integralism]</ref> However, the tremendous number of anarchist [[Anti-fascism|opponents of fascism]] in its earliest history, plus the large number of [[Jewish anarchism|Jewish anarchist]] followers of [[Mikhail Bakunin|Bakunin]] from the past 120 years appears to attest to the power of his positive ideas about basic human freedom and the rejection by anarchists of his and [[Pierre-Joseph Proudhon|Proudhon]]'s negative statements (both in their times, like Dejacques and today). Anarchists point out that the people who focus on this area of these two people's writings tend to be [[Marxists]] trying to discredit anarchism, or [[nationalism|nationalists]] pursuing a racist agenda, and not anarchists. The [[Jewish anarchism|jewish anarchist]] position has been to argue that while the stupidity of [[anti-semitism]] whom many otherwise progressive intellectuals possessed should not be forgotten or overlooked, it should not make us forget the positive work some who fell into this trap in past history have contributed to humanity. The argument that anarchism is [[Eurocentric]] or "Western" in philosophical orientation have largely been disproved by the histories of large [[Cuban anarchism|Cuban anarchist]] (see [[Frank Fernández]]), [[Chinese anarchism|Chinese anarchist]] (see [[Ba Jin]]) and [[Latin American anarchism|Latin American anarchist]] (see [[Augusto César Sandino]] & [[Ricardo Flores Magón]]) movements in the 1920's.
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Associate professor [[Bryan Caplan]] argues that the treatment of fascists and fascist sympathizers by Spanish anarchists in the Spanish Civil War was a form of illegitimate coercion, making the anarchists "ultimately just a third faction of totalitarians," alongside the communists and fascists. He also criticizes the willingness of the CNT to join the Republican government during the civil war, and references [[Stanley G. Payne]]'s book on the Franco regime which claims that the CNT entered negotiations with the government of Spain six years after the war.<ref>[[Bryan Caplan|Caplan]], Bryan. ''"[http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/bcaplan/spain.htm The Anarcho-Statists of Spain]"''</ref> Many [[anarcho-syndicalist]] and [[Anarchist_communism|anarchist communist]] and other types of anarchists have criticized the CNT<ref>[[Sam Dolgoff|Dolgoff]], Sam. ''"[http://flag.blackened.net/liberty/dolgoff-controv.html Controversy: Anarchists in the Spanish Revolution]"''</ref>'s mistakes during and since the events of the [[Spanish Civil War]]. Caplan himself has shown some hypocracy in supporting the right of capitalists to attack or kill others in the name of defense of private property, which in itself has been called a form of illegitimate coercion and authoritarianism by most anarchists.
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[[Bryan Caplan]]'s political writing and scholarship, and the essay containing these points of view has been criticized as ''"mostly false reporting, based upon selective presentation of evidence in order to paint a radically false picture of the Spanish Anarchist movement"'', by anarchists such as [[Iain McKay]].<ref name=CaplanRebutal>[[List_of_anarchists|Iain McKay]], [http://www.spunk.org/texts/places/spain/sp001532.html''A Reply to Bryan Caplan's Essay "The Anarcho-Statists of Spain: An Historical, Economic, and Philosophical Analysis", or Objectivity and Right-Libertarian Scholarship''], accessed 2006-05-30</ref>
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==[[Social class|Class]] character==
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[[Marxists]] have characterized anarchism as an expression of the class interests of the [[petite bourgeoisie]] or perhaps the [[lumpenproletariat]]. See e.g. Plekhanov<ref>[[G. V. Plekhanov]] ''"[http://www.marxists.org/archive/plekhanov/1895/anarch/index.htm Anarchism and Socialism]"''</ref> for a Marxist critique of 1895. Anarchists have also been characterized as spoilt [[middle-class]] [[wiktionary:dilettante|dilettantes]], most recently in relation to [[anti-capitalism|anti-capitalist]] protesters.{{Citation needed}} Anarchists point out how Marxists revolutions create a new [[bourgeoisie]] based on being a [[Bureaucracy|bureaucrat]], and that most of those anarchists they claim to be "petite bourgeoisie" are merely ordinary working class people who happen to be [[intellectuals]] and excessively "street smart".
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{{seealso|Anarchism and Marxism}}
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==Tacit authoritarianism==
 
==Tacit authoritarianism==
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In recent decades anarchism (chiefly the [[Bakunin]]ist concept of the revolutionary secret society) has been criticized by [[Situationist International|Situationists]] and others of preserving tacitly statist, authoritarian or bureaucratic tendencies.<ref name=Spectacle>{{cite book
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| last = Debord | first = Guy | authorlink = Guy Debord | others= translated by Ken Knabb | title = [[Society of the Spectacle]] | publisher = Rebel Press | location = London | id = ISBN 0-946061-12-2 | chapter= paragraph 91
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}}</ref> Many anarchists consider it a strawman as the organization proposed by Bakunin has only been used in times of repression where clandestine activity is needed for survival (for example, during the last Argentinian dictatorship by [[Resistencia Libertaria Anticapitalista]]).
  
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In recent decades anarchism (chiefly the [[Bakunin]]ist concept of the revolutionary secret society) has been criticized by [[Situationism|Situationists]] and others of preserving tacitly statist, authoritarian or bureaucratic tendencies.<ref name=Spectacle>{{cite book
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This criticism mainly comes from capitalists. Anarcho-capitalist [[Bryan Caplan]] alleges the treatment of fascists and fascist sympathizers by Spanish anarchists in the Spanish Civil War was a form of illegitimate coercion, and according to him this allegedly made the anarchists "ultimately just a third faction of totalitarians," alongside the communists and fascists. Apart from this criticism, he criticizes the willingness of the CNT to join the Republican government during the civil war, and references [[Stanley G. Payne]]'s book on the Franco regime which claims that the CNT entered negotiations with the government of Spain six years after the war.<ref>[[Bryan Caplan|Caplan]], Bryan. ''"[http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/bcaplan/spain.htm The Anarcho-Statists of Spain]"''</ref> Many [[anarcho-syndicalist]]s, [[Anarchist communism|anarcho-communists]], and other types of anarchists have criticized the CNT<ref>[[Sam Dolgoff|Dolgoff]], Sam. ''"[http://flag.blackened.net/liberty/dolgoff-controv.html Controversy: Anarchists in the Spanish Revolution]"''</ref>'s mistakes during and since the events of the [[Spanish Civil War]]. On the other it should be noted that Caplan himself has shown some hypocrisy in supporting the right of capitalists to attack or kill others in the name of defense of private property, which in itself has been called a form of illegitimate coercion and authoritarianism by some anarchists. Caplan's political writing and scholarship, and the essay containing these points of view has been criticized as "mostly false reporting, based upon selective presentation of evidence in order to paint a radically false picture of the Spanish Anarchist movement", by Iain McKay.<ref name=CaplanRebutal>[[Iain McKay]], [http://www.spunk.org/texts/places/spain/sp001532.html''A Reply to Bryan Caplan's Essay "The Anarcho-Statists of Spain: An Historical, Economic, and Philosophical Analysis", or Objectivity and Right-Libertarian Scholarship''], accessed 2006-05-30</ref> Hence the truthfulness of Caplan's claim regarding the behavior anarchists in the Spanish Civil War is questionable. And even if the anarchists used certain some amount of violence against the fascists, it was only for the purpose of resistance. War of any kind itself is violent, and war can only be win by eliminating the enemy. This is the primary theory of any war happened throughout the history of mankind. Violence against enemy forces done by almost all types of people engaged in war. And the atrocities committed by the fascist forces were extremely high.
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| last = Debord | first = Guy | authorlink = Guy Debord | others= translated by Ken Knabb | title = [[Society of the Spectacle]] | publisher = Rebel Press | location = London | id = ISBN 0946061122 | chapter= paragraph 91
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}}</ref>. Many anarchists consider it a strawman as the organization proposed by Bakunin has only been used in times of repression where clandestine activity is needed for survival (for example, during the last Argentinean dictatorship by [[Resistencia Libertaria Anticapitalista]]).
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[[Post-anarchism|Post-anarchists]] share similar concerns regarding the methods, rather than intentions, of some anarchists. For instance, they reject [[revolution]], seeing means of forceful anarchism as effectively authoritarian and only transforming power rather than eliminating it. Most anarchists do believe in the need of revolution (taking over the means of work, abolishing the State) and the violent nature of the struggle to overthrow capitalism. However, the consider that violence has to be very focused and limited or else it would engender a new dictatorship.
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==Violence==
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Since anarchism has often been associated with violence, it has been portrayed as being inherently violent. This is a matter of much debate between [[anarcho-pacifists]] and those who argue for the right to use violence in self-defense, whether of individuals or of [[Social class|class]] interests.
  
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[[Anarcho-capitalism]], [[agorism]] and other forms of [[neo-liberalism]] have also come under serious criticism for essentially being representations of traditional "republican liberalism" (propertarianism) &mdash; [[capitalism]] that is the same as it was before, yet far worse: with the taxes, government social services, health regulations and socialized medical care programs removed and resulting in a society similar to the way it is depicted in movies like [[Blade Runner]] and most [[Cyberpunk]] literature. Such modern industrial societies were illustrated in books like [[Upton Sinclair]]'s ''[[The Jungle]]'' and much of the writing of [[Charles Dickens]]. It is argued that in such societies without a state in which all material resources (including land and [[capital goods]]) are owned privately by individuals and businesses the poor would be left to their own devices and the gap between the rich and the poor would naturally exacerbate. This was not what happened during the [[Spanish revolution]], as solidarity was widespread (for example, the Barbers union donated 100000 pesetas to the Asco collectivity for irrigation works). Also, in most places there was a family salary (and all salaries were more or less equal) which varied in accordance to the number of persons dependent of the worker. In other places money was abolished and replaced with quotas of consumption.
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[[Friedrich Engels]] criticized anarchists for not being violent enough:
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:''"A revolution is certainly the most authoritarian thing there is; it is the act whereby one part of the population imposes its will upon the other part by means of rifles, bayonets and cannon — authoritarian means, if such there be at all; and if the victorious party does not want to have fought in vain, it must maintain this rule by means of the terror which its arms inspire in the reactionists. Would the [[Paris Commune]] have lasted a single day if it had not made use of this authority of the armed people against the bourgeois?"<ref name=Engels>[http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1872/10/authority.htm ''On Authority'']</ref>
  
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==Nationalism==
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This is considered dishonest by many anarchists as [[Bakunin]] and most anarchists in the past have historically advocated for the use of revolutionary violence. The true difference lies in the way anarchists have organized to defend the revolution, that is, voluntary popular militias with elected officers and without the use of coercion to impose obedience to orders from a centralized command (see [[Nestor Makhno]] and [[Buenaventura Durruti]] for two anarchist military leaders), contrast this with forced conscription with unelected officers (and political officers to control them, as they were reactionaries most of the time) in a centralized and hierarchical chain of command, and death penalty for insubordination and desertion (see [[Trotsky]] and [[Stalin]] for two Marxist military leaders). Also, anarchists advocate revolutionary pluralism instead of one-party dictatorship (as [[Lenin]] imposed, although allegedly as a temporary measure, and Stalin and [[Mao]] defended as the form of the [[Dictatorship of the Proletariat]]), not taking revenge towards reactionaries for being reactionaries (only taking measures in the case of active opposition, like sabotage, spying, or murder, and when the person had acted ruthlessly against workers previously to the revolution) and convincing others to join collectivities by example instead of under threat (this can be seen in the Spanish revolution, most collectivities were partial, individualists were allowed to work land plots without hired labor, compare it with Mao's [[Great Leap Forward]] or Stalin's forced collectivization). The collectivist anarchist Mikhail Bakunin disagreed with Marx's ideas of violent revolt, and argued that not all revolutions must be violent.
  
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In recent years, an obscure movement known as [[national anarchism]] emerged, which mixes anarchist, [[fascist]] and [[racialist]] beliefs. They advocate racial separation, as well as political, social, and economic decentralization. The vast majority of anarchists consider nationalism to be inherently [[racist]] and [[Authoritarianism|authoritarian]] and consider it inconsistent with and opposed to anarchism.
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==Alleged hypocrisy==
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Some critics point to the [[sexist]]<ref>[[Jenny P. d'Hericourt]], ''"[http://www.pinn.net/~sunshine/whm2003/hericourt2.html Contemporary feminist critic of Proudhon]"''</ref> and [[racist]] views of some prominent anarchists, notably [[Pierre-Joseph Proudhon|Proudhon]] and [[Mikhail Bakunin|Bakunin]], as examples of alleged [[hypocrisy]]. While many anarchists, however, dismiss that the personal prejudices of some 19th century theorists influence the beliefs of present-day anarchists, others criticise modern anarchism for continuing to be [[Eurocentric]] and reference the impact of anarchist thinkers like Proudhon on [[fascism]] through groups like [[Cercle Proudhon]].<ref>[http://www.stewarthomesociety.org/ai.htm ''Anarchist Integralism]</ref> However, the tremendous number of anarchist [[Anti-fascism|opponents of fascism]] in its earliest history, plus the large number of [[Jewish anarchism|Jewish anarchist]] followers of [[Mikhail Bakunin|Bakunin]] from the past 120 years appears to attest to the power of his positive ideas about basic human freedom and the rejection by anarchists of his and [[Pierre-Joseph Proudhon|Proudhon]]'s negative statements (both in their times, like Dejacques and today). Anarchists point out that the people who focus on this area of these two people's writings tend to be [[Marxists]] trying to discredit anarchism, or [[nationalism|nationalists]] pursuing a racist agenda, and not anarchists. The [[Jewish anarchism|Jewish anarchist]] position has been to argue that while the stupidity of [[anti-semitism]] whom many otherwise progressive intellectuals possessed should not be forgotten or overlooked, it should not make us forget the positive work some who fell into this trap in past history have contributed to humanity. The argument that anarchism is [[Eurocentric]] or "Western" in philosophical orientation have largely been disproved by the large histories of [[Cuban anarchism]] (see [[Frank Fernández]]), [[Chinese anarchism]] (see [[Ba Jin]]) and [[African anarchism]], [[Latin American anarchism]] (see [[Augusto César Sandino]] & [[Ricardo Flores Magón]]) movements in the 1920s.
  
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Some critics argue that the reason why anarchism has failed to be a major political movement is that it always invariably leads to a type of [[feudalism]], as different "free" groups begin to bunch together.
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==Class character==
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[[Marxists]] have characterized anarchism as an expression of the class interests of the [[petite bourgeoisie]] or perhaps the [[lumpenproletariat]]. For example, [[Georgi Plekhanov]] supplied a Marxist critique in 1895.<ref>[[Georgi Plekhanov|G. V. Plekhanov]] ''[http://www.marxists.org/archive/plekhanov/1895/anarch/index.htm Anarchism and Socialism]''</ref> Anarchists point out how Marxist revolutions create a new [[bourgeoisie]] based on being a [[Bureaucracy|bureaucrat]]. (See [[Anarchism and Marxism]]).
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
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<references/>
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{{reflist}}
  
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[[Category:Anarchism|Criticisms]]
 
 
[[Category:Criticisms|Anarchism]]
 
[[Category:Criticisms|Anarchism]]

Latest revision as of 23:59, 27 September 2010

Criticisms of anarchism originate from the interest groups it opposes as well as related theories such as Marxism. Specific ideas within anarchism have been criticized, as has anarchism generally. Some charges leveled against anarchism by its critics are utopianism, authoritarianism, tendency towards nonviolence, hypocrisy and being an expression of the class interests of the petite bourgeoisie.

Anarchism

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egoist anarchism
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Post-anarchism

Anarchism in culture

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criticisms of anarchism
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Utopianism[edit]

Anarchism is often criticized as unfeasible, or plain utopian, even by many who agree that it is a nice idea in principle. For example, Carl Landauer in his book European Socialism criticizes anarchism as being unrealistically utopian, and holds that government is a "lesser evil" than a society without "repressive force." He holds that the belief that "ill intentions will cease if repressive force disappears" is an "absurdity."[1] However, not all anarchists hold the Utopian view that conflict can be eliminated. Many anarchists view anarchy as a continuing goal that in fact cannot be reached, but should be continuously worked toward. For example, Rudolf Rocker once said, "I am an anarchist not because I believe anarchism is the final goal, but because there is no such thing as a final goal" [2]. William Godwin addressed the "anarchism as Utopia" criticism by suggesting people are "perfectible," or always capable of improvement. Godwin's belief, shared by many anarchists, is a key difference between Anarchism and attitudes of Nihilism.Template:Or However, other anarchists, such as Sir Herbert Read, proudly accept the characterization "utopian."

Anarchist communists have historically fought for social change that is neither utopian nor unfeasible.Template:cn The key difference being in who has the power, Marxists and statists in general agree that a centralized and hierarchical (although with elected leaders in democratic governments) apparatus is needed to keep peace and organize social life, anarchists on the other hand believe that the people are perfectly capable of doing both things by their local organizations in a direct democratic and federalist way and that a centralized government is inefficient, bureaucratic and authoritarian. Critics counter that anarchists have never produced a compelling explanation of how those decentralized local organizations could resist the organized fascist movement that the critics believe would inevitably step into the power vacuum to seize control,[1] although decentralized armies might be mustered should the need arise, as in Ukraine or the anarchist resistance observed in Spain.

Tacit authoritarianism[edit]

In recent decades anarchism (chiefly the Bakuninist concept of the revolutionary secret society) has been criticized by Situationists and others of preserving tacitly statist, authoritarian or bureaucratic tendencies.[3] Many anarchists consider it a strawman as the organization proposed by Bakunin has only been used in times of repression where clandestine activity is needed for survival (for example, during the last Argentinian dictatorship by Resistencia Libertaria Anticapitalista).

This criticism mainly comes from capitalists. Anarcho-capitalist Bryan Caplan alleges the treatment of fascists and fascist sympathizers by Spanish anarchists in the Spanish Civil War was a form of illegitimate coercion, and according to him this allegedly made the anarchists "ultimately just a third faction of totalitarians," alongside the communists and fascists. Apart from this criticism, he criticizes the willingness of the CNT to join the Republican government during the civil war, and references Stanley G. Payne's book on the Franco regime which claims that the CNT entered negotiations with the government of Spain six years after the war.[4] Many anarcho-syndicalists, anarcho-communists, and other types of anarchists have criticized the CNT[5]'s mistakes during and since the events of the Spanish Civil War. On the other it should be noted that Caplan himself has shown some hypocrisy in supporting the right of capitalists to attack or kill others in the name of defense of private property, which in itself has been called a form of illegitimate coercion and authoritarianism by some anarchists. Caplan's political writing and scholarship, and the essay containing these points of view has been criticized as "mostly false reporting, based upon selective presentation of evidence in order to paint a radically false picture of the Spanish Anarchist movement", by Iain McKay.[6] Hence the truthfulness of Caplan's claim regarding the behavior anarchists in the Spanish Civil War is questionable. And even if the anarchists used certain some amount of violence against the fascists, it was only for the purpose of resistance. War of any kind itself is violent, and war can only be win by eliminating the enemy. This is the primary theory of any war happened throughout the history of mankind. Violence against enemy forces done by almost all types of people engaged in war. And the atrocities committed by the fascist forces were extremely high.

Violence[edit]

Since anarchism has often been associated with violence, it has been portrayed as being inherently violent. This is a matter of much debate between anarcho-pacifists and those who argue for the right to use violence in self-defense, whether of individuals or of class interests.

Friedrich Engels criticized anarchists for not being violent enough:

"A revolution is certainly the most authoritarian thing there is; it is the act whereby one part of the population imposes its will upon the other part by means of rifles, bayonets and cannon — authoritarian means, if such there be at all; and if the victorious party does not want to have fought in vain, it must maintain this rule by means of the terror which its arms inspire in the reactionists. Would the Paris Commune have lasted a single day if it had not made use of this authority of the armed people against the bourgeois?"[7]

This is considered dishonest by many anarchists as Bakunin and most anarchists in the past have historically advocated for the use of revolutionary violence. The true difference lies in the way anarchists have organized to defend the revolution, that is, voluntary popular militias with elected officers and without the use of coercion to impose obedience to orders from a centralized command (see Nestor Makhno and Buenaventura Durruti for two anarchist military leaders), contrast this with forced conscription with unelected officers (and political officers to control them, as they were reactionaries most of the time) in a centralized and hierarchical chain of command, and death penalty for insubordination and desertion (see Trotsky and Stalin for two Marxist military leaders). Also, anarchists advocate revolutionary pluralism instead of one-party dictatorship (as Lenin imposed, although allegedly as a temporary measure, and Stalin and Mao defended as the form of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat), not taking revenge towards reactionaries for being reactionaries (only taking measures in the case of active opposition, like sabotage, spying, or murder, and when the person had acted ruthlessly against workers previously to the revolution) and convincing others to join collectivities by example instead of under threat (this can be seen in the Spanish revolution, most collectivities were partial, individualists were allowed to work land plots without hired labor, compare it with Mao's Great Leap Forward or Stalin's forced collectivization). The collectivist anarchist Mikhail Bakunin disagreed with Marx's ideas of violent revolt, and argued that not all revolutions must be violent.

Alleged hypocrisy[edit]

Some critics point to the sexist[8] and racist views of some prominent anarchists, notably Proudhon and Bakunin, as examples of alleged hypocrisy. While many anarchists, however, dismiss that the personal prejudices of some 19th century theorists influence the beliefs of present-day anarchists, others criticise modern anarchism for continuing to be Eurocentric and reference the impact of anarchist thinkers like Proudhon on fascism through groups like Cercle Proudhon.[9] However, the tremendous number of anarchist opponents of fascism in its earliest history, plus the large number of Jewish anarchist followers of Bakunin from the past 120 years appears to attest to the power of his positive ideas about basic human freedom and the rejection by anarchists of his and Proudhon's negative statements (both in their times, like Dejacques and today). Anarchists point out that the people who focus on this area of these two people's writings tend to be Marxists trying to discredit anarchism, or nationalists pursuing a racist agenda, and not anarchists. The Jewish anarchist position has been to argue that while the stupidity of anti-semitism whom many otherwise progressive intellectuals possessed should not be forgotten or overlooked, it should not make us forget the positive work some who fell into this trap in past history have contributed to humanity. The argument that anarchism is Eurocentric or "Western" in philosophical orientation have largely been disproved by the large histories of Cuban anarchism (see Frank Fernández), Chinese anarchism (see Ba Jin) and African anarchism, Latin American anarchism (see Augusto César Sandino & Ricardo Flores Magón) movements in the 1920s.

Class character[edit]

Marxists have characterized anarchism as an expression of the class interests of the petite bourgeoisie or perhaps the lumpenproletariat. For example, Georgi Plekhanov supplied a Marxist critique in 1895.[10] Anarchists point out how Marxist revolutions create a new bourgeoisie based on being a bureaucrat. (See Anarchism and Marxism).

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Landauer, Carl. European Socialism: A History of Ideas and Movements (1959)
  2. ↑ Rocker, Rudolf (1956). The London Years.
  3. ↑ Debord, Guy. "paragraph 91" Society of the Spectacle, translated by Ken Knabb, London: Rebel Press. ISBN 0-946061-12-2.
  4. ↑ Caplan, Bryan. "The Anarcho-Statists of Spain"
  5. ↑ Dolgoff, Sam. "Controversy: Anarchists in the Spanish Revolution"
  6. ↑ Iain McKay, A Reply to Bryan Caplan's Essay "The Anarcho-Statists of Spain: An Historical, Economic, and Philosophical Analysis", or Objectivity and Right-Libertarian Scholarship, accessed 2006-05-30
  7. ↑ On Authority
  8. ↑ Jenny P. d'Hericourt, "Contemporary feminist critic of Proudhon"
  9. ↑ Anarchist Integralism
  10. ↑ G. V. Plekhanov Anarchism and Socialism
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