"Anarchy" is a term that in the minds of most people is synonymous with the concept of "chaos", "disorder." However, in sociology and political science this term has a slightly different meaning. In the article we will examine in more detail the concept, origin, basic teachings and directions of anarchism. Let us examine in more detail such a direction as anarcho-capitalism. What is its essence and difference from other areas of anarchism? We will try to find out further in the article.
The concept
Anarchism is a socio-political and socio-economic doctrine that denies the need for a state. The interests of the small peasantry and small business are opposed to the interests of large corporations.
There is a myth that anarchism is one of the directions of socialism. It took shape in our minds after the revolution and civil war: the anarchists of Nestor Makhno were a longtime ally of the Bolsheviks in the territory of modern Ukraine.
However, this is absolutely untrue. Anarchism, and especially one of its directions - anarcho-capitalism - on the contrary, denies the creation of large public corporations. Socialism - as a preliminary stage of communism - although it involves the creation of a single just and equal society, but with the dominant role of the state, at the head of which should be the “right people” - the Bolsheviks, Socialist Revolutionaries, proletarians, etc. In fact, this trend also calls for the creation corporations, only, unlike capitalism, with a single owner - the state.
The philosophical foundation of anarchism is individualism, subjectivity, voluntarism.
Directions
Today, there are two major areas of anarchism:
- Anarcho-individualism.
- Anarcho-socialism.
Ideologically, these are absolutely two opposite directions. They are united by only one thing - the idea of abandoning the state. All other views are diametrically opposed. Anarcho-socialism, more likely, refers to the left current, along with communism, socialism, etc. Anarcho-individualism is more likely a right-wing movement. Its principles were developed by Max Stirner, Henry David, Murray Rothbard, and others. Both blocks are also divided into different streams, each of which has its own views on certain processes.
The main directions of individualism
Anarcho-individualism is divided into the following areas:
- Anarcho-capitalism. Here we will not describe it in detail, since this direction will be devoted to most of our article.
- Anarcho-feminism. The movement originated in the USA at the beginning of the 20th century. Emma Goldman - “red Emma” can be considered a bright representative of it. This woman immigrated from Russia before the revolution, and settled in the United States. Anarcho-feminists also opposed the state as an apparatus for imposing traditionally established concepts of family relations, education and gender roles. Emma Goldman today would be an ardent human rights activist who would continue to fight for the equal rights of women, for the rights of sex minorities and others. Marriage, she believed, was a normal economic contract between a man and a woman. And she brought down these views on the mass consciousness through speeches, publication of books a hundred years ago, when Western society retained its religiosity and traditionalism.
- Green anarchism - focuses on the problem of environmental protection.
- Anarcho-primitivism - they call for abandoning high technologies, which, in their opinion, only consolidate the position of those in power and exploitation. And etc.
The main directions of anarcho-socialism
Anarcho-socialism is a movement that calls for fighting any form of exploitation, private property, as the main cause of social stratification (stratification) of society into rich and poor. Similar views were in the minds of the anarchists Nestor Makhno during the revolution and civil war. The direction differs from classical Bolshevism only in that the latter called for the introduction of the dictatorship of the proletariat, that is, the actual creation of one class above another. Anarcho-socialism, however, completely denies the existence of any ruling class or estate. Its main directions:
- Mutualism (Mutualism). It is based on the principle of mutual assistance, freedom, a voluntary contract. The founder of the trend is Pierre Joseph Proudhon, whose work appeared in the XVIII century before the anarchist currents finally took shape.
- Anarcho-communism. Proponents of this trend believed that it was necessary to create self-governing communes in which the collective use of the means of production should be organized.
- Anarcho-collectivism or radical collectivism. Proponents of this trend called for a revolutionary way of overthrowing power. Unlike the previous direction, anarcho-collectivists believe that in communities everyone should receive a fair payment, based on their merits. The banal “egalitarianism, ” in their opinion, will lead to the creation of a mass of parasites who, like “parasites, ” will use other people's labor.
- Anarcho-syndicalism. Focuses on the labor movement. Its supporters seek to abandon the system of wage labor and private property. In the means of production, they see the reason for the division of society into owners and employees. And etc.
Unfortunately, within the framework of one article it is difficult to briefly convey the main differences between the directions of anarchism. However, in a few words it can be said that anarcho-capitalism is the opposite meaning to anarcho-socialism. The latter completely abandons any ideas of private property, capitalism, wage labor. The first, on the contrary, welcomes these ideas. More details about him will be discussed later in the article.
The origin of anarcho-capitalism
The anarcho-capitalist trend is also called "libertarian anarchism." The term was first coined by Murray Rothbard. The emergence of this trend dates back to the sixties of the XX century in the United States. Although its theoretical base dates back to the middle of the XIX century, the work of market theorists, one of which was Gustav de Molinari.
Concept
Market anarchism - another name for anarcho-capitalism - is based on a belief in the free ownership of private property. He denies the state as an institution of power, as it interferes with the support of a competitive market. At one time, the famous reformer - E. Gaidar - said: "the market will put everything in its place." Although the Russian Prime Minister was not a supporter of this philosophy, one of the ideas of market anarchism can be traced in this phrase. The idea of free market relations tied on a voluntary basis is put at the forefront. It is this principle that will serve the formation of a stable society, which itself can organize the rule of law, create its own legislative base, protection and the necessary infrastructure, organized through commercial competition.
Goals
Murray Rothbard himself realized that the state is, in modern language, an organized criminal group that is actually engaged in robbery through taxes, fees, duties, licenses, etc. Almost all modern capitalist governments have become proteges of large financial magnates. Capitalism, according to the theorist, is the predominance of small owners, and today we see that small businesses around the world are losing ground in all economic sectors. Instead of thousands of small private entrepreneurs, we see one large tycoon who spreads his influence over many countries.
Therefore, modern libertarianism and anarchism have common goals with socialist and communist ideologies - they all call for breaking the existing system that has developed in the world.
Ideas for a future social order
This philosophical trend has many critics among economists, political scientists and sociologists. Even socialists and communists with the ideas of a "bright future", "social equality", "freedom", "fraternity" do not call for abandoning the state as a regulator of social relations. The main theoretician of anarcho-capitalism, Murray Rothbard, on the contrary, called for a complete rejection of it. How, then, should capitalist society function in which private property must be sacredly protected? For this, it is necessary to create private security structures that must act on a competitive basis. They should not be financed from taxes, but from private foundations. Personal and economic activity should be governed by natural laws, the market, and through private law. Society, according to theorists of this philosophical direction, will soon understand at an intuitive level how to live. People will refuse many crimes, since it is the state that is the root cause of their commission.
Is it possible to realize the ideas of libertarianism?
Many consider libertarianism to be an absolute utopia. They cite the main argument that the nature of people is such that it is impossible to eradicate such human vices as envy, malice, betrayal, the desire to use someone else’s labor, the desire to seize someone else’s property, etc. Let us recall the psychological test: “If you see in a supermarket, that no one protects the products, what will you do? ” The correct answer will be the one that offers to steal products in the supermarket. Other answers are considered dishonest psychologists, hiding the true essence of the subject. That is, the nature of man cannot be changed, so he himself, without the help of an external power regulator, will not learn to live “right”. All ideas that are designed to change the nature of man through the creation of various social conditions are considered utopian. Therefore, market anarchism should be considered as such. However, some believe that libertarianism can be brought to life. For this, certain conditions must arise. We will talk more about them later.
Conditions for the realization of the idea of market anarchism
So, in order to realize Murray Rothbard’s ideas, the following conditions must come about:
- The dominance of the power of ethics. In a society where everything is sold and everything is bought, it is difficult to educate a person in the spirit of “this is wrong”, “bad”, etc. Today we see that the children of multimillionaires violate all laws: they do not comply with the high-speed mode on the roads, they can be insulted representatives of law and order, speak dismissively of the country in which they live, and others. Such behavior is not forgiven to “ordinary” citizens: they, as a rule, receive the most severe punishment. Only where ethics and the value of freedom prevail over the specie can an ideal society be built.
- Creation of several institutes. If the state is absent, then its functions should be performed by other social institutions. They must have power and authority, otherwise they will be useless. The main condition is that there must be several of them, otherwise instead of one form of state we will get another: theocracy, clan, wild capitalism, etc.
- Unified value system. The libertarian system will only function if all members of society adhere to the idea of anarcho-capitalism. When a significant number of people appear who ignore its principles and the power of institutions, the system will quickly collapse.
Symbols of Anarcho-Capitalism
We highlighted the theory of libertarianism. Let's say a little about symbolism. The banner of anarcho-capitalism is the black and yellow flag. Black is a traditional symbol of anarchism. Yellow - symbolizes gold, a medium of exchange in the market without state participation. The black and yellow flag is found in various forms. There is no strict arrangement of colors. Sometimes there are various images on it: crown, dollar sign, etc.
Anarcho-capitalism in Russia
In our country there are few people who hold the views of market anarchism. In our country, if there are followers of anarchism, then they are rather supporters of anarcho-syndicalism, who create various youth subcultures. Sociologists note that modern neoanarchists, as a rule, do not understand the basic ideology of anarcho-syndicalism, they use only symbolism - red-black flags. At all events with their participation, as a rule, only anti-fascist slogans are heard.
