The Rhetorical Construction of National Identity, MA 1

Constantinescu Patricia, BCS

Anarchism in Heywood's View

A definition of the term, given by the Cambridge dictionary, is that of a !olitical belief that there should be little or no formal or official organi"ation to society, but that !eo!le should #or$ freely together%& Coming to su!!ort this statement, the '(ford dictionary tells the reader that anarchism re!resents the belief in the abolition of all government and the organi"ation of society on a voluntary, coo!erative basis #ithout recourse to force or com!ulsion&% The origin of the #ord goes bac$ in the mid 1)th century, coming from the *ree$ anarkhos +literally meaning #ithout rule% , #ithout a chief%-& Its initial use #as in a some#hat negative sense, ma$ing reference to a disru!tion of civili"ed order& .erogatory meanings continued to be associated #ith the conce!t, anarchism being mainly understood as chaos% or disorder%& Although the term is said to have been born long before 1)th century +i&e& the Ancient *reece-, it has not been !ro!erly used and a!!lied until /illiam *od#in1, #ho actually enumerated a fe# !rinci!les the belief consists of& 0ater on, in the 11th century, anarchism became !art of the socialist movement, and bet#een 1234 and 12)1 the anarchists and Mar(ists formed an association, #hich, ho#ever, did not last, due to the antagonism bet#een the t#o !arties& Through syndicalism5, anarchism met #ith a great 6success6, and soon became a mass movement +in the 57th century-, throughout 8uro!e, and even in 0atin America, only to be again subverted by the s!read of authoritarianism and !olitical re!ression& In s!ite of its tem!orary great influence, anarchism has never become a country9leading model, and has never gained actual !o#er& +:ey#ood 1;195The goal of anarchism +the stateless9society !ro<ect- is considered to be at least unli$ely
1 5 /illiam *od#in +1);3 = 12>3- #as an 8nglish !olitical !hiloso!her, but also a <ournalist and novelist, #ho is considered to have been one of the first #ho e(!osed the conce!t of utilitarianism%, and the first advocate of anarchism& Syndicalism = A radical !olitical movement that advocates bringing industry and government under the control of federations of labour unions by the use of direct action, such as general stri$es and sabotage&

The Rhetorical Construction of National Identity, MA 1

Constantinescu Patricia, BCS

to ha!!en, if not an im!ossible, uto!ian dream, banning any form of !olitical influence and, or !o#er&
Anarchism the against-the-state movement

The main features attributed to this movement are, unarguably, those of o!!osing the state, therefore rebellion against the government and la#& ?et, there can be identified a !arado( here, as 6anarchism6 stands for both rebellion, as #ell as for morality, freedom, and autonomy, this moral !art being actually its !rinci!al focus, rather than that of visibly e(!ressing one6s discontent regarding the state and government& :ey#ood further argues that anarchism should rather be !erceived as the !oint #here both liberalist and socialist ideologies overla! and, at the same time, become anti9statist& Thus, anarchism can be inter!reted as a form of either ultraliberalism +e(treme liberal individualism- or ultrasocialism +e(treme socialist collectivism-& +:ey#ood 1;>@ey anarchist !rinci!lesA 1& anti9statism = the state is vie#ed as com!letely against individual freedom and eBuality, for #hich anarchism is militating& Therefore, the state is considered to stand for o!!ression, slavery, and ineBuality, #hile at the same time inducing the need for !o#er and control C the !sychology of !o#er& Anarchists argue, :ey#ood claims, that the t#o means through #hich individuals can become sub<ects to !olitical authority are either by birth, or through conBuest, rather than acce!ting the notion of a !olitical authority #hich comes through voluntary agreement& In anarchists6 vie#, individuals can be 6good6 or 6evil6 de!ending on their !olitical and social bac$ground& That is, !eo!le could change from one state of being to another, by sim!ly being given authority and means of control& Should #e a!!ly this theory to no#adays6 reality, I believe it to be a controversial statement = a !urely $ind, loving, !leasant human being

The Rhetorical Construction of National Identity, MA 1

Constantinescu Patricia, BCS

cannot <ust turn into an evil tyrant, only because they have been given the gift% of !o#er& 5& natural order = the core of anarchists6 !rinci!les is the belief in an uto!ian natural $indness of the human beings& Therefore, the social order is and should come naturally, and not by means of !o#er and authority, as the state and la# im!ose& Dean9DacBues Rousseau !erfectly !ut it, by saying that, although #e are born free EnaturallyF, #e are chained Eby the social orderF& ?et, anarchists, themselves, acce!t the idea that #ithin the human nature, there are actually t#o !oles = therefore, one could be $ind and loving, and at the same time mean and selfish& >& anti9clericalism = the ade!ts of the anarchist !olitical vie# revolted not only against the state6s authority, but they also o!!osed other forms of !o#er and control, such as the Church& They had to re<ect the idea of an e(isting *od +#ho could and #ould control their lives and activities-, as :e E*odF #ould have other#ise been the one standing bet#een them and the long9dreamed9of freedom and inde!endence& Gor Ba$unin>, eliminating the influence of both the State and the Church, #as crucial, in order to obtain the freedom of the individuals, as #ell as that of the entire society& 4& economic freedom 9 the com!etitive ca!italism em!hasi"es the e(istence of t#o o!!osite anarchist traditions& /hileA collectivist anarchism !reaches a society functioning through collaboration, the individualist anarchism !leads for !rivate !ro!erty, and mar$et& .es!ite the differences bet#een the t#o branches, all anarchists fight against the ca!italism of the 57th century, es!ecially after //II& :o#ever, the revolution against ca!italism #as not enough& The abolition of the state #as a necessary anarchist measure&

> Michael Ba$unin +1214912)3-, #as a Russian leader +and also founder- of the anarchist movement, being $no#n for his revolutionary s!irit& Together #ith Hierre9Dose!h Hroudhon +12719123;-, #ho #as a Grench !olitician, an economist and a libertarian socialist, he laid the basis for the anarchism& Hroudhon #as also the founder of the 6mutualist6 movement&

>

The Rhetorical Construction of National Identity, MA 1

Constantinescu Patricia, BCS

Mutualism = the belief in unity EanarchismF #as in a sense associated #ith the !rinci!les

of communism& A conseBuence #as the birth of a ne# current, the mutualist belief being associated #ith Hroudhon and his ideas& It mainly stands for fair mar$et, this economic e(change e(cluding the idea of !rofit +in a negative sense- or e(!loitation&
Anarcho-syndicalism in the late 11th century and early 57th,, anarchism develo!ed into

one single direction, that of anarcho9syndicalism& The main features of syndicalism that matched the anarchists6 beliefs #ere that syndicalists vie#ed conventional !olitics as corru!ted and #ithout a clear !ur!ose, and the anarchists considered the syndicates to be the !erfect !attern for an uto!ian, decentrali"ed future society&
Anarcho-communism although the foundation of this #ave is unarguably a good one,

that of solidarity, !ushed to its e(tremes it cannot but turn into a most radical form of communism& Hroudhon, on one hand, and @ro!ot$in and Malatesta, on the other, argued #hether communism necessarily im!lied the e(istence of an authoritarian state, or it actually reBuired the abolition of the latter&
Libertarianism s!read among the individualist anarchists, the movement is best

described by Thoreau6s ada!ted form of Defferson6s motto, saying that That government is best, #hich governs not at all&% +It6s initial form being That government is best #hich governs least&%-&
Anarcho-capitalism Anarcho9ca!italists develo! the idea of a free9mar$et liberal

society& /hile liberals acce!t it as a good mechanism, but admit that it still has its limits, the anarcho9ca!italists state that it #or$s !erfectly, and !rovide each human being #ith the ma(imum satisfaction& Rothbard argues that, #hile the individuals see$ !rotection +from one another-, that #ould naturally lead to com!etition& Therefore, that could not but bring the best for the individuals, as they #ould have more choices&

The Rhetorical Construction of National Identity, MA 1

Constantinescu Patricia, BCS

Anarchism in the !th century

Anarchists have managed to ma$e a !oint, by !roving the state6s coercive !o#er, and the destructive nature of !olitical one E!o#erF& The influence of anarchism increased throughout the !ast decades, over the modern !olitical thought& The ne# ideologies ado!ted a more libertarian vie#, a series of libertarian movements having flourished in after the 1137s, such as activism, anti9colonialism, and feminism&

"or#s cited$
:ey#ood, A& Political Ideologies. An Introduction, Halgrave Macmillan, Ne# ?or$, Ne# ?or$, I&S&A&, 577>A 1;19)7& H.G&

%nternet sources$ htt!A,,###&#i$i!edia&org +8ntriesA Anarchism, Mi$hail Ba$unin, Mutualism, Hierre9

Dose!h Hroudhon, Syndicalism, /illiam *od#in-