³1username³2JimboWales³2name³2text_default³2version³21³2ts³2982045929³2ip³2209.66.79.109³2data³2newauthor³31³3minor³30³3text³3This is the place for an encyclopedic, not polemic, discussion of what Traditional Anarchism is all about.

----
Anarchism is a movement dedicated to the abolition of illegitimate authority and the establishment of a social order
without hierarchy. Proponents of the extent system equate its abolition with the abolition of all social order. In their time,
Monarchists accused Republicans of seeking the destruction of all social order. 

Anarchism has a long and rich tradition. Its philosophy and history begins with rejection of capitalism and its hierarchical structure.
Through most of its history, libertarianism and anarchism were synonymous. Recently, some proponents of laissez faire economics
have taken to calling themselves anarcho-capitalists and libertarians. This usage is geographically limited to Austria and the
Anglo-American countries. 

Both the view of Anarchism as a Nihilist position admitting only destruction and the capitalist position of anarchism as purely
political are regarded as grave misunderstandings of Anarchism
by advocates.
³3summary³3³2tscreate³2982045929³2keepts³2982101772³2id³21025³2host³2cobrand.bomis.com³2revision³21³1username³2JimboWales³2name³2text_default³2version³21³2ts³2982101772³2ip³2209.66.79.109³2data³2text³3This is the place for an encyclopedic, not polemic, discussion of what Traditional Anarchism is all about.

----
Anarchism is a movement dedicated to the abolition of illegitimate authority and the establishment of a social order
without hierarchy. Proponents of the extent system equate its abolition with the abolition of all social order. In their time,
Monarchists accused Republicans of seeking the destruction of all social order. 

Anarchism has a long and rich tradition. Its philosophy and history begins with rejection of capitalism and its hierarchical structure.
Through most of its history, libertarianism and anarchism were synonymous. Recently, some proponents of laissez faire economics
have taken to calling themselves anarcho-capitalists and libertarians. This usage is geographically limited to Austria and the
Anglo-American countries. 

Both the view of Anarchism as a Nihilist position admitting only destruction and the capitalist position of anarchism as purely
political are regarded as grave misunderstandings of Anarchism
by advocates.

/Questions
³3minor³30³3newauthor³30³3summary³3*³2tscreate³2982045929³2keepts³2982122653³2id³21025³2host³2cobrand.bomis.com³2revision³22³1username³2RichardKulisz³2name³2text_default³2version³21³2ts³2982122653³2ip³2209.66.79.109³2data³2newauthor³31³3minor³30³3text³3This is the place for an encyclopedic, not polemic, discussion of what Traditional Anarchism is all about.

----
Anarchism is a movement dedicated to the abolition of illegitimate authority and the establishment of a social order
without hierarchy. Proponents of the extent system equate its abolition with the abolition of all social order. In their time,
Monarchists accused Republicans of seeking the destruction of all social order. 

Anarchism has a long and rich tradition. Its philosophy and history begins with rejection of capitalism and its hierarchical structure.
Through most of its history, libertarianism and anarchism were synonymous. Recently, some proponents of laissez faire economics
have taken to calling themselves anarcho-capitalists and libertarians. This usage is geographically limited to Austria and the
Anglo-American countries. 

Both the view of Anarchism as a Nihilist position admitting only destruction and the capitalist position of anarchism as purely
political are regarded as grave misunderstandings of Anarchism
by advocates.

/Questions

----

Traditional anarchism is a poor choice of words since anarchists usually find themselves working against tradition. One might be forced to say that "traditional anarchism eschews tradition, including its own" .... Unreformed anarchism would be better since anarchists reject the notion of political reform. It would also be funny though I find I cannot explain the humour in it. Probably just the meta-syntactic thing. -- RichardKulisz
³3summary³3*³2tscreate³2982045929³2keepts³2982124383³2id³21284³2host³2cobrand.bomis.com³2revision³23³1username³2RichardKulisz³2name³2text_default³2version³21³2ts³2982124383³2ip³2209.66.79.109³2data³2text³3This is the place for an encyclopedic, not polemic, discussion of what Traditional Anarchism is all about.

----

Anarchy is frequently portrayed as chaos and anarchists as terrorists. Proponents of any extent system equate its abolition with the abolition of all social order. In their time, Monarchists accused Republicans of seeking the destruction of all social order. Very few anarchists are nihilists. Anarchism is a movement dedicated to the abolition of illegitimate authority and the establishment of a social order without hierarchy.

Anarchism has a long and rich tradition. Its philosophy and history begin with rejection of capitalism and its hierarchical structure. Anarchists reject the claims of the property owner and the landlord. Having rejected private property, they reject the political machinery (the State)which defends and supports private property. In place of private property, anarchism is based on personal possessions and democratically controlled communal property.

The anarchist rejection of government is derivative and entails the rejection of electioneering. Insofar as politics refers to the actions of power structures then anarchism seeks the abolition of politics itself. Anarchism is a social and economic movement with ramifications in the political sphere. To regard anarchism as a political ideology is an error. In place of political maneuvering, anarchists champion the use of direct action of which the general strike, occupation of workplaces and sabotage are prime examples. The purpose of sabotage is to impair or destroy the machinery of capitalism and not the propagation of terror.

Through most of its history, libertarianism and anarchism have been synonymous. Recently, some proponents of laissez faire economics have taken to calling themselves AnarchoCapitalists and libertarians. This usage is geographically limited to Austria and the Anglo-American countries. Since the beliefs and actions of AnarchoCapitalists are rarely compatible with those of anarchists, the AnarchoCapitalists are not regarded as anarchists.

/Questions

----

Traditional anarchism is a poor choice of words since anarchists usually find themselves working against tradition. One might be forced to say that "traditional anarchism eschews tradition, including its own" .... Unreformed anarchism would be better since anarchists reject the notion of political reform. It would also be funny though I find I cannot explain the humour in it. Probably just the meta-syntactic thing. -- RichardKulisz
³3minor³30³3newauthor³30³3summary³3*³2tscreate³2982045929³2keepts³2982280751³2id³21284³2host³2cobrand.bomis.com³2revision³24³1username³2LarrySanger³2name³2text_default³2version³21³2ts³2982280751³2ip³2209.66.79.109³2data³2newauthor³31³3minor³30³3text³3This is the place for an encyclopedic, not polemic, discussion of what Traditional Anarchism is all about.

----

Anarchy is frequently portrayed as chaos and anarchists as terrorists. Proponents of any extent system equate its abolition with the abolition of all social order. In their time, Monarchists accused Republicans of seeking the destruction of all social order. Very few anarchists are nihilists. Anarchism is a movement dedicated to the abolition of illegitimate authority and the establishment of a social order without hierarchy.

Anarchism has a long and rich tradition. Its philosophy and history begin with rejection of capitalism and its hierarchical structure. Anarchists reject the claims of the property owner and the landlord. Having rejected private property, they reject the political machinery (the State)which defends and supports private property. In place of private property, anarchism is based on personal possessions and democratically controlled communal property.

The anarchist rejection of government is derivative and entails the rejection of electioneering. Insofar as politics refers to the actions of power structures then anarchism seeks the abolition of politics itself. Anarchism is a social and economic movement with ramifications in the political sphere. To regard anarchism as a political ideology is an error. In place of political maneuvering, anarchists champion the use of direct action of which the general strike, occupation of workplaces and sabotage are prime examples. The purpose of sabotage is to impair or destroy the machinery of capitalism and not the propagation of terror.

Through most of its history, libertarianism and anarchism have been synonymous. Recently, some proponents of laissez faire economics have taken to calling themselves AnarchoCapitalists and libertarians. This usage is geographically limited to Austria and the Anglo-American countries. Since the beliefs and actions of AnarchoCapitalists are rarely compatible with those of traditional anarchists, traditional anarchists do not regard the AnarchoCapitalists as anarchists.

/Questions

/Talk
³3summary³3*³2tscreate³2982045929³2keepts³2982281258³2id³21280³2host³2cobrand.bomis.com³2revision³25³1username³2JimboWales³2name³2text_default³2version³21³2ts³2982281258³2ip³2209.66.79.109³2data³2text³3This is the place for an encyclopedic, not polemic, discussion of what Traditional Anarchism is all about.

----

Anarchy is frequently portrayed as chaos and anarchists as terrorists. Proponents of any extant system equate its abolition with the abolition of all social order. In their time, Monarchists accused Republicans of seeking the destruction of all social order. Very few anarchists are nihilists. Anarchism is a movement dedicated to the abolition of illegitimate authority and the establishment of a social order without hierarchy.

Anarchism has a long and rich tradition. Its philosophy and history begin with rejection of capitalism and its hierarchical structure. Anarchists reject the claims of the property owner and the landlord. Having rejected private property, they reject the political machinery (the State)which defends and supports private property. In place of private property, anarchism is based on personal possessions and democratically controlled communal property.

The anarchist rejection of government is derivative and entails the rejection of electioneering. Insofar as politics refers to the actions of power structures then anarchism seeks the abolition of politics itself. Anarchism is a social and economic movement with ramifications in the political sphere. To regard anarchism as a political ideology is an error. In place of political maneuvering, anarchists champion the use of direct action of which the general strike, occupation of workplaces and sabotage are prime examples. The purpose of sabotage is to impair or destroy the machinery of capitalism and not the propagation of terror.

Through most of its history, libertarianism and anarchism have been synonymous. Recently, some proponents of laissez faire economics have taken to calling themselves AnarchoCapitalists and libertarians. This usage is geographically limited to Austria and the Anglo-American countries. Since the beliefs and actions of AnarchoCapitalists are rarely compatible with those of traditional anarchists, traditional anarchists do not regard the AnarchoCapitalists as anarchists.

/Questions

/Talk
³3minor³31³3newauthor³31³3summary³3Just a spelling fix³2tscreate³2982045929³2keepts³2982281831³2id³21025³2host³2cobrand.bomis.com³2revision³26³1username³2LarrySanger³2name³2text_default³2version³21³2ts³2982281831³2ip³2209.66.79.109³2data³2newauthor³31³3minor³30³3text³3This is the place for an encyclopedic, not polemic, discussion of what Traditional Anarchism is all about.
----
''Anarchism'' is a movement dedicated to the abolition of illegitimate authority and the establishment of a social order without hierarchy.

Anarchy is frequently portrayed as chaos and anarchists as terrorists.  Proponents of any extant (i.e., non-anarchist) system equate its abolition with the abolition of all social order.  For example, in their time, Monarchists accused Republicans of seeking the destruction of all social order.  Very few anarchists are nihilists, however (see NihilisM).

Anarchism has a long and rich tradition.  Its philosophy and history begin with rejection of aristocracy and of capitalism and their hierarchical structures.  Anarchists reject the claims of the property owner and the landlord.  Having rejected private property, they reject the political machinery (the StatE) which defends and supports private property.  In place of private property, anarchism is based on personal possessions and democratically controlled communal property.

A simple and common objection to anarchism is that any notion of communal control implies something akin to a StatE.  Anarchists reply

The rejection of government is not essential to traditional anarchism, but derives from the desire to eliminate the political machinery which supports private property.  In any event, the rejection of the state entails the rejection of electioneering (see DemocracY).  Insofar as politics refers to the actions of power structures then anarchism seeks the abolition of politics itself.  Hence, it is helpful to regard anarchism as a social and economic movement with ramifications in the political sphere.  To regard anarchism as a political ideology, anarchists hold, is an error.  In place of political maneuvering, anarchists champion the use of direct action of which the general strike, occupation of workplaces and sabotage are prime examples.  The purpose of sabotage is to impair or destroy the machinery of capitalism and not the propagation of terror.

Before the twentieth century, "anarchism" strictly meant traditional, socialist anarchism.  By the mid-twentieth century, however, some proponents of CapitalisM began calling their view "anarchism" and in particular, AnarchoCapitalism.  This usage is geographically limited to Austria and the Anglo-American countries.  Since the beliefs and actions of AnarchoCapitalists are rarely compatible with those of traditional anarchists, traditional anarchists do not regard the AnarchoCapitalists as anarchists.

/Questions

/Talk
³3summary³3* Various edits.  You may be interested in seeing http://www.daft.com/~rab/liberty/history/³2tscreate³2982045929³2keepts³2982281883³2id³21280³2host³2cobrand.bomis.com³2revision³27³1username³2LarrySanger³2name³2text_default³2version³21³2ts³2982281883³2ip³2209.66.79.109³2data³2text³3This is the place for an encyclopedic, not polemic, discussion of what Traditional Anarchism is all about.
----
''Anarchism,'' in its socialist variety (see AnarchisM), is a movement dedicated to the abolition of illegitimate authority and the establishment of a social order without hierarchy.

Anarchy is frequently portrayed as chaos and anarchists as terrorists.  Proponents of any extant (i.e., non-anarchist) system equate its abolition with the abolition of all social order.  For example, in their time, Monarchists accused Republicans of seeking the destruction of all social order.  Very few anarchists are nihilists, however (see NihilisM).

Anarchism has a long and rich tradition.  Its philosophy and history begin with rejection of aristocracy and of capitalism and their hierarchical structures.  Anarchists reject the claims of the property owner and the landlord.  Having rejected private property, they reject the political machinery (the StatE) which defends and supports private property.  In place of private property, anarchism is based on personal possessions and democratically controlled communal property.

A simple and common objection to anarchism is that any notion of communal control implies something akin to a StatE.  Anarchists reply

The rejection of government is not essential to traditional anarchism, but derives from the desire to eliminate the political machinery which supports private property.  In any event, the rejection of the state entails the rejection of electioneering (see DemocracY).  Insofar as politics refers to the actions of power structures then anarchism seeks the abolition of politics itself.  Hence, it is helpful to regard anarchism as a social and economic movement with ramifications in the political sphere.  To regard anarchism as a political ideology, anarchists hold, is an error.  In place of political maneuvering, anarchists champion the use of direct action of which the general strike, occupation of workplaces and sabotage are prime examples.  The purpose of sabotage is to impair or destroy the machinery of capitalism and not the propagation of terror.

Before the twentieth century, "anarchism" strictly meant traditional, socialist anarchism.  By the mid-twentieth century, however, some proponents of CapitalisM began calling their view "anarchism" and in particular, AnarchoCapitalism.  This usage is geographically limited to Austria and the Anglo-American countries.  Since the beliefs and actions of AnarchoCapitalists are rarely compatible with those of traditional anarchists, traditional anarchists do not regard the AnarchoCapitalists as anarchists.

/Questions

/Talk
³3minor³31³3newauthor³30³3summary³3*³2tscreate³2982045929³2keepts³2982282089³2id³21280³2host³2cobrand.bomis.com³2revision³28³1username³2LarrySanger³2name³2text_default³2version³21³2ts³2982282089³2ip³2209.66.79.109³2data³2newauthor³30³3minor³31³3text³3This is the place for an encyclopedic, not polemic, discussion of what Traditional Anarchism is all about.
----
''Anarchism,'' in its socialist variety (see AnarchisM), is a movement dedicated to the abolition of illegitimate authority and the establishment of a social order without hierarchy.

Anarchy is frequently portrayed as chaos and anarchists as terrorists.  Proponents of any extant (i.e., non-anarchist) system equate its abolition with the abolition of all social order.  For example, in their time, Monarchists accused Republicans of seeking the destruction of all social order.  Very few anarchists are nihilists, however (see NihilisM).

Anarchism has a long and rich tradition.  Its philosophy and history begin with rejection of aristocracy and of capitalism and their hierarchical structures.  Anarchists reject the claims of the property owner and the landlord.  Having rejected private property, they reject the political machinery (the StatE) which defends and supports private property.  In place of private property, anarchism is based on personal possessions and democratically controlled communal property.

A simple and common objection to anarchism is that any notion of communal control implies something akin to a StatE.  Anarchists reply

The rejection of government is not essential to traditional anarchism, but derives from the desire to eliminate the political machinery which supports private property.  In any event, the rejection of the state entails the rejection of electioneering (see DemocracY).  Insofar as politics refers to the actions of power structures then anarchism seeks the abolition of politics itself.  Hence, it is helpful to regard anarchism as a social and economic movement with ramifications in the political sphere.  To regard anarchism as a political ideology, anarchists hold, is an error.  In place of political maneuvering, anarchists champion the use of direct action of which the general strike, occupation of workplaces and sabotage are prime examples.  Anarchists who engage in sabotage do to impair or destroy the machinery of capitalism and not to terrorize otherwise innocent people.

Before the twentieth century, "anarchism" strictly meant traditional, socialist anarchism.  By the mid-twentieth century, however, some radical proponents of CapitalisM began calling their view "anarchism" and in particular, ''AnarchoCapitalism.''  This usage is geographically limited to Austria and the Anglo-American countries.  Since the beliefs and actions of AnarchoCapitalists are rarely compatible with those of traditional anarchists, traditional anarchists do not regard the AnarchoCapitalists as anarchists.

/Questions

/Talk
³3summary³3*³2tscreate³2982045929³2keepts³2982308179³2id³21280³2host³2cobrand.bomis.com³2revision³29³1username³2RichardKulisz³2name³2text_default³2version³21³2ts³2982308179³2ip³2209.66.79.109³2data³2text³3This is the place for an encyclopedic, not polemic, discussion of what Traditional Anarchism is all about.
----
''Anarchism,'' in its socialist variety (see AnarchisM), is a movement dedicated to the abolition of illegitimate authority and the establishment of a social order without hierarchy.

Anarchy is frequently portrayed as chaos and anarchists as terrorists.  Proponents of any extant (i.e., non-anarchist) system equate its abolition with the abolition of all social order.  For example, in their time, Monarchists accused Republicans of seeking the destruction of all social order.  Very few anarchists are nihilists, however (see NihilisM).

Anarchism has a long and rich tradition.  Its philosophy and history begin with rejection of aristocracy and of capitalism and their hierarchical structures.  Anarchists reject the claims of the property owner and the landlord.  Having rejected private property, they reject the political machinery (the StatE) which defends and supports private property.  In place of private property, anarchism is based on personal possessions and democratically controlled communal property.

A simple and common objection to anarchism is that any notion of communal control implies something akin to a StatE.  Anarchists reply that the similarity between the power hierarchies of corporations and the layered division of labour in cooperatives is superficial.  The State is what you get under private property, in the modern corporation.  Cooperatives, credit unions and mutual aid societies are the principal instances of cummunal control and they do not involve the kind of authoritarianism found in corporations.  If you compare both organizations using the items on the Psychopathy Checklist as a guide then it becomes clear that cooperatives act like normal humans, humane, warm, feeling and stable while the corporation can only be described as a psychopathic entity that cold-bloodedly uses workers for its own ends and acts on one impulse after another.  As an example, one of the items on the PCL-R is "criminal versatility".  Corporations have it, Microsoft demonstrates it when it buys companies expert in areas MS knows nothing about.  In contrast, cooperatives cannot do this because it would violate their charters.

Communal control is subject to the ''danger'' of a state developing but does not logically or practically entail it (nor something like it).  The Mondragon system of cooperatives in Spain is slowly devolving.  There was a crucial flaw in the charter of the Caja Laboral Popular; the capability and incentive to accumulate vast cash reserves to the point where it can (almost) act independently of its members.  Anarchists don't claim that people will be able to slack off after the revolution.  And even if Mondragon does fail, it's significant that it took more than three decades for it to do so. Three decades in which the inhabitants of the region enjoyed one of the highest standards of living available.

The rejection of government is not essential to traditional anarchism, but derives from the desire to eliminate the political machinery which supports private property.  In any event, the rejection of the state entails the rejection of electioneering (see DemocracY).  Insofar as politics refers to the actions of power structures then anarchism seeks the abolition of politics itself.  Hence, it is helpful to regard anarchism as a social and economic movement with ramifications in the political sphere.  To regard anarchism as a political ideology, anarchists hold, is an error.  In place of political maneuvering, anarchists champion the use of direct action of which the general strike, occupation of workplaces and sabotage are prime examples.  Anarchists who engage in sabotage do to impair or destroy the machinery of capitalism and not to terrorize otherwise innocent people.

Before the twentieth century, "anarchism" strictly meant traditional, socialist anarchism.  By the mid-twentieth century, however, some radical proponents of CapitalisM began calling their view "anarchism" and in particular, ''AnarchoCapitalism.''  This usage is geographically limited to Austria and the Anglo-American countries.  Since the beliefs and actions of AnarchoCapitalists are rarely compatible with those of traditional anarchists, traditional anarchists do not regard the AnarchoCapitalists as anarchists.

/Questions

/Talk
³3minor³30³3newauthor³31³3summary³3*³2tscreate³2982045929³2keepts³2982347880³2id³21284³2host³2cobrand.bomis.com³2revision³210³1username³2LarrySanger³2name³2text_default³2version³21³2ts³2982347880³2ip³2209.66.79.109³2data³2newauthor³31³3minor³30³3text³3This is the place for an encyclopedic, not polemic, discussion of what Traditional Anarchism is all about.
----
''Anarchism,'' in its traditional, socialist variety (see AnarchisM), is a movement dedicated to the abolition of illegitimate authority and the establishment of a social order without hierarchy.  In this article "anarchism" and "anarchist" will refer to this traditional, socialist variety, as distinguished from AnarchoCapitalism.

Anarchy is frequently portrayed as chaos and anarchists as terrorists.  Proponents of any extant (i.e., non-anarchist) system equate its abolition with the abolition of all social order.  For example, in their time, Monarchists accused Republicans of seeking the destruction of all social order.  Very few anarchists are nihilists, however (see NihilisM).

Anarchism has a long and rich tradition.  Its philosophy and history begin with rejection of aristocracy and of capitalism and their hierarchical structures.  Anarchists reject the claims of the property owner and the landlord.  Having rejected private property, they reject the political machinery (the StatE) which defends and supports private property.  In place of private property, anarchism is based on personal possessions and democratically controlled communal property.

A simple and common objection to anarchism is that any notion of communal control implies something akin to a StatE.  Anarchists reply that there is only a superficial similarity between the power hierarchies of and supporting corporations, on the one hand, and the layered division of labour in cooperatives, on the other.  The State is created when private property is legitimized.  By contrast, cooperatives, credit unions, and mutual aid societies are the principal instances of communal control and anarchists maintain that they do not involve the kind of authoritarianism found in corporations.  If one compares both organizations using the items on the PsychopathyChecklist as a guide then, an anarchist might hold, it becomes clear that cooperatives act like normal humans, humane, warm, feeling and stable while corporations can only be described as a psychopathic entity that cold-bloodedly uses workers for its own ends and acts on one impulse after another.  As an example, one of the items on the PCL-R is "criminal versatility".  Corporations have it, Microsoft demonstrates it when it buys companies expert in areas MS knows nothing about.  In contrast, cooperatives cannot do this because it would violate their charters.

Communal control is subject to the ''danger'' of a state developing, anarchists hold, but does not logically or practically entail it (nor something like it).  For example--one might argue--the Mondragon system of cooperatives in Spain is slowly devolving.  There was, one might say, a crucial flaw in the charter of the Caja Laboral Popular; it has the capability and incentive to accumulate vast cash reserves to the point where it can (almost) act independently of its members.  Anarchists claim that people cannot slack off after "the revolution" (i.e., after a revolution that abolishes the corporation-supporting state in favor of collectives).  Even if Mondragon does fail, an anarchist might hold it is significant that it took more than three decades for it to do so: it provided three decades in which the inhabitants of the region enjoyed one of the highest standards of living available.  (We need a citation for this dramatic claim.)

The rejection of government is not essential to traditional anarchism, but derives from the desire to eliminate the political machinery which supports private property.  In any event, the rejection of the state entails the rejection of electioneering (see DemocracY).  Insofar as politics refers to the actions of power structures then anarchism seeks the abolition of politics itself.  Hence, it is helpful to regard anarchism as a social and economic movement with ramifications in the political sphere.  To regard anarchism as a political ideology, anarchists hold, is an error.  In place of political maneuvering, anarchists champion the use of direct action of which the general strike, occupation of workplaces and sabotage are prime examples.  Anarchists who engage in sabotage do to impair or destroy the machinery of capitalism and not to terrorize otherwise innocent people.

Before the twentieth century, "anarchism" strictly meant traditional, socialist anarchism.  By the mid-twentieth century, however, some radical proponents of CapitalisM began calling their view "anarchism" and in particular, ''AnarchoCapitalism.''  This usage is geographically limited to Austria and the Anglo-American countries.  Since the beliefs and actions of AnarchoCapitalists are rarely compatible with those of traditional anarchists, traditional anarchists do not regard the AnarchoCapitalists as anarchists.

/Questions

/Talk
³3summary³3* Rendered Richard's reply fact-stating without changing the substance.  Get the idea?³2tscreate³2982045929³2keepts³2982352363³2id³21001³2host³2cobrand.bomis.com³2revision³211