The Anarchist Revolution: Polemical Articles 1924-1931

125 Pages·1995·8.8 MB·English

by  Errico Malatesta

THE ANAR CHISTR EVOLUT ION
,
ErricoM alatesta
THE ANARCHISRTE VOLUTION
PolemiAcrtailc l1e9s2 4-1931
Editeadn dI ntroduced
by
VernonRi chards
FreedoPmr ess
London
1995
Thisse lectfiirosnt
translaantedpd u blished
by
FREEDOM PRESS
84b WhitecHhiaghp eSltr eet
LondoEnl 7 QX
©
TranslatanidoI nn troduction
FreedoPmr ess
ISBN0 90038843 2
The printinogft hivso lumhea s
beepna ifdo wri tthh lee gaocyf
thagto ofride ndo fF reedProems s
GEORGE WALFORD
(1919-1994)
PrintiendG reaBtr itabiyAln d gatPer esLso,n doEn l
Contents
EditoIrn'tsr oduct7i on
I
Communisamn dI ndividual1i3s m
IndividuaalnidCs omm munisimn A narchis1m8
SyndicalainsdAm n archis2m3
The LabourM ovemenatn dA narchis2m7
FurthTehro ughotnsA narchiasnmd
theL abouMro vement3 1
RepublaincdR evoluti3o4n
FurtherT houghotnsR epublaincdR evoluti3o9n
II
Commentosn th e Article' ScieancnedA narchy4'5
Noteo nH z'asr ti'cSlcei eancnedA narchy4'9
Pseudo-Scientific A5b3e rrations
FurthTheoru ghtso nS cienacned A narch5y5
III
Anarchayn dV iolenc5e9
RevolutioTnearrryo 6r2
Let'Dse moli-sahn dt hen?6 5
PostscrtioLp ett 'Dse moli-sahn dt hen?7 0
IV
NeithDeIr:! mocrnaotrsD ,i ctatoAnrasrc:h ist7s3
Democraacnyd A narch7y 6
Anarchiasnmd R efonns8 0
Graduali8s2m
On 'AnarchRiesvti sionis8m7'
v
A ProjeocfAnt a rchiOsrtg anisat9i3o n
Abouthte 'Platfonn1'0 3
MalatesRteap'lsty o N estoMra khno 106
VI
SomeT houghtosn t heP ost-Revolutionary
ProperStyys tem1 13
QuestioonfTs a ctic1s2 0
EditorI'nst roduction
Thougcho mlpetieni tstehlivfso luomfeM alattaew'snst mgiss
intenadsae ' dusp plementtota hrEeyrri 'c oM alateHsitsa :L ife and
Idaesw hicIch o mpialneded d itien1d 96 5a ndo fw hicthhf euo rth
repraipnpte airn1e 99d3. T havto luim3se1 1 p agelso nagni dn cludes
morteh a2n0 p0a goefMs a lattaew'srsi timnosgtstl,ry a nsflroat thee d
firtsti m.Be uitn o rdteopr r esaescn otm plaep tiect oufMr ael at'ess ta
leia fsa na gitaantados arp ropagafronn deiasrstli yxy teya irwtsa ,s
imopsbsliteod os ow ith2i0n0 -opdagdea sn adt t hsema et imper int
comptleae rtibcylh ei.smI nstwehaadIt d id twoam sa kael iosft
topichse d tehawalitttc ho nnsttliaynh ipsr opagaannsddo aa r rived
att h2e7 s elecwthiioccnhos m prtihsmeea ivno lu.m feIee li ti s
importtoea xnptl haoiwtn h at vdoelevulmoepi enod r dteo'r j ustify'
(iIfh ave thteo p)u blicaotfit ohnel ateMsatl atevsotlau mAned. I
quofrtoem L ifea nd Ideas:
"Then exstt agwea st oc ondentsheem ateriwailt heina cchl assificaantdi on
thent or educteh en umbero fh eadinegist,h beyrc ombinisnogm eo rb y
deciditnhgat th em ateriianol t hewrass n ots ufficieonrts peciailnltye resting
toj ustiinfyc lusTihoenp .i ctutrheae tm ergewda so neo fa narchEinsdtsa nd
Meansa,n dI t herefgorroeu petdh es ectioancsc ordinegnldyi,nw gi tthh e
completteex otf t heA narchist ProgwrhaimcmhMe a latesdtraa fteadn d
whicwha sa cceptbeytd h eI talainaanr chist CoinnBg orleosgsni an1 920f,o r
its eemtso m et os yntheMsailsaet esitdae'aassn dh icso mmonsenaspep roach
toa narchtiasctt ics."
BecaIua sses utmhea tv otlhuiomsfMe a lat'ewssr tiatwiinalgtlst ract
readaelrrse famadiyl wiiatrth h mea iLnife a nIdd aesv oluImh ea,v e
not ineciltuthdhee'erdA narchist oPf1r 9o2g(0r1 ap7ma mgee's ) or
hiqsu irteem ark'aePbtleKerr opo-tRkeiocnl lecatniCdor nist icisms
ofa nO lFdr ide'(n 1p2a gewsr)i titnte hnle a ysetao rfh ilsei ( f1931)
bohti ncluidnLe ifeda nIdde as.
7
8
Agaitno a voirde petiIth iaovnte o m entiotnh aitnt hem ainv olume
I producead 42-pa'gNeo tefso ra Biograapshw ye'l la s' An
Assessme[notf]M alatestRae'lse vanfcoerA narchiTsotdsa y('4 0
pages).
Malatesdtaat'eassr 1e8 53t o1 932U.n likteh eo thesro -calclleads sic
anarchihsitsls i,f esepxatne ndiendt poo sWto rldW arO nea ndt he
risoeff asciisnmI taalnyd a lstoh eR epubliincS paiinn 1 931Al.s o,
unlikthee ' aristocarnaatricch'i Bsatksu,n iann dK ropotkhienw ,a s
throughohuitsl ifcel oseilnyv olviendt hew orkincgl assst ruggle.
Unlikteh emh eh adn oi llusaiboonustt h e' workicnlga swsh'i laetth e
samet immea kinigta bsolutelyt hacaltne aarrc hpirsotp aganda, while
directteode verybocdoyu,l ndo ts ucceeudn tiiltp ersuadtehde
victiomfst hec apitaslyisstte tmh,e o rdinawroyr kertso,a ctively
opposiet .
* * *
For theh isortianMsa lateswtaas t hes warthNye apolitan
insurrectiwohniilsseto ,m eo f ocuorn temporaanrayr cho-syndicalists
(LaureOntst eirn F reedroemc entaltyt)a chki mf oro ppositnhge
Monattfea ctiaottn h e1 907A msterdaCmo nference.
Theya lwla ntt ol abetlh em anw ithobuott hertione gx aminweh at
heh adt os aya boutth esiem portapnrto blems.
Inm y introducttoiL oifnea nIdd eIas su ggesttheadt :
"somree ademrasyt hintkh aitnp resenetxitnrga rcattsht ehra sne lections
onei sp resenMtailnagt eosuttoa fc onteaxswt e lalsd oinhgi ma ni njustice
asa w riter."
Ia greesdi,n cIeh avael wayasd miretdh el ogiacn dt hec onstruction
ofh iasr ticalnedsI ,a ddetdh at":P erhaopnse o ft hesdea yist w ilble
possitbolm ea keg oodt hi'si njustice'."
Thisv olumceo nsiosft2 s4 a rticblyeM sa latesmtoas,to fw hich
appeariendt hef ortnigjhotulrnyaP le nsieVe orloo wnhtiach he e dited
from 1924-2T6h.e M archo n Romeb yth e formerre volutionary
sociaalnidsj to urnaliBsetn,i tMou ssoliinn1i 9,2 2h adr esulitnet dh e
anarchidsati lpya perU maniNtoav ab einsgu ppressaendd
governmencte nsorsbhyi 1p9 26m adei ti mpossifbolrPe ensiee ro
Volotnogt oao n.A ndM alatesutnat,hi ilds e atihn 1 932w,a sl ikteh e
Burmeslea diyn t hen ewsa tt hem omentu ndehro usaer re-swth ich
9
explawihnysi nt hosea ritclaeftse r1 926h ew asc ompalinianbgo ut
beingcu to fffr oma narchliistte raptuubrlei sehleesdw herienE urope.
* * *
The titolfte h ivso lumaen,d e spceialthley s ubtiPtolmleie cAartlci les,
refletchtec hoibcyet hiesd iotrT.o explaIih na,v et oq uotweh atI
wrotine t hei ntroducttoti hoemn a inv olumnea,m eltyh at:
"hei ss eebny t heh istormioarneas s a r evolutiaogniatraytt hoaran s a t hinker
[whicehx]p laiinnps a rtth eisru perfictiraela tmoefnh ti sr olien w hatt hey
caltlh e' histaonraircc hmiosvte men.t"'
In1 924w henM alatessttaar teeddi tiPnengs ieeV rool onntoato nly
wash e inh ise arlys evenitesw itha lieftimoef e xperieinnc e
propagaannddaa gitatainodfin r st-hcaontnda cwtist thh ep oiltical
partiaensdU nionhse;a lsroe alitsheatdth ep ossibiolifrt eyv olution
inI taltyh eae tn do fWo rlWda rO ne hbaede n lostt ott hhaeSn okcsi al
Democratasn dt hes pineeslrso loef th e reofrmiusnti onasn dt heir
ledaersA.t t hatti met hea narchAirsmta ndBoo grhiw asg eneral
secretaorfty h eU SI( three volutisoynnadriyc aulnoiins.)tN oto nly
didt henyo ts ucceiendp ersuadtihnerg e ofrmiusnti ontso o ppose
Mussloinbiu te ventuaBlolgryh iw,h ilree mainianngo utstanding
anarchpirsotp aganldoissfttai ,t ihn a narchnod-iscyalism!
Soth em ainp eirodc ovedrb eyt hivso lumep oolfe miacriatcll deesa ls
witthh ep ractipcraolb lefmacsi nagn archwishtestn h tei idflseo wing
agiantshte Omf.c oursMea latae wsatsa revolutiaonndab reyel vied
thatt heo pprsesewdo uldo nlyfr eet hemselvse whent heyw ere
convintcheadtt h ebiors saensd o ppresswoorusln de vegri vuep t heir
poweurn lesosp posbeyda p owegrr eattehra tnh eirs.
Buth ew ass ucahp ractmicaan(l a ftearl hle,w orked moofhs itls ie f
asa ne lcetric-icaonu plweidt ah g oode ducatwihoinc mha deh im
thithnakt)h e j uscto ulndo tr epeaalttl h es olganosfr evolutainodn
ofl iefw ithouto rtp oriboll emosn cteh er evoluthiaodn tapkleanc e.
Norc oulhde a ccetphte a rgumenitnsc,l udtihnsoge o fa narchists,
whot hougthhta stc ience swoovlueal ldol u rp roble(mhsed idnl'itv e
lnoge nough tteolt lho sec ritaibcosu tth en uclebaorm b).A ndo f
courthseer ew erel,i kteh eN ewL aboulro, ta lstoh eN ewA narchist
loatn ds ureen ouhg,f ollowitnhgeR ussiRaenv oultiotnh,ea narchists
who escpaedt heL eninidsitc tatorlsahuinpc htehde i'rP rojoefc t
AnarchiOsrtg ainsatihoena'd ebdy N estoMra khnot hea narchist