What Is Communist Anarchism?

161 Pages·2015·0.57 MB·English

What Is Communist Anarchism?
Alexander Berkman
1929
Contents
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Chapter1:WhatDoYouWantOutOfLife? 7
Chapter2:TheWageSystem 10
Chapter3:LawandGovernment 13
Chapter4:HowtheSystemWorks 18
Chapter5:Unemployment 23
Chapter6:War? 26
Chapter7:ChurchandSchool 32
Chapter8:Justice 34
Chapter9:CanTheChurchHelpYou? 46
Chapter10:ReformerandPolitician 49
Chapter11:TheTradeUnion 56
Chapter12:WhoseIsThePower? 63
Chapter13:Socialism 67
Chapter14:TheFebruaryRevolution 77
Chapter15:BetweenFebruaryandOctober 81
Chapter16:TheBolsheviki 85
Chapter17:RevolutionandDictatorship 91
Chapter18:TheDictatorshipatWork 94
Chapter19:IsAnarchismViolence? 100
Chapter20:WhatisAnarchism? 105
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Chapter21:IsAnarchyPossible? 108
Chapter22:WillCommunistAnarchismWork? 113
Chapter23:Non-CommunistAnarchists 122
Chapter24:WhyRevolution? 124
Chapter25:TheIdeaistheThing 127
Chapter26:Preparation 131
Chapter27:OrganizationofLaborfortheSocialRevolution 139
Chapter28:PrinciplesandPractice 150
Chapter29:ConsumptionandExchange 153
Chapter30:Production 159
Chapter31:DefenseoftheRevolution 165
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Foreword
Iconsideranarchismthemostrationalandpracticalconceptionofasociallifeinfreedomand
harmony.Iamconvincedthatitsrealizationisacertaintyinthecourseofhumandevelopment.
Thetimeofthatrealizationwilldependontwofactors:first,onhowsoonexistingconditions
will grow spiritually and physically unbearable to considerable portions of mankind, particu-
larlytothelaboringclasses;and,secondly,onthedegreeinwhichAnarchistviewswillbecome
understoodandaccepted.
Oursocialinstitutionsarefoundedoncertainideas;aslongasthelatteraregenerallybelieved,
theinstitutionsbuiltonthemaresafe.Governmentremainsstrongbecausepeoplethinkpolitical
authorityandlegalcompulsionnecessary.Capitalismwillcontinueaslongassuchaneconomic
systemisconsideredadequateandjust.Theweakeningoftheideaswhichsupporttheeviland
oppressivepresent-dayconditionsmeanstheultimatebreakdownofgovernmentandcapitalism.
Progressconsistsinabolishingwhatmanhasoutlivedandsubstitutinginitsplaceamoresuitable
environment.
Itmustbeevidenteventothecasualobserverthatsocietyisundergoingaradicalchangeinits
fundamentalconceptions.TheWorldWarandtheRussianRevolutionarethemaincausesofit.
Thewarhasunmaskedtheviciouscharacterofcapitalistcompetitionandthemurderousincom-
petency of governments to settle quarrels among nations, or rather among the ruling financial
cliques.ItisbecausethepeoplearelosingfaithintheoldmethodsthattheGreatPowersarenow
compelled to discuss limitation of armaments and even the outlawing of war. It is not so long
agothattheverysuggestionofsuchapossibilitymetwithutmostscornandridicule.
Similarlyisbreakingdownthebeliefinotherestablishedinstitutions.Capitalismstill‘works’,
butdoubtaboutitsexpediencyandjusticeisgnawingattheheartofever-wideningsocialcircles.
TheRussianRevolutionhasbroadcastedideasandfeelingsthatareunderminingcapitalistsociety,
particularly its economic bases and the sanctity of private ownership of the means of social
existence.FornotonlyinRussiadidtheOctoberchangetakeplace:ithasinfluencedthemasses
throughouttheworld.Thecherishedsuperstitionthatwhatexistsispermanenthasbeenshaken
beyondrecovery.
The war, the Russian Revolution, and the post-war developments have combined also to dis-
illusion vast numbers about Socialism. It is literally true that, like Christianity, Socialism has
conqueredtheworldbydefeatingitself.TheSocialistpartiesnowrunorhelptorunmostofthe
Europeangovernments,butthepeopledonotbelieveanymorethattheyaredifferentfromother
bourgeoisrégimes.TheyfeelthatSocialismhasfailedandisbankrupt.
In like manner have the Bolsheviks proven that Marxian dogma and Leninist principles can
leadonlytodictatorshipandreaction.
TotheAnarchiststhereisnothingsurprisinginallthis.TheyhavealwaysclaimedthattheState
is destructive to individual liberty and social harmony, and that only the abolition of coercive
authority and material inequality can solve our political, economic and national problems. But
their arguments, though based on the age-long experience of man, seemed mere theory to the
presentgeneration,untiltheeventsofthelasttwodecadeshavedemonstratedinactuallifethe
truthoftheAnarchistposition.
ThebreakdownofSocialismandofBolshevismhasclearedthewayforAnarchism.
ThereisconsiderableliteratureonAnarchism,butmostofitslargerworkswerewrittenbefore
theWorldWar.Theexperienceoftherecentpasthasbeenvitalandhasmadecertainrevisions
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necessary in the Anarchist attitude and argumentation. Though the basic propositions remain
thesame,somemodificationsofpracticalapplicationaredictatedbythefactsofcurrenthistory.
ThelessonsoftheRussianRevolutioninparticularcallforanewapproachtovariousimportant
problems,chiefamongthemthecharacterandactivitiesofthesocialrevolution.
Furthermore,Anarchistbooks,withfewexceptions,arenotaccessibletotheunderstandingof
theaveragereader.Itisthecommonfailingofmostworksdealingwithsocialquestionsthatthey
are written on the assumption that the reader is already familiar to a considerable extent with
the subject, which is generally not the case at all. As a result there are very few books treating
ofsocialproblemsinasufficientlysimpleandintelligiblemanner.
FortheabovereasonIconsiderarestatementoftheAnarchistpositionverymuchneededat
this time — a restatement in the plainest and clearest terms which can be understood by every
one.Thatis,anABCofAnarchism.
Withthatobjectinviewthefollowingpageshavebeenwritten.
Paris,1928.
Introduction
IwanttotellyouaboutAnarchism.
IwanttotellyouwhatAnarchismis,becauseIthinkitiswellyoushouldknowit.Alsobecause
solittleisknownaboutit,andwhatisknownisgenerallyhearsayandmostlyfalse.
Iwanttotellyouaboutit,becauseIbelievethatAnarchismisthefinestandbiggestthingman
haseverthoughtof;theonlythingthatcangiveyoulibertyandwell-being,andbringpeaceand
joytotheworld.
I want to tell you about it in such plain and simple language that there will be no misunder-
standingit.Bigwordsandhighsoundingphrasesserveonlytoconfuse.Straightthinkingmeans
plainspeaking.
ButbeforeItellyouwhatAnarchismis,Iwanttotellyouwhatitisnot.
That is necessary because so much falsehood has been spread about Anarchism. Even intel-
ligent persons often have entirely wrong notions about it. Some people talk about Anarchism
withoutknowingathingaboutit.AndsomelieaboutAnarchism,becausetheydon’twant you
toknowthetruthaboutit.
Anarchism has many enemies; they won’t tell you the truth about it. Why Anarchism has
enemiesandwhotheyare,youwillseelater,inthecourseofthisstory.JustnowIcantellyou
thatneitheryourpoliticalbossnoryouremployer,neitherthecapitalistnorthepolicemanwill
speak to you honestly about Anarchism. Most of them know nothing about it, and all of them
hateit.Theirnewspapersandpublications—thecapitalisticpress—arealsoagainstit.
EvenmostSocialistsandBolsheviksmisrepresentAnarchism.True,themajorityofthemdon’t
know any better. But those who do know better also often lie about Anarchism and speak of it
as ‘disorder and chaos’. You can see for yourself how dishonest they are in this: the greatest
teachers of Socialism — Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels — had taught that Anarchism would
comefromSocialism.TheysaidthatwemustfirsthaveSocialism,butthatafterSocialismthere
will be Anarchism, and that it would be a freer and more beautiful condition of society to live
inthanSocialism.YettheSocialists,whoswearbyMarxandEngels,insistoncallingAnarchism
‘chaosanddisorder’,whichshowsyouhowignorantordishonesttheyare.
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The Bolsheviki do the same, although their greatest teacher, Lenin, had said that Anarchism
wouldfollowBolshevism,andthatthenitwillbebetterandfreertolive.
ThereforeImusttellyou,firstofall,whatAnarchismisnot.
Itisnot bombs,disorder,orchaos.
Itisnot robberyandmurder.
Itisnot awarofeachagainstall.
Itisnot areturntobarbarismortothewildstateofman.
Anarchismistheveryoppositeofallthat.
Anarchismmeansthatyoushouldbefree;thatnooneshouldenslaveyou,bossyou,robyou,
orimposeuponyou.
Itmeansthatyoushouldbefreetodothethingsyouwanttodo;andthatyoushouldnotbe
compelledtodowhatyoudon’twanttodo.
Itmeansthatyoushouldhaveachancetochoosethekindofalifeyouwanttolive,andlive
itwithoutanybodyinterfering.
Itmeansthatthenextfellowshouldhavethesamefreedomasyou,thateveryoneshouldhave
thesamerightsandliberties.
It means that all men are brothers, and that they should live like brothers, in peace and har-
mony.
Thatistosay,thatthereshouldbenowar,noviolenceusedbyonesetofmenagainstanother,
nomonopolyandnopoverty,nooppression,notakingadvantageofyourfellow-man.
In short, Anarchism means a condition or society where all men and women are free, and
whereallenjoyequallythebenefitsofanorderedandsensiblelife.
‘Canthatbe?’youask;‘andhow?’
‘Notbeforeweallbecomeangels,’yourfriendremarks.
Well,letustalkitover.MaybeIcanshowyouthatwecanbedecentandliveasdecentfolks
evenwithoutgrowingwings.
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Chapter 1: What Do You Want Out Of Life?
Whatisitthateveryonewantsmostinlife?Whatdoyouwantmost?
Afterall,weareallthesameunderourskins.Whoeveryoube—manorwoman,richorpoor,
aristocrat or tramp, white, yellow, red or black, of whatever land, nationality, or religion — we
areallalikeinfeelingcoldandhunger,loveandhate;weallfeardisasteranddisease,andtryto
keepawayfromharmanddeath.
What you most want out of life, what you fear most, that also is true, in the main, of your
neighbor.
Learnedmenhavewrittenbigbooks,manyofthem,onsociology,psychology,andmanyother
‘ologies’, to tell you what you want, but no two of those books ever agree. And yet I think that
youknowverywellwithoutthemwhatyouwant.
Theyhavestudiedandwrittenandspeculatedsomuchaboutthis,forthemsodifficultaques-
tion,thatyou,theindividual,havebecomeentirelylostintheirphilosophies.Andtheyhaveat
last come to the conclusion that you, my friend, don’t count at all. What’s important, they say,
isnotyou,but‘thewhole’,allthepeopletogether.This‘whole’theycall‘society’,‘thecommon-
wealth’,or‘theState’,andthewiseacreshaveactuallydecidedthatitmakesnodifferenceifyou,
theindividual,aremiserablesolongas‘society’isallright.Somehowtheyforgettoexplainhow
‘society’or‘thewhole’canbeallrightifthesinglemembersofitarewretched.
Sotheygoonspinningtheirphilosophicwebsandproducingthickvolumestofindoutwhere
youreallyenterintheschemeofthingscalledlife,andwhatyoureallywant.
Butyouyourselfknowverywellwhatyouwant,andsodoesyourneighbor.
Youwanttobewellandhealthy;youwanttobefree,toservenomaster,tocrawlandhumiliate
yourself before no man; you want to have well-being for yourself, your family, and those near
anddeartoyou.Andnottobeharassedandworriedbythefearofto-morrow.
Youmayfeelsurethateveryoneelsewantsthesame.Sothewholematterseemstostandthis
way:
Youwanthealth,liberty,andwell-being.Everyoneislikeyourselfinthisrespect.
Thereforeweallseekthesamethinginlife.
Thenwhyshouldwenotallseekittogether,byjointeffort,helpingeachotherinit?
Whyshouldwecheatandrob,killandmurdereachother,ifweallseekthesamething?Aren’t
youentitledtothethingsyouwantaswellasthenextman?
Orisitthatwecansecureourhealth,liberty,andwell-beingbetterbyfightingandslaughtering
eachother?
Orbecausethereisnootherway?
Letuslookintothis.
Doesitnotstandtoreasonthatifweallwantthesamethinginlife,ifwehavethesameaim,
thenourinterests mustalsobethesame?Inthatcaseweshouldlivelikebrothers,inpeaceand
friendship;weshouldbegoodtoeachother,andhelpeachotherallwecan.
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Butyouknowthatitisnotatallthatwayinlife.Youknowthatwedonotlivelikebrothers.
Youknowthattheworldisfullofstrifeandwar,ofmisery,injustice,andwrong,ofcrime,poverty,
andoppression.
Whyisitthatwaythen?
Itisbecause,thoughweallhavethesameaiminlife,ourinterestsaredifferent.Itisthisthat
makesallthetroubleintheworld.
Justthinkitoveryourself.
Supposeyouwanttogetapairofshoesorahat.Yougointothestoreandyoutrytobuywhat
you need as reasonably and cheaply as you can. That is your interest. But the store-keeper’s
interest is to sell it to you as dearly as he can, because then his profit will be greater. That is
becauseeverythinginthelifeweliveisbuiltonmakingaprofit,onewayoranother.Welivein
asystemofprofit-making.
Now,itisplainthatifwehavetomakeprofitsoutofeachother,thenourinterestscannotbe
thesame.Theymustbedifferentandoftenevenopposedtoeachother.
In every country you will find people who live by making a profit out of others. Those who
makethebiggestprofitsarerich.Thosewhocannotmakeprofitsarepoor.Theonlypeoplewho
cannotmakeanyprofitsaretheworkers.Youcanthereforeunderstandthattheinterestsofthe
workers cannot be the same as the interests of the other people. That is why you will find in
everycountryseveralclassesofpeoplewithentirelydifferentinterests.
Everywhereyouwillfind:
1. acomparativelysmallclassofpersonswhomakebigprofitsandwhoareveryrich,suchas
bankers,greatmanufacturersandlandowners—peoplewhohavemuchcapitalandwho
arethereforecalledcapitalists.Thesebelongtothecapitalisticclass;
2. aclassofmoreorlesswell-to-dopeople,consistingofbusinessmenandtheiragents,real
estatemen,speculators,andprofessionalmen,suchasdoctors,lawyers,inventors,andso
on.Thisisthemiddleclassorthebourgeoisie.
3. great numbers of workingmen employed in various industries — in mills and mines, in
factoriesandshops,intransportandontheland.Thisistheworkingclass,alsocalledthe
proletariat.
The bourgeoisie and the capitalists really belong to the same capitalistic class, because they
have about the same interests, and therefore the people of the bourgeoisie also generally side
withthecapitalistclassasagainsttheworkingclass.
Youwillfindthattheworkingclassisalwaysthepoorestclass,ineverycountry.Maybeyou
yourself belong to the workers, to the proletariat. Then you know that your wages will never
makeyourich.
Why are the workers the poorest class? Surely they labor more than the other classes, and
harder. Is it because the workers are not very important in the life of society? Perhaps we can
evendowithoutthem?
Let us see. What do we need to live? We need food, clothing, and shelter; schools for our
children;streetcarsandtrainsfortravel,andathousandandoneotherthings.
Canyoulookaboutyouandpointoutasinglethingthatwasmadewithoutlabor?Why,the
shoesyoustandin,andthestreetsyouwalkon,aretheresultoflabor.Withoutlabortherewould
benothingbutthebareearth,andhumanlifewouldbeentirelyimpossible.
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So it means that labor has created everything we have — all the wealth of the world. It is all
theproductoflabor appliedtotheearthanditsnaturalresources.
But if all the wealth is the product of labor, then why does it not belong to labor? That is, to
those who have worked with their hands or with their heads to create it — the manual worker
andthebrainworker.
Everybodyagreesthatapersonhasarighttoownthethingthathehimselfhasmade.
Butnoonepersonhasmadeorcanmakeanythingallbyhimself.Ittakesmanymen,ofdifferent
trades and professions, to create something. The carpenter, for instance, cannot make a simple
chair or bench all by himself; not even if he should cut down a tree and prepare the lumber
himself.Heneedsasawandahammer,nailsandtools,whichhecannotmakehimself.Andeven
ifheshouldmakethesehimself,hewouldfirsthavetohavetherawmaterials—steelandiron
—whichothermenwouldhavetosupply.
Ortakeanotherexample—letussayacivilengineer.Hecoulddonothingwithoutpaperand
pencilandmeasuringtools,andthesethingsotherpeoplehavetomakeforhim.Nottomention
thatfirsthehastolearnhisprofessionandspendmanyyearsinstudy,whileothersenablehim
toliveinthemeantime.Thisappliestoeveryhumanbeingintheworldto-day.
You can see then that no person can by his own efforts alone make the things he needs to
exist.Inearlytimestheprimitivemanwholivedinacavecouldhammerahatchetoutofstone
ormakehimselfabowandarrow,andlivebythat.Butthosedaysaregone.To-daynomancan
live by his own work: he must be helped by the labor of others. Therefore all that we have, all
wealth,istheproductofthelaborofmanypeople,evenofmanygenerations.Thatistosay:all
laborandtheproductsoflaboraresocial,madebysocietyasawhole.
Butifallthewealthwehaveissocial,thenitstandstoreasonthatitshouldbelongtosociety,
to the people as a whole. How does it happen, then, that the wealth of the world is owned by
some individuals and not by the people? Why does it not belong to those who have toiled to
createit—themasseswhoworkwithhandorbrain,theworkingclassasawhole?
Youknowverywellthatitisthecapitalisticclasswhichownsthegreatestpartoftheworld’s
wealth.Mustwethereforenotconcludethattheworkingpeoplehavelostthewealththeycreated,
orthatsomehowitwastakenawayfromthem?
Theydidnotloseit,fortheyneverownedit.Thenitmustbethatitwastakenawayfromthem.
This is beginning to look serious. Because if you say that the wealth they created has been
takenawayfromthepeoplewhocreatedit,thenitmeansthatithasbeenstolenfromthem,that
theyhavebeenrobbed,forsurelynoonehaseverwillinglyconsentedtohavehiswealthtaken
awayfromhim.
Itisaterriblecharge,butitistrue.Thewealththeworkershavecreated,asaclass,hasindeed
beenstolenfromthem.Andtheyarebeingrobbedinthesamewayeverydayoftheirlives,even
atthisverymoment.Thatiswhyoneofthegreatestthinkers,theFrenchphilosopherProudhon,
saidthatthepossessionsofthericharestolenproperty.
Youcanreadilyunderstandhowimportantitisthateveryhonestmanshouldknowaboutthis.
Andyoumaybesurethatiftheworkersknewaboutit,theywouldnotstandforit.
Letusseethenhow theyarerobbedandbywhom.
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Chapter 2: The Wage System
Didyoueverstoptoaskyourselfthisquestion:whywereyoubornfromyour parentsandnot
fromsomeothers?
Youunderstand,of course,what Iam drivingat.I meanthat yourconsentwas notasked.You
weresimplyborn;youdidnothaveachancetoselecttheplaceofyourbirthortochooseyour
parents.Itwasjustchance.
Soithappenedthatyouwerenotbornrich.Maybeyourpeopleareofthemiddleclass;more
likely,though,theybelongtotheworkers,andsoyouareoneofthosemillions,themasses,who
havetoworkforaliving.
Themanwhohasmoneycanputitintosomebusinessorindustry.Heinvestsitandliveson
theprofits.Butyouhavenomoney.Youhaveonlyyourabilitytowork,yourlaborpower.
Therewasatimewheneveryworkingmanworkedforhimself.Therewerenofactoriesthen
and no big industries. The laborer had his own tools and his own little workshop, and he even
boughthimselftherawmaterialsheneeded.Heworkedforhimself,andhewascalledanartisan
orcraftsman.
Thencamethefactoryandthelargeworkshop.Littlebylittletheycrowdedouttheindepen-
dent workman, the artisan, because he could not make things as cheaply as the factory — he
could not compete with the big manufacturer. So the artisan had to give up his little workshop
andgotothefactorytowork.
Inthefactoriesandlargeplantsthingsareproducedonabigscale.Suchbig-scaleproduction
iscalledindustrialism.Ithasmadetheemployersandmanufacturersveryrich,sothatthelords
ofindustryandcommercehaveaccumulatedmuchmoney,muchcapital.Thereforethatsystem
iscalledcapitalism.Weallliveto-dayinthecapitalistsystem.
Inthecapitalistsystemtheworkingmancannotworkforhimself,asintheolddays.Hecannot
competewiththebigmanufacturers.So,ifyouareaworkman,youmustfindanemployer.You
workforhim;thatis,yougivehimyourlaborforsoandsomanyhoursadayorweek,andhe
paysyouforit.Yousellhimyourlaborpowerandhepaysyouwages.
In the capitalist system the whole working class sells its labor power to the employing class.
Theworkersbuildfactories,makemachineryandtools,andproducegoods.Theemployerskeep
thefactories,themachinery,toolsandgoodsforthemselvesastheirprofit.Theworkersgetonly
wages.
Thisarrangementiscalledthewagesystem.
Learned men have figured out that the worker receives as his wage only about one-tenth of
what he produces. The other nine-tenths are divided among the landlord, the manufacturer, the
railroadcompany,thewholesaler,thejobber,andothermiddlemen.
Itmeansthis:
Thoughtheworkers,asaclass,havebuiltthefactories,asliceoftheirdailylaboristakenfrom
themfortheprivilegeofusing thosefactories.That’sthelandlord’sprofit.
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