What Is Communist Anarchism?

132 Pages·2011·2.19 MB·English

Alexander Berkman
Thesameholdstrueofacommunityoracountry,whichisonlyafamily
on a large scale. The more people there are to do the work necessary to
supplytheneedsofthecommunity,theeasierthetaskofeachmember.
If the contrary is the case in our present-day society, it merely goes to
What Is Communist Anarchism?
prove that conditions are wrong, barbaric, and perverse. Nay, more: that
theyareabsolutelycriminalifthecapitalistsystemcanthriveontheslaugh-
terofitsmembers.
Itisevidentthenthatfortheworkerswarmeansonlygreaterburdens,
moretaxes,hardertoil,andthereductionoftheirpre-warstandardofliving.
Butthereisoneelementincapitalistsocietyforwhomwarisgood. Itis
theelementthatcoinsmoneyoutofwar,thatgetsrichonyour‘patriotism’
andself-sacrifice. Itisthemunitionsmanufacturers,thespeculatorsinfood
and other supplies, the warship builders. In short, it is the great lords of
finance,industry,andcommercewhoalonebenefitbywar.
For these war is a blessing. A blessing in more than one way. Because
waralsoservestodistracttheattentionofthelaboringmassesfromtheir
everydaymiseryandturnsitto‘highpolitics’andhumanslaughter. Govern-
mentsandrulershaveoftensoughttoavoidpopularuprisingandrevolution
bystagingawar. Historyisfullofsuchexamples. Ofcourse,warisadouble-
edgedsword. Oftenit,inturn,leadstorevolt. Butthatisanotherstoryto
whichweshallreturnwhenwecometotheRussianRevolution.
Ifyouhavefollowedmethusfar,youmustrealizethatwarisjustasmuch
adirectresultandinevitableeffectofthecapitalistsystemasaretheregular
financialandindustrialcrises.
When a crisis comes, in the manner in which I have described it, with
itsunemploymentandhardships,youaretoldthatitisnoone’sfault,that
itis‘badtimes’, theresultof‘over-production’andsimilarhumbug. And
whencapitalisticcompetitionforprofitsbringsaboutaconditionofwar,the
capitalistsandtheirflunkies—thepoliticiansandthepress—raisethecry
‘Saveyourcountry!’inordertofillyouwithfalsepatriotismandmakeyou
fighttheirbattlesforthem.
Inthenameofpatriotismyouareorderedtostopbeingdecentandhonest,
toceasebeingyourself,tosuspendyourownjudgment,andgiveupyour
life;tobecomeawill-lesscoginamurderousmachine,blindlyobeyingthe
ordertokill,pillage,anddestroy;togiveupyourfatherandmother,wife
andchild,andallthatyoulove,andproceedtoslaughteryourfellow-men
1929
42
warhasnothingtodowithpersonalcourage: itismassfightingatagreat
distancefromtheenemy. Personalencounters,inwhichthebestmanmay
win,areextremelyrare. Inmodernwaryoudon’tseeyourantagonists: you
fightblindly,likeamachine. Yougointobattlescaredtodeath,fearingthat
thenextminuteyoumaybeshottopieces. Yougoonlybecauseyoudon’t
havethecouragetorefuse.
Themanwhocanfacevilificationanddisgrace,whocanstandupagainst
thepopularcurrent,evenagainsthisfriendsandhiscountrywhenheknows
he is right, who can defy those in authority over him who can take pun-
ishmentandprisonandremainsteadfast—thatisamanofcourage. The
fellowwhomyoutauntasa‘slacker’becauseherefusestoturnmurderer
—heneedscourage. Butdoyouneedmuchcouragejusttoobeyorders,to
doasyouaretoldandtofallinlinewiththousandsofotherstothetuneof
generalapprovalandthe‘StarSpangledBanner’?
Warparalyzesyourcourageanddeadensthespiritoftruemanhood. It
degradesandstupefieswiththesensethatyouarenotresponsiblethat’‘tis
notyourstothinkandreasonwhy,buttodoanddie’,likethehundredthou-
sandothersdoomedlikeyourself. Warmeansblindobedience,unthinking
stupidity,brutishcallousness,wantondestruction,andirresponsiblemurder.
Ihavemetpersonswhosaythatwarisgoodbecauseitkillsmanypeople,
sothatthereismoreworkforthesurvivors.
Consider what a terrible indictment this is against the present system.
Imagine a condition of things where it is good for the people of a certain
communitytohavesomeoftheirnumberkilledoff,sotherestcouldlive
better! Woulditnotbetheworstman-eatingsystem,theworstcannibalism?
That is just what capitalism is: a system of cannibalism in which one
devourshisfellow-manorisdevouredbyhim. Thisistrueofcapitalismin
time of peace as in war, except that in war its real character is unmasked
andmoreevident
In a sensible, humane society that could not be. On the contrary, the
greaterthepopulationofacertaincommunitythebetteritwouldbeforall,
becausetheworkofeachwouldthenbelighter.
Acommunityisnodifferentinthisregardthanafamily. Everyfamily
needsacertainamountofworktobedoneinordertokeepitswantssupplied.
Nowthemorepersonsthereareinthefamilytodothenecessarywork,the
easierforeachmember,thelessworkforeach.
41
War is bad for your country, bad for humanity: it spells slaughter and Contents
destruction. Everythingthatwardestroys—bridgesandharbors,citiesand
ships,fieldsandfactories—allmustbebuiltupagain. Thatmeansthatthe
peoplearetaxed,directlyandindirectly,tobuilditup. Forinthelastanalysis
Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
everything comes from the pockets of the people So war is bad for them
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
materially,nottospeakofthebrutalizingeffectwarhasuponmankindin
general. Anddon’tforgetthat999outofevery1,000whoarekilled,blinded, 1. WhatDoYouWantOutOfLife? ........................... 7
ormaimedinwarareofthelaboringclass,sonsofworkersandfarmers. 2. TheWageSystem ....................................... 13
In modern war there is no victor, for the winning side loses almost as
3. LawandGovernment ................................... 17
much as the defeated one. Sometimes even more, like France in the late
4. HowtheSystemWorks .................................. 25
struggle: Franceispoorerto-daythanGermany. Theworkersofbothcoun-
5. Unemployment ........................................ 33
triesaretaxedtostarvationtomakegoodthelossessustainedinthewar.
Labor’swagesandstandardsoflivingaremuchlowernowintheEuropean 6. War? ................................................. 37
countriesthatparticipatedintheWorldWarthantheywerebeforethegreat 7. ChurchandSchool ...................................... 47
catastrophe.
8. Justice ................................................ 51
‘ButtheUnitedStatesgotrichthroughthewar,’youobject.
9. CanTheChurchHelpYou? ............................... 69
Youmeanthatahandfulofmengainedmillions,andthatthebigCapi-
talistsmadehugeprofits. Surelytheydid: thegreatfinanciersbylending 10. ReformerandPolitician ................................ 75
Europemoneyatahighrateofinterestandbysupplyingwarmaterialand 11. TheTradeUnion ...................................... 87
munitions. Butwheredoyoucomein? 12. WhoseIsThePower? .................................. 97
JuststoptoconsiderhowEuropeispayingoffitsfinancialdebttoAmerica
13. Socialism ............................................ 103
ortheinterestonit. Itdoessobysqueezingmorelaborandprofitsoutof
14. TheFebruaryRevolution .............................. 117
the workers. By paying lower wages and producing goods more cheaply
theEuropeanmanufacturerscanunderselltheirAmericancompetitors,and 15. BetweenFebruaryandOctober ......................... 123
forthisreasontheAmericanmanufactureriscompelledalsotoproduceat 16. TheBolsheviki ....................................... 129
lowercost. That’swherehis‘economy’and‘rationalization’comein,and
17. RevolutionandDictatorship ............................ 139
asaresultyoumustworkharderorhaveyourwagesreduced,orbethrown
18. TheDictatorshipatWork .............................. 145
outofemploymentaltogether. DoyouseehowlowwagesinEuropedirectly
19. IsAnarchismViolence? ................................ 153
affectyourowncondition? Doyourealizethatyou,theAmericanworker,
are helping to pay the American bankers the interest on their European 20. WhatisAnarchism? .................................. 161
loans? 21. IsAnarchyPossible? .................................. 165
Therearepeoplewhoclaimthatwarisgoodbecauseitcultivatesphys-
22. WillCommunistAnarchismWork? ...................... 173
ical courage. The argument is stupid. It is made only by those who have
23. Non-CommunistAnarchists ............................ 187
themselves never been to war and whose fighting is done by others. It is
adishonestargument,toinducepoorfoolstofightfortheinterestsofthe 24. WhyRevolution? ..................................... 191
rich. Peoplewhohaveactuallyfoughtinbattleswilltellyouthatmodern 25. TheIdeaistheThing .................................. 197
40 1
26. Preparation .......................................... 203 Thisiswhatyourpatriotism,yourloveofcountryisusedfor. Trulydid
27. OrganizationofLaborfortheSocialRevolution ........... 215 thegreatEnglishthinkerCarlylewrite:
‘What,speakinginquiteunofficiallanguage,isthenetpurportandupshot
28. PrinciplesandPractice ................................ 231
of war? To my own knowledge, for example, there dwell and toil, in the
29. ConsumptionandExchange ............................ 235
BritishvillageofDumdrudge,usuallysomefivehundredsouls. Fromthese,
30. Production .......................................... 243 bycertain‘naturalenemies’oftheFrenchtherearesuccessivelyselected,
31. DefenseoftheRevolution .............................. 253 duringtheFrenchwar,saythirtyablebodiedmen. Dumdrudge,atherown
expense,hassuckledandnursedthem;shehas,notwithoutdifficultyand
sorrow,fedthemuptomanhood,andeventrainedthemtocrafts,sothatone
canweave,anotherbuild,anotherhammer,andtheweakestcanstandunder
thirtystoneavoirdupois. Nevertheless,amidmuchweepingandswearing,
they are selected; all dressed in red; and shipped away, at public charge,
sometwothousandmiles,orsayonlytothesouthofSpain,andfedthere
tillwanted.
‘AndnowtothatsamespotinthesouthofSpainarethirtysimilarFrench
artisans,fromaFrenchDumdrudge,inlikemannerwending,tillatlength,
afterinfiniteeffort,thetwopartiescomeintoactualjuxtaposition;andThirty
standsfrontingThirty,eachwithaguninhishand.
‘Straightwaytheword‘Fire!’isgiven,andtheyblowthesoulsoutofone
another,andintheplaceofsixtybriskusefulcraftsmen,theworldhassixty
deadcarcasses,whichitmustbury,andanonshedtearsfor. Hadthesemen
anyquarrel? Busyasthedevilis,notthesmallest! Theylivedfarenough
apart;weretheentireststrangers;nay,insowideauniverse,therewaseven,
unconsciously,bycommerce,somemutualhelpfulnessbetweenthem. How
then? Simpleton! Theirgovernorshadfallenout;andinsteadofshooting
oneanother,hadthecunningtomakethesepoorblockheadsshoot.’
Itisnotforyourcountrythatyoufightwhenyougotowar. It’sforyour
governors,yourrulers,yourcapitalisticmasters.
Neither your country, nor humanity, neither you nor your class — the
workers—gainanythingbywar. Itisonlythebigfinanciersandcapitalists
whoprofitbyit.
War is bad for you. It is bad for the workers. They have everything to
lose and nothing to gain by it. They don’t even get any glory from it, for
thatgoestothebiggeneralsandfieldmarshals.
Whatdoyougetinwar? Yougetlousy,yougetshot,gassed,maimed,or
killed. Thatisalltheworkersofanycountrygetoutof
2 39
TheAmericanmanufacturersofacertainindustryorganizethemselves Forward
into a big combine, the industrial magnates of the other countries do the
same,andthenationalcombinesbegincompetingwitheachother. Thecap-
Iconsideranarchismthemostrationalandpracticalconceptionofasocial
italistsofeachcountrytrytograbthebestmarkets,especiallynewmarkets.
lifeinfreedomandharmony. Iamconvincedthatitsrealizationisacertainty
They find such new markets in China, Japan India, and similar countries;
inthecourseofhumandevelopment.
thatis,incountriesthathavenotyetdevelopedtheirownindustries. When
The time of that realization will depend on two factors: first, on how
eachcountrywillhavedevelopeditsownindustries,therewillbenomore
soonexistingconditionswillgrowspirituallyandphysicallyunbearableto
foreignmarkets,andthensomepowerfulcapitalisticgroupwillbecomethe
considerableportionsofmankind,particularlytothelaboringclasses;and,
internationaltrustofthewholeworld. Butinthemeantimethecapitalistic
secondly,onthedegreeinwhichAnarchistviewswillbecomeunderstood
interestsofthevariousindustrialcountriesfightfortheforeignmarketsand
andaccepted.
competewitheachotherthere. Theycompelsomeweakernationtogive
Oursocialinstitutionsarefoundedoncertainideas;aslongasthelatter
themspecialprivileges,‘favoredtreatment’;theyarousetheenvyoftheir
aregenerallybelieved,theinstitutionsbuiltonthemaresafe. Government
competitorsgetintotroubleaboutconcessionsandsourcesofprofit,andcall
remainsstrongbecausepeoplethinkpoliticalauthorityandlegalcompulsion
upontheirrespectivegovernmentstodefendtheirinterests. TheAmerican
necessary. Capitalismwillcontinueaslongassuchaneconomicsystemis
capitalist appeals to his government to protect ‘American’ interests. The
consideredadequateandjust. Theweakeningoftheideaswhichsupportthe
capitalists of France, Germany, and England do the same: they call upon
evilandoppressivepresent-dayconditionsmeanstheultimatebreakdown
their governments to protect their profits. Then the various governments
of government and capitalism. Progress consists in abolishing what man
callupontheirpeopleto’defendtheircountry’.
hasoutlivedandsubstitutinginitsplaceamoresuitableenvironment.
Doyouseehowthegameisplayed? Youarenottoldthatyouareaskedto
Itmustbeevidenteventothecasualobserverthatsocietyisundergoing
protecttheprivilegesanddividendsofsomeAmericancapitalistinaforeign
a radical change in its fundamental conceptions. The World War and the
country. Theyknowthatiftheytellyouthat,youwouldlaughatthemand
Russian Revolution are the main causes of it. The war has unmasked the
youwouldrefusetogetyourselfshottoswelltheprofitsofplutocrats. But
viciouscharacterofcapitalistcompetitionandthemurderousincompetency
withoutyouandotherslikeyoutheycan’tmakewar! Sotheyraisethecry
ofgovernmentstosettlequarrelsamongradons,orratheramongtheruling
of‘Defendyoucountry! Yourflagisinsulted!’Sometimestheyactuallyhire
financialcliques. Itisbecausethepeoplearelosingfaithintheoldmethods
thugstoinsultyourcountry’sflaginaforeignland,orgetsomeAmerican
thattheGreatPowersarenowcompelledtodiscusslimitationofarmaments
property destroyed there, so as to make sure the people at home will get
andeventheoutlawingofwar. Itisnotsolongagothattheverysuggestion
wildoveritandrushtojointheArmyandNavy.
ofsuchapossibilitymetwithutmostscornandridicule.
Don’tthinkIexaggerate. Americancapitalistsareknowntohavecaused
Similarly is breaking down the belief in other established institutions.
evenrevolutionsinforeigncountries(particularlyinSouthAmerica)soasto
Capitalismstill‘works’,butdoubtaboutitsexpediencyandjusticeisgnaw-
getamore‘friendly’newgovernmentthereandthussecuretheconcessions
ing at the heart of ever-widening social circles. The Russian Revolution
theywanted.
hasbroadcastedideasandfeelingsthatareunderminingcapitalistsociety,
Butgenerallytheydon’tneedtogotosuchlengths. Alltheyhavetodo
particularlyitseconomicbasesandthesanctityofprivateownershipofthe
ISappealtoyour‘patriotism’,flatteryouabit,tellyouthatyoucan‘lickthe
means of social existence. For not only in Russia did the October change
wholeworld,’andtheygetyoureadytodonthesoldier’suniformanddo
takeplace: ithasinfluencedthemassesthroughouttheworld. Thecherished
theirbidding.
superstitionthatwhatexistsispermanenthasbeenshakenbeyondrecovery.
38 3
The war, the Russian Revolution, and the post-war developments have 6. War?
combined also to disillusion vast numbers about Socialism. It is literally
truethat,likeChristianity,Socialismhasconqueredtheworldbydefeating
itself. The Socialist parties now run or help to run most of the European
War! Doyourealizewhatitmeans? Doyouknowofanymoreterrible
governments,butthepeopledonotbelieveanymorethattheyaredifferent
wordinourlanguage? Doesitnotbringtoyourmindpicturesofslaughter
from other bourgeois regimes. They feel that Socialism has failed and is
andcarnage,ofmurder,pillage,anddestruction? Can’tyouhearthebelch-
bankrupt.
ing of cannon, the cries of the dying and wounded? Can you not see the
In like manner have the Bolsheviks proven that Marxian dogma and
battlefieldstrewnwithcorpses? Livinghumanstorntopieces,theirblood
Leninistprinciplescanleadonlytodictatorshipandreaction.
andbrainsscatteredabout,menfulloflifesuddenlyturnedtocarrion. And
To the Anarchists there is nothing surprising in all this. They have al-
there,athome,thousandsoffathersandmothers’wivesandsweetheartsliv-
ways claimed that the State is destructive to individual liberty and social
inginhourlydreadlestsomemischancebefalltheirlovedones,andwaiting,
harmony,andthatonlytheabolitionofcoerciveauthorityandmaterialin-
waitingforthereturnofthosewhowillreturnnevermore.
equalitycansolveourpolitical,economicandnationalproblems. Buttheir
Youknowwhatwarmeans. Evenifyouyourselfhaveneverbeenatthe
arguments,thoughbasedontheage-longexperienceofman,seemedmere
front,youknowthatthereisnogreatercursethanwarwithitsmillionsof
theory to the present generation, until the events of the last two decades
dead and maimed, its countless human sacrifices, its broken lives, ruined
havedemonstratedinactuallifethetruthoftheAnarchistposition.
homesitsindescribableheartacheandmisery.
ThebreakdownofSocialismandofBolshevismhasclearedthewayfor
‘It’sterrible’,youadmit,‘butitcan’tbehelped’. Youthinkthatwarmust
Anarchism.
be,thattimescomewhenitisinevitable,thatyoumustdefendyourcountry
ThereisconsiderableliteratureonAnarchism,butmostofitslargerworks
whenitisindanger.
werewrittenbeforetheWorldWar. Theexperienceoftherecentpasthas
Letussee,then,whetheryoureallydefendyourcountrywhenyougoto
beenvitalandhasmadecertainrevisionsnecessaryintheAnarchistattitude
war. Letusseewhatcauseswar, andwhetheritisforthebenefitofyour
andargumentation. Thoughthebasicpropositionsremainthesame,some
country that you are called upon to don the uniform and start off on the
modifications of practical application are dictated by the facts of current
campaignofslaughter.
history. ThelessonsoftheRussianRevolutioninparticularcallforanew
Letusconsiderwhomandwhatyoudefendinwar: whoisinterestedin
approachtovariousimportantproblems,chiefamongthemthecharacter
itandwhoprofitsbyit.
andactivitiesofthesocialrevolution.
Wemustreturntoourmanufacturer. Unabletosellhisproductataprofit
Furthermore,Anarchistbooks,withfewexceptions,arenotaccessibleto
inhisowncountry,he(andmanufacturersofothercommoditieslikewise)
theunderstandingoftheaveragereader. Itisthecommonfailingofmost
seeksamarketinsomeforeignland. HegoestoEngland,Germany,France,
worksdealingwithsocialquestionsthattheyarewrittenontheassumption
ortosomeothercountry,andtriestodisposethereofhis‘over-production’,
thatthereaderisalreadyfamiliartoaconsiderableextentwiththesubject,
ofhis‘surplus’.
whichisgeneraBynotthecaseataleAsaresultthereareveryfewbooks
But there he finds the same conditions as in his own country. There
treatingofsocialproblemsinasufficientlysimplesadintelligiblemanner.
theyalsohave‘over-production’;thatis,theworkersaresoexploitedand
FortheabovereasonIconsiderarestatementoftheAnarchistposition
underpaidthattheycannotbuythecommoditiestheyhaveproduced. The
verymuchneededatthistime—arestatementintheplainestandclearest
manufacturersofEngland,Germany,France,etc.,arethereforealsolooking
termswhichcanbeunderstoodbyeveryone. Thatis,anABCofAnarchism.
forothermarkets,justastheAmericanmanufacturer.
Withthatobjectinviewthefollowingpageshavebeenwritten.
4 37
Theresult? Thewarehousesarestockedwiththeshoesthepeoplewant Paris,1928.
butcannotbuy,shopsandfactoriesclosebecauseofthe‘oversupply’. The
samethingshappeninotherindustries. Youaretoldthatthereisa‘crisis’
andyourwagesmustbereduced. Introduction
Your wages are cut; you are put on part time or you lose your work
altogether Thousands of men and women are thrown out of employment IwanttotellyouaboutAnarchism.
inthatmanner. Theirwagesstopandtheycannotbuythefoodandother IwanttotellyouwhatAnarchismis,becauseIthinkitiswellyoushould
thingstheyneed. Arethosethingsnottobehad? No,onthecontrary;the know it. Also because so little is known about it, and what is known is
warehousesandstoresarefilledwiththem,thereistoomuchofthemthere’s generallyhearsayandmostlyfalse.
‘over-production’. Iwanttotellyouaboutit,becauseIbelievethatAnarchismisthefinest
Sothecapitalistsystemofproductionforprofitresultsinthiscrazysitua- andbiggestthingmanhaseverthoughtof;theonlythingthatcangiveyou
tion: libertyandwell-being,andbringpeaceandjoytotheworld.
Iwanttotellyouaboutitinsuchplainandsimplelanguagethatthere
1. peoplehavetostarve—notbecausethereisnotenoughfoodbutbecause
willbenomisunderstandingit. Bigwordsandhighsoundingphrasesserve
there is too much of it; they have to do without the things they need,
onlytoconfuse. Straightthinkingmeansplainspeaking.
becausethereistoomuchofthosethingsonhand;
ButbeforeItellyouwhatAnarchismis,Iwanttotellyouwhatitisnot.
ThatisnecessarybecausesomuchfalsehoodhasbeenspreadaboutAnar-
2. becausethereistoomuch,manufactureiscutdown,throwingthousands
chism. Evenintelligentpersonsoftenhaveentirelywrongnotionsaboutit.
outofwork;
SomepeopletalkaboutAnarchismwithoutknowingathingaboutit. And
somelieaboutAnarchism,becausetheydon’twantyoutoknowthetruth
3. beingoutofworkandthereforenotearning,thosethousandslosetheir
aboutit.
buyingcapacity. Thegrocer,thebutcher,thetailoralls,asaresult. That
Anarchismhasmanyenemies;theywon’ttellyouthetruthaboutit. Why
meansincreasedunemploymentallaround,thecrisisgetsworse.
Anarchismhasenemiesandwhotheyare,youwillseelater,inthecourse
Undercapitalismthishappensineveryindustry. of this story. Just now I can tell you that neither your political boss nor
Suchcrisesareinevitableinasystemofproductionforprofit. 1comefrom youremployer,neitherthecapitalistnorthepolicemanwillspeaktoyou
timetotime;theyreturnperiodically,alwaysgettingworse. Theydeprive honestlyaboutAnarchism. Mostofthemknownothingaboutit,andallof
thousandsandhundredsofthousandsofemploymentcausingpoverty,dis- themhateit. Theirnewspapersandpublications—thecapitalisticpress—
tress,anduntoldmisery. Theyresultinbankruptcyandbankfailures,which arealsoagainstit.
swallow up whatever little the worker have saved in time of ‘prosperity’. EvenmostSocialistsandBolsheviksmisrepresentAnarchism. True,the
They cause want and need, d people to despair and crime, to suicide and majority of them don’t know any better. But those who do know better
insanity. alsooftenlieaboutAnarchismandspeakofitas‘disorderandchaos’. You
Sucharetheresultsofproductionforprofit;suchthefruitsofsystemof canseeforyourselfhowdishonesttheyareinthis: thegreatestteachersof
capitalism. Socialism—KarlMarxandFriedrichEngels—hadtaughtthatAnarchism
Yetthatisnotall. Thereisanotherresultofthissystem,areevenworse would come from Socialism. They said that we must first have Socialism,
thanalltheotherscombined. but that after Socialism there will be Anarchism, and that it would be a
ThatisWar. freerandmorebeautifulconditionofsocietytoliveinthanSocialism. Yet
36 5
theSocialists,whoswearbyMarxandEngels,insistoncallingAnarchism needed1,000pairsofshoes;andsupposewe’dhave50shoemakersforthe
‘chaosanddisorder’,whichshowsyouhowignorantordishonesttheyare. job. Thenin20hoursworkthoseshoemakerswouldproducetheshoesour
TheBolsheviksdothesame,althoughtheirgreatestteacher,Lenin,had communityneeds.
saidthatAnarchismwouldfollowBolshevism,andthatthenitwillbebetter Buttheshoemakerofto-daydoesnotknowanddoesnotcarehowmany
andfreertolive. pairs of shoes are needed. Thousands of people may need new shoes in
ThereforeImusttellyou,firstofall,whatAnarchismisnot. your city, but they cannot afford to buy them. So what good is it to the
Itisnotbombs,disorder,orchaos. manufacturertoknowwhoneedsshoes? Whathewantstoknowiswho
Itisnotrobberyandmurder. canbuytheshoeshemakes: howmanypairshecansellataprofit.
Itisnotawarofeachagainstall. Whathappens? Well,hewillmanufactureaboutasmanypairsofshoes
Itisnotareturntobarbarismortothewildstateofman. as he thinks he will be able to sell. He will try his best to produce them
Anarchismistheveryoppositeofallthat. as cheaply and sell them as dearly as he can, so as to make a good profit.
Anarchism means that you should be free; that no one should enslave He will therefore employ as few workers as possible to manufacture the
you,bossyou,robyou,orimposeuponyou. quantityofshoeshewants,andhewillhavethemworkas‘efficiently’and
Itmeansthatyoushouldbefreetodothethingsyouwanttodo;andthat hardashecancompelthemto.
youshouldnotbecompelledtodowhatyoudon’twanttodo. Youseethatproductionforprofitmeanslongerhoursandfewerpersons
Itmeansthatyoushouldhaveachancetochoosethekindofalifeyou employedthanwouldbethecaseifproductionwereforuse.
wanttolive,andliveitwithoutanybodyinterfering. Capitalismisthesystemofproductionforprofit,andthatiswhycapital-
Itmeansthatthenextfellowshouldhavethesamefreedomasyou,that ismalwaysmusthaveunemployed.
everyoneshouldhavethesamerightsandliberties. Butlookfurtherintothissystemofproductionforprofitandyouwillsee
Itmeansthatallmenarebrothers,andthattheyshouldlivelikebrothers, howitsbasicevilworksahundredotherevils.
inpeaceandharmony. Let us follow the shoe manufacturer of your city. He has no way of
Thatistosay,thatthereshouldbenowar,noviolenceusedbyoneset knowing, as I have already pointed out, who will or will not be able to
of men against another, no monopoly and no poverty, no oppression, no buy his shoes. He makes a rough guess, he ‘estimates’, and he decides to
takingadvantageofyourfellow-man. manufacture,letussay,50,000pairs. Thenheputshisproductonthemarket.
In short, Anarchism means a condition or society where all men and Thatis,thewholesaler,thejobber,andthestorekeeperputthemupforsale.
womenarefree,andwhereallenjoyequallythebenefitsofanorderedand Supposeonly30,000pairsweresold;20,000pairsremainonhand. Our
sensiblelife. manufacturer,unabletosellthebalanceinhisowncity,willtrytodisposeof
‘Canthatbe?’youask;‘andhow?’ it,insomeotherpartofthecountry. Buttheshoemanufacturerstherehave
‘Notbeforeweallbecomeangels,’yourfriendremarks. alsohadthesameexperience. Theyalsocan’tsellalltheyhaveproduced.
Well,letustalkitover. MaybeIcanshowyouthatwecanbedecentand Thesupplyofshoesisgreaterthanthedemandforthem,theytellyou. They
liveasdecentfolksevenwithoutgrowingwings. have to cut down production. That means the discharge of some of their
employees,thusincreasingthearmyoftheunemployed.
‘Over-production’thisiscalled. Butintruthitisnotover-productionat
all. Itisunder-consumption,becausetherearemanypeoplewhoneednew
shoes,buttheycan’taffordtobuythem.
6 35
youremployer,forinstance,tohave100peoplework10hoursdailyrather 1. What Do You Want Out Of Life?
thantoemploy200at5hours. Hewouldneedmoreroomfor200thanfor
100persons—alargerfactory,moretoolsandmachinery,andsoon. That
is,hewouldrequireagreaterinvestmentofcapital. Theemploymentofa
Whatisitthateveryonewantsmostinlife? Whatdoyouwantmost?
largerforceatlesshourswouldbringlessprofits,andthatiswhyyourboss
After all, weareallthesame under our skins. Whoeveryoube — man
willnotrunhisfactoryorshoponsuchaplan. Whichmeansthatasystem
orwoman,richorpoor,aristocratortramp,white,yellow,redorblack,of
ofprofit-makingisnotcompatiblewithconsiderationsofhumanityandthe
whateverland,nationality,orreligion—weareallalikeinfeelingcoldand
well-beingoftheworkers. Onthecontrary,theharderandmore‘efficiently’
hunger,loveandhate;weallfeardisasteranddisease,andtrytokeepaway
youworkandthelongerhoursyoustayatit,thebetterforyouremployer
fromharmanddeath.
andthegreaterhisprofits.
Whatyoumostwantoutoflife,whatyoufearmost,thatalsoistrue,in
Youcanthereforeseethatcapitalismisnotinterestedinemployingall
themain,ofyourneighbor.
thosewhowantandareabletowork. Onthecontrary: aminimumof‘hands’
Learnedmenhavewrittenbigbooks, manyofthem, onsociology, psy-
andamaximumofeffortistheprincipleandtheprofitofthecapitalistsystem.
chology,andmanyother‘ologies’,totellyouwhatyouwant,butnotwoof
This is the whole secret of all ‘rationalization’ schemes. And that is why
thosebookseveragree. AndyetIthinkthatyouknowverywellwithout
you will find thousands of people in every capitalist country willing and
themwhatyouwant.
anxioustowork,yetunabletogetemployment. Thisarmyofunemployed
They have studied and written and speculated so much about this, for
isaconstantthreattoyourstandardofliving. Theyarereadytotakeyour
themsodifficultaquestion,thatyou,theindividual,havebecomeentirely
placeatlowerpay,becausenecessitycompelsthemtoit. Thatis,ofcourse,
lost in their philosophies. And they have at last come to the conclusion
veryadvantageoustotheboss: itisawhipinhishandsconstantlyheldover
thatyou,myfriend,don’tcountatall. What’simportant,theysay,isnot
you,soyouwillslavehardforhimand‘behave’yourself.
you,but‘thewhole’,allthepeopletogether. This‘whole’theycall‘society’,
Youcanseeforyourselfhowdangerousanddegradingsuchasituationis
‘thecommonwealth’,or‘theState’,andthewiseacreshaveactuallydecided
fortheworker,nottospeakoftheotherevilsofthesystem.
thatitmakesnodifferenceifyou,theindividual,aremiserablesolongas
‘Thenwhynotdoawaywithunemployment?’youdemand.
‘society’isallright. Somehowtheyforgettoexplainhow‘society’or‘the
Yes,itwouldbefinetodoawaywithit. Butitcouldbeaccomplishedonly
whole’canbeallrightifthesinglemembersofitarewretched.
bydoingawaywiththecapitalistsystemanditswageslavery. Aslongas
Sotheygoonspinningtheirphilosophicwebsandproducingthickvol-
youhavecapitalism—oranyothersystemoflaborexploitationandprofit-
umestofindoutwhereyoureallyenterintheschemeofthingscalledlife,
making—youwillhaveunemployment. Capitalismcan’texistwithoutit: it
andwhatyoureallywant.
isinherentinthewagesystem. Itisthefundamentalconditionofsuccessful
Butyouyourselfknowverywellwhatyouwant,andsodoesyourneigh-
capitalistproduction
bor.
‘Why?’
Youwanttobewellandhealthy;youwanttobefree,toservenomaster,
Becausethecapitalistindustrialsystemdoesnotproducefortheneedsof
tocrawlandhumiliateyourselfbeforenoman;youwanttohavewell-being
thepeople;itproducesforprofit. Manufacturersdonotproducecommodities
for yourself, your family, and those near and dear to you. And not to be
because the people want them and as much of them as is required. They
harassedandworriedbythefearofto-morrow.
producewhattheyexpecttosell,andsellataprofit.
Youmayfeelsurethateveryoneelsewantsthesame. Sothewholematter
Ifwehadasensiblesystem,wewouldproducethethingswhichthepeople
seemstostandthisway:
wantandthequantitytheyneed. Supposetheinhabitantsofacertainlocality
34 7
Youwanthealth,liberty,andwell-being. Everyoneislikeyourselfinthis 5. Unemployment
respect.
Thereforeweallseekthesamethinginlife.
Thenwhyshouldwenotallseekittogether,byjointeffort,helpingeach
Iamgladyourfriendaskedthequestion,foreveryworkingmanrealises
otherinit?
how important this matter of unemployment is to him. You know what
Whyshouldwecheatandrob,killandmurdereachother,ifweallseek
your life is when you are out of work; and when you do have a job, how
thesamething? Aren’tyouentitledtothethingsyouwantaswellasthe
thefearoflosingithangsoveryou. Youarealsoawarewhatadangerthe
nextman?
standingarmyofunemployedistoyouwhenyouareoutonstrikeforbetter
Or is it that we can secure our health, liberty, and well-being better by
conditions. Youknowthatstrikebreakersareenlistedfromtheunemployed
fightingandslaughteringeachother?
whomcapitalismalwayskeepsonhand,tohelpbreakyourstrike.
Orbecausethereisnootherway?
‘Howdoescapitalismkeeptheunemployedonhand?’youask.
Letuslookintothis.
Simplybycompellingyoutoworklonghoursandashardaspossible,so
Doesitnotstandtoreasonthatifweallwantthesamethinginlife,ifwe
astoproducethegreatestamount. Allthemodernschemesof‘efficiency’,
havethesameaim,thenourinterestsmustalsobethesame? Inthatcase
theTaylorandothersystemsof‘economy’and‘rationalization’serveonly
weshouldlivelikebrothers,inpeaceandfriendship;weshouldbegoodto
tosqueezegreaterprofitsoutoftheworker. Itiseconomyintheinterestof
eachother,andhelpeachotherallwecan.
theemployeronly. Butasconcernsyou,theworker,this‘economy’spells
Butyouknowthatitisnotatallthatwayinlife. Youknowthatwedo
the greatest expenditure of your effort and energy, a fatal waste of your
notlivelikebrothers. Youknowthattheworldisfullofstrifeandwar,of
vitality.
misery,injustice,andwrong,ofcrime,poverty,andoppression.
Itpaystheemployertouseupandexploityourstrengthandabilityatthe
Whyisitthatwaythen?
highesttension. True,itruinsyourhealthandbreaksdownyournervous
It is because, though we all have the same aim in life, our interests are
system, makes you a prey to illness and disease (there are even special
different. Itisthisthatmakesallthetroubleintheworld.
proletariandiseases),cripplesyouandbringsyoutoanearlygrave—but
Justthinkitoveryourself.
whatdoesyourbosscare? Aretherenotthousandsofunemployedwaiting
Supposeyouwanttogetapairofshoesorahat. Yougointothestoreand
foryourjobandreadytotakeitthemomentyouaredisabledordead?
youtrytobuywhatyouneedasreasonablyandcheaplyasyoucan. Thatis
Thatiswhyitistotheprofitofthecapitalisttokeepanarmyofunem-
yourinterest. Butthestore-keeper’sinterestistosellittoyouasdearlyas
ployedreadyathand. Itispartandparcelofthewagesystem,anecessary
hecan,becausethenhisprofitwillbegreater. Thatisbecauseeverythingin
andinevitablecharacteristicofit.
thelifeweliveisbuiltonmakingaprofit,onewayoranother. Weliveina
Itisintheinterestofthepeoplethatthereshouldbenounemployed,that
systemofprofit-making.
allshouldhaveanopportunitytoworkandearntheirliving;thatallshould
Now,itisplainthatifwehavetomakeprofitsoutofeachother,thenour
help, each according to his ability and strength, to increase the wealth of
interestscannotbethesame. Theymustbedifferentandoftenevenopposed
thecountry,sothateachshouldbeabletohaveagreatershareofit.
toeachother.
Butcapitalismisnotinterestedinthewelfareofthepeople. Capitalism,as
In every country you will find people who live by making a profit out
Ihaveshownbefore,isinterestedonlyinprofits. Byemployinglesspeople
ofothers. Thosewhomakethebiggestprofitsarerich. Thosewhocannot
and working them long hours larger profits can be made than by giving
make profits are poor. The only people who cannot make any profits are
work to more people at shorter hours. That is why it is to the interest of
theworkers. Youcanthereforeunderstandthattheinterestsoftheworkers
8 33