All Socialist are Anarchist
Introduction
I was born March 8, 1947 into a railroad family. I had two major passions in my early teens: the Democratic Party and John F. Kennedy. With his assassination and then the failure to seat the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party in the summer of 1964, I lost all mooring with Party politics. The following May 1965, I graduated from Pocatello High School; I was eighteen, registered for the draft, and the nation was at war. Mr. Johnson's escalation of the war in Vietnam, the sending the troops into the Dominican Republic, completed my crisis of faith; I was no longer a Democrat.
My history is an intellectually personal history of the awakening and growth of a radical in love with the wonderment of the radical life-style. This is a story of an insurrection and rebellion on the limits placed upon human essential quality in a bourgeois society. This rebellion is at its core anti-capitalist, anti-state, anti-bureaucratic, anti-clerical, anti- patriarchal, and anti-positivist. This rebellion has continually evolved as age brought more insight and wisdom. One tradition replaces another not that they are outgrown or abandon, but they lead naturally by life experiences to new way of dealing with life. This is a rebellion born in experience
and not abstraction of an isolated rebel.
The early days of my youth Camus provided an image of the isolated rebel fighting for
human dignity stripped of all meaning in a world given over to the absurd.
Particularly because of the rebellion that was the 1960ʼs, I soon discovered the
philosophy of the Russian Anarchists of Bakunin, Kropotkin, Goldman, and Berkman.
With the collapse of the movement in the early 1970s the veterans and history of the old left became beautiful beckons in the night. The Industrial Workers of the World, Socialist party USA, Communist Party USA, and the Socialist Workers Party became my foundation.
The culture to which I belong is related to the left wing of the Socialist Party of America during the first two decades of the twentieth century, Industrial Workers of the World from its founding in 1905 to 1924, the Communist Party USA 1928 to 1939 during both the third period and the popular front, and the Progressive Party Presidential campaign of Henry Wallace and Glen Taylor in 1948, the last hurrah of the popular front before the Dark ages of the Domestic Cold War suffocated the creative soul of America from which we never fully recovered.
The following is a love letter to the heroes of my life. Part 1 is the discussion centering
on the goals of revolution as seen in the early days of the 20th century. Part 2 the
meaning of human dignity. Part 3 what it means to be human.
An earlier version of the first two parts appeared in Debate Over Lunch, Trafford publishing. Because it has been entirely rewritten and a new section added I decided to also change the name.
Part 1
Withering of the State
The debate between Anarchism and all other socialist traditions is about the role of the state in the transitional period between capitalism and communism. I hope to show here that all socialists are anarchists and all anarchists are socialists. The debate is over the time frame for the movement from a socialist revolution when working people have control over government and the economy is run through public agencies for the democratic needs of all. Even those socialists and social democrats that believe that a stateless modern society is impossible, use this model as an ideal type to measure the progress made towards a better and more humane society.
Real democracy and not hierarchy is what is the final goal. The goal of socialism is to bring the economy home to all the people. At first socialist put social responsibility and designing an economy to meet the needs of all of the people at the forefront. Followed closely by public control over the key financial companies, industries and social services.
This is but a step that hopefully will lead to increasing direct participatory democracy at
the shop floor level, in the community, the nation and globally. The economy belongs to
all of us. We need to see a revival of radical militant rank and file unions, civil rights and
civil liberties organizations, client rights groups, womenʼs rights, environmental, gay and
lesbian, consumer and community activists. The goal is an economy that meets the
needs of all the people particularly the poor and most vulnerable.
All socialists are anarchists and all anarchists are socialist.
Radical Left is a
The Future
From morality to ethics
Nationalism vs. nationalism
Minimum Program
Appropriation with fair reimbursement or expropriation without compensation
Dual Movement
Socialism’s Principles
My mind Wanders when Reading Hegel
Property
Marx opens the door
Underdevelopment of Dependency vs. Capitalist Global Development
Lenin
Articulation of Modes of Production
What a Marxist Professor Should Teach
Marxism and daily issues of the women’s issue
Socialism is Democracy
Socialist Work Hard
All socialists are anarchists and all anarchists are socialist.
Socialism without democracy is a lie and democracy without socialism is also a lie. This is a restatement of Bakunin’s famous quote “Liberty without socialism is privilege, injustice; socialism without liberty is slavery and brutality.” To keep things clear socialism is not government ownership, and democracy is not the right to vote. Public ownership is not really public unless it is democratic. The right to vote for a office once every so many years and which campaigns and legislation is taken care of behind our backs and without the transparent view and direct input of the rank and file citizens is nothing close to democracy.
Radical Left is a
Activism that embraces the vision of the following:
1. Small d democrat (Direct and Participatory democracy).
2. Small s socialist (Public Ownership of key industries, social services and financial institutions).
3. Small c communist a synthesis of the first two above.
4. Humanist, human welfare, values, and dignity comes first.
The state is the government and administrative offices that run society. State has a monopoly on the legitimate use of force in order to maintain order. Thus power is used to keep troublemakers in line and enforce laws. Those who control access to the resources used in production and distribution, those with a vested interest in maintaining existing relations of power have the greatest influence in the day-to-day decisions governing the state operations.
Public ownership goes beyond government agencies running different aspects of the political and economic goods and services needed by society. That is not yet socialism. Only when people served have an increasing input into the administration of the services do we approach socialism. The direction is toward participatory democracy and collective proprietorship. At first compensation would need to be from each according to her ability to each according to her contribution including hours, skill and intensity.
But, fighting for fairness and basic human rights, compassion and social responsibility we move in the direction of from each according to her ability to each according to her need.
Also with the increasing direct democracy and collective ownership with worker councils, we have employee direct control of the job and job site. By replacing private ownership of business or industry, self-management becomes achievable. Bureaucracy private or public becomes the issue of democracy. Though to be honest democracy is a public issue. The private often lacks accountability. Democracy then is public, accountable and non-hierarchical and egalitarian. The goal should be to bring the economy home to all the people particularly the poor and the vulnerable. This makes all of us responsible for designing an economy to meet the needs of all the people beginning with the destitute and the defenseless. This requires public control over key financial institutions, core industries and social services. With democracy there is accountability. We can now move to direct participatory democracy not only of these sectors of the economy, but guaranteed distribution of these goods and services to those who need them. Democracy at the shop floor level means not only a right to a meaningful job but a say on what happens to us at the job site. Democracy in the neighborhoods, communities, the nation and the world begins with living like we have a right to this. The economy belongs to all of us not the Wall Street gamblers, thieves and gangsters. Through a revival of radical and militant labor unions operating as candid employee working groups to make decisions on income, working conditions, what is produced and how and the distribution of these products and other benefits. Community groups to make decisions on how what is produced is distributed beginning with the needs of the disenfranchised, dispossessed, deprived and those without property or status.
Next the separation between mental and physical labor becomes progressively settled. Through rotation of jobs and skill upgrading as part of the job description of all employees shop floor democracy is possible. All supervisors, directors, and administrators are to be elected from within the rank and file. Often with term limits, for example any position can be served no more than two non-consecutive terms. Terms being a set time like two, four or five years. The idea is work is also art, play and a sensuous connection with nature, fellow human beings as the creative work process. At this point it becomes possible to organize distribution based upon from each according to her ability, to each according to her needs! What was seen before as the state; now is expected to wither away. When labor has become so productive that we will voluntarily work according to their ability.
Horizontal organization will replace vertical structured authority. The new society is highly organized on the basis of free and equal associations. That is combining worker control of the work sites through worker councils or committees, federated through elected representatives at each succeeding level all the way to the global. The rank and file and transparency are the control factors. Authority is situational, temporary, rotating and always subject to recall by the rank and file. At this point the state, as we know it begins to fade away being replaced by knowledgeably chosen amalgamation and association. The hierarchical state structure is now a historical footnote.
The democratic state run by working people and for working people will become more and more democratic. More and more functions are taken over directly by the people through the worker councils and citizen councils. But this can only happen in a truly democratic and socialist revolution in which the expanded public sector is control directly through worker, citizen, liberties, and environment councils or advocacy group democratically selected to e for d rank and file. As socialism is assembled through the action of the rank and file, the responsibility and reach of the state transforms because class differences lessens as power and income founded on the ownership of capital assets used to produce wealth such as materials, tools, buildings, land and money resources slowly depreciates due to the concentration of processes of manufacture in state controlled public ownership in the hands of the general public. From the point where all means of production become public property, the character and main purpose of the state now changes from political rule and coercion by enforcing the law to being one of advocacy and coordination of material and processes. Governmental rule over the people by police, courts and prisons declines. Now we increasingly see administration by the construction and managing of organizations into a scientific management of non-human objects and how and what is produced and how these goods and services are distributed. What was formally the state become an organizing economic unit and no longer a method of political control by one class over the most exploited class. We have organization, we have long term planning, we have democratic control over the economy by all the people and this would no longer be a state in the old fashion sense.
Both socialists and anarchists agree upon the above. The main agreement is two fold. First one is over strategies. Both socialists and anarchists disagree among themselves. For example non-violent resistance or armed struggle, direct action at the point of production or popular pressure being brought to bear on the established government or revolution vs. revolutions. I choose not to debate this.
Second how fast can we move from a market economy based upon production for profit and private property to true communism i.e. stateless worker councils? Replacing from each according to her ability to each according to work performed. Moving towards from each according to her ability to each according to her needs. While many socialists of today think true communism will never be achieved they still use the above model to measure what to do our process and how much more we need to accomplish. Therefore All Socialists are Anarchists and All Anarchists are Socialist.
Socialist Sources:
Karl Marx Critique of the Gotha Program
Frederick Engels Anti –Duhring Part III Socialism; The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State chapter ix
Karl Kautsky Class Struggle
Lenin State and Revolution
Leon Trotsky Terrorism
and
Communism [Dictatorship versus Democracy]
Editor Jaroslav Vanek Self-Management
Editor Gerry Hunnius Workers Control
Anarchist sources:
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon What is Property
Michael Bakunin Statism and Anarchy; Federalism, Socialism, Anti-Theologism
Peter Kropotkin Fields, Factories and Workshops Tomorrow; Revolutionary Pamphlets; The Conquest of Bread
Alexander Berkman What is Communist Anarchism
George Woodcock Anarchism
The Future
Democracy is a movement and not a product. Democracy is not a verified fact with the formation of the right to vote. Democracy is the on going process of taking charge of one’s own life and the day-to-day decisions we collectively make. The revolutionary transitions from less to more democratic structure require not only a commitment to the democratic possibility, but a mind set of acting democratically.
The first paradox that comes up in living life as a democrat is the conflict between democratic control of the work place and our communities and protecting individual civil liberties. Being born from the conflicts inherent in a market economy, an ideology of individualism, hatred of the less fortunate, competition, private property and production for profit in which democracy is seriously handicapped at first. We begin as defining freedom as a collective project, rather than an individual accomplishment. Social responsibility replaces individual obligations. Work and wages become two important but distinct issues. Everyone wants a comfortable income. We can set up our next project in which work now becomes more humanized and working conditions becomes more humane. Pride in the craft becomes possible as skills are up graded and rotations of jobs lessen the drudgery of menial labor. A relationship between social responsibility and the social benefit of the job and a feeling of importance is developed.
In the beginning reforms to lessen the more pitiless and grave distress of capitalism on the wageworkers is important. Next increasingly more say by workers about their wages, working conditions and benefits is also important. Followed by legislating protection of worker rights, sanitation, enforced safety measures and regulation of employment.
Progressively this is an escalating demand for public control over the economy for the benefit to the workers, citizens and consumers. Employment must be protected and guaranteed weather it is wage labor or work of the self-employed. While doing this action should be taken to close the income gap between the rich and the poor. Equality of opportunity becomes a generation-by-generation commitment. If not, those born in privilege have an unfair advantage in the distribution of life chances and meaningful employment. Use rights over property must replace absolute control of private ownership of the property. The community ultimately must look out for the interests of all its’ citizens against ruthless exploitation of the advantages of private property at the expense of the rest of us. Financial firms must not only be carefully regulated, but become publicly owned as soon as possible. As soon as this is done then the public utilities, social services, public transport and public communication must become in fact public. Public possession of and public monitoring of this essential part of the economy is paramount. The same is true of the key industries and major industrial corporations so central to the over all economy. Following this of course, all boards of authority need in the short run equal representation of labor unions with voting rights. At this point the divisions between skilled and unskilled labor, mental and physical labor are to be dealt with directly through education, up grading of skills, and rotation of jobs. The differences between rural and urban employment must be addressed in order to ensure if there are any gaps in the progress of creating a more compassionate and democratic society is taken seriously. Education is central to all of this. Education must be free from pre-school through PhD’s. Schools must remain under the control of the educated communities free from state or religious control.
The above is only the first stage of the transformation of society to a true democracy. The above is the only way of protecting human rights, community based self-determinations and civil liberties. This is only the beginning and not the final goal.
Government is always a dictatorship and can be nothing else. The state, all states demand a monopoly on the legitimate use of force in protecting the state and enforcing its’ laws. To protect short-term gains some sort of government is necessary. The state still requires a control on the lawful use of power in defending the command structure and carrying out its’ regulations. This becomes less and less important as people grow up under a new democratic and secure life. The coercion of the state becomes less important as worker and community councils become more important. The councils in which everyone has a day-by-day say over the decisions affecting their lives as such replaces the state as a relevant reality.
As the economy changes, so does power relations and political culture. As these changes come about there can only be a shift in the underlying culture. As everyone’s needs are met and everyone who can work has a job, economic insecurity is put to rest. As a creative effort replaces the drudgery of work by a more artistic joy of labor, wages and work are no longer connected. Economic equality and this cultivated and inspired connection with nature work become a deeply enjoyable and meaningful part of life. No on worries about who is working harder than whom. From each according her to ability to each according to her work performed can now be easily replace by from each according to her ability to each according to her needs. Not until this final stage can council communism replace state socialism.
Sources
Philosophical and Economic Manuscripts of 1844 by Karl Marx
Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx & Frederick Engels
Critique of the Gotha Program by Karl Marx
Civil War in France by Karl Marx
From morality to ethics
Morality is often associated with an individual obligation to particularized kinds of personal conduct. Often, though not always it is of a sexual nature. I will not engage in this kind of behavior, even if no one else will ever find out. This is great so far, except when this is imposed on others who happen not to share your religion or core values. I use ethics as being different. Ethics is often a social statement about collective behavior. This also is always changing. Commitment to others as an ethical consideration evolves as who is our sister and brother evolves. From family, to clan, to tribe, to nation, to humanity to life on this planet grows to answer the question am I my sister’s and brother’s keeper. In a history of revolutions and movements ethics evolve. In the following I use ethics and morality different than my sources in order to simplify the debate.
Social movements is the concerted effort by a large group of people to bring about a important transformation in the existing social structure in relation to wealth, income, power and property. Labor however defined is central. We begin with an increasing impression of association of characteristics in common and a feeling of far reaching comradeship. This solidarity unites individuals in an agreement of collective goals and a feeling that we are all in the same boat. United in joint sentiments brought to life through action. “We” replaces the “I”. The “we” become our reason for living. Our consciousness is altered.
This conflict is in fact a response against unfair and unsatisfactory social conditions. The professed estrangement causes psychological and public tension and a culture of alienation. The main social groups include economic classes, ethnic groups, gender and sexual orientation that come to feel disadvantaged by the dominant society. Class being central to the over all economy of a society more often than not provide the model for action for all deprived groups.
Association being a natural part of social life, it is natural that we come together in order further to address our grievances and expand both our democratic participation in those decisions that affect our lives and expand our personal freedoms so that we can take part in those choices. Cooperation and organization leads to collaboration of ideas as well as efforts and symmetry of action.
But, before that the spirit of rebellion must be awakened. When consciousness liberates herself from the manacles of mind with that deadening outlook that is swayed by sovereigns, counselors, members of the clergy, entrepreneurs, office-bearers, capitalists and news reporters that have carefully coiled about the people with attitudes of compliance and servility. An awareness that exposes all pervious truths to stern examination is born. All that has been taught in the past is fond out to be empty of the hollowness of the spiritual, partisan, permissible meaning. The social bias within which the human mind has decomposed lies festering upon the heart. The rebel begins to investigate in innovative passages to a better life. This struggle develops our new wisdom of ourselves and of our world. With every fresh revolution, generates new science of understanding.
Forces of reaction including the ecclesiastical order, the government, and administrators’ of commerce, manufacturing, the bankers, commercial investors, criminals and journalists cooperate to regain the momentum and to try to resurrect the dark ages. Financiers and cowardly strumpets of private enterprise who profit by the toadying of philosophy and of the debasement of personal character work for the master to make timidity and servitude okay.
But belly rot blocks the bowels and the pain of law and order out ways its’ benefits. Insurrection, rebellion, insurgence, sedition and revolt become our banner of beautiful music. The “Rebel Girl” becomes the standard of beauty. The “Red”, the militant, the revolutionary are the roll models for our children.
The quest of pleasure can lead to good or evil, depending whether our joy comes from working for the health and well being of others or to fulfill a craven taste for personal wealth or over indulgent gluttony. It can only be stated those who finds their pleasure in compassion, empathy or a strong commitment for equality and social justice is more sustainable then the spiritless predilection for private trinkets and an extreme permissive avarice of vain narcissism. Pursuit of happiness is the foundation of both ethics and crimes, good or evil. But, good can be empirically specified and the criminal is instinctively apparent. Also it becomes plain that the sympathetic is more joyful than the depraved.
The foundation of social ethics is born in the concept of “Other”. It is the “Other” that is evolving. Social ethics creates it’s own definition of justice. From vengeance that unites the clan in opposition to a wrong against the defining core values to universal equality founded on compassion justice grows. From the “People” being my clan, to the “People” being all of humanity justice evolves. From people to life in general compassion also grows.
Sources:
Kropotkin, Peter (1970) Anarchist Morality: New York, Dover
Trotsky, Leon (1938) Their Morals and Ours: The New International Volume IV, number 6 June 1938, pp. 163 - 173
Baum, Gregory (1996) Karl Polanyi on Ethics & Economics: Montreal, McGill Queens
Nationalism vs. nationalism
In the very short run nationalism can be a progressive force of those oppressed national struggling to just survive. Nationalism of the powerful nations is always evil. When a victimized nation joins the community of important ant powerful nations of the world, nationalism is always evil. Nationalism at this level not only victimizes the weaker nations that get in the way of imperial dreams of avarice and supremacy masquerading as defending democracy around the world. Spreading civilization and the white man’s burden were the lies that the powerful told in the past. But it was just a mask covering the face of majestic visions of acquisitiveness and authority impersonating as the protectors. Provocative private enterprise, and its’ government supporters is reinforcing its malevolent efforts more dangerously than ever. Crimes of the wealthy leaders are swept away by the big lie called patriotism. Old men who are cavalier with young men’s lives, lead the nation. Even good causes become evil when led by evil men.
We arrange our life decisions around a deep sense of justice and equality not for ourselves but for the protection of the welfare of the horribly abused individuals and require their cultural, public, economic, political and social liberation along with deep-seated demand for self-determination. To struggle for the idea that every person must have both the material and proper resources to acquire a full measure of the supplies required for the cultivation of a decent life must be more important than impulsive chauvinistic dullness.
The patriot is the mindless pawn of the conventional xenophobic capitalist. Nationalism at its’ core is exclusive. People are urged to adhere to commands of those who speak on the nations’ behalf. This takes place in spite of the hunger and pain of the poor. Nationalism focuses on perceived wrongs done against a nation and forgets the wrongs visited upon the less advantaged within that nation. Wrongs that the better off members of that nation visit on the rest of the tribe. This ignores that cross national alliances are possible if we can only see that the poor of our enemy have more in common with us than the affluent leaders of our own nation. Both sets of victims require that individuals need to demand to have open access to the equal means for the promotion of her wide-ranging abilities and the full use of her labor for her betterment and that of the community. Having the resources desired to shaping social relations making impracticable for the exploitation of anyone's labor, so that all the benefits of being a citizen of society is evenly distributed.
All people at all times have an interest in social justice. That ensuring everyone has food, housing, education, health care, security, meaningful work, and the pursuit of happiness. Not because we are a member of a specific tribe but because we are living things that feel, because we are human.
Reciprocity and redistribution is the necessary cornerstones of real and lasting democracy. This is the only possible long lasting economy. Mutuality and reorganization of democracy becomes not an end but a lifestyle. Allocation of social benefits includes understanding of the need for collaboration in this mutual aid. Nationalism asks us to limit our final loyalty to members of a nation. But, for the greater good we are asked to look the other way when members of our own nation are exploited to further the aims of our leaders. This is absurd. Our friends and allies are the poor among our enemy, not the generals and presidents of our country, and of course not the op-ed patriots of our national news media.
Nationalism when it becomes exclusive leads to the utmost conceivable brutality towards those enemies the leaders choose to call enemies. Nationalism is a very recent historical phenomenon. Always nationalism harms the poor and working people within the nation itself. Nationalism finally keeps the needy and workforces in line for the advantage of the class that control society's governmental procedures in the interests of the social class who owns the capital assets used to produce wealth.
This is not to say that national discrimination, imperialism and racism is not a critical problem. In the short run nationalism of the weak and victimized nation is a very progressive force, but as soon as national liberation is achieved, nationalism soon turns into its opposite. Now the same passion for fairness and egalitarianism for self-determination and end to oppression is now turned against internal minorities.
National liberation must go beyond nationalism as soon as national liberation is achieved. Anti-imperialism is never enough. Unless the recently emancipated become the champions of their own persecuted subclasses within their own civilization they soon join the neo-colonial client states of a post-colonial world. The reality unless victims stick together they soon become the blood sacrifice on the alters of a false freedom called national independence. What has changed is now a new national elite can bargain with the financial moguls in the megalopolis of international capitalism for a few more crumbs thrown their way.
Source: Le Socialisme, November 2, 1912; Translated: for marxists.org by Mitch Abidor.
Source: Karl Liebknecht, Ausgewählte Reden und Aufsätze (Selected Speeches and Essays), Berlin 1952, pp. 296-301.
Source: Marxism, Freedom and the State Publisher: Freedom Press, London; 1950
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