The Beautiful Idea: Why We Need Anarchist Communism Now: ACG Online Public Meeting

[charlie mowbray]

Monday, March 18th 7-9pm
We are going through an unprecedented time of human history, in which even the future of the planet is at stake. This was not inevitable. It is the result of the systems that have been brutally imposed by a ruling elite, including colonial expansion and imperialism, which gave rise to global capitalism. This system as spread to ever corner of the world, bringing with it exploitation, oppression, wars and environmental disaster.
We believe that only anarchist communism can save the day. The ruling class is desperate to make us think that the serious issues we are facing can be resolved within capitalism, with continual growth and profits for a few. Too many in the trade unions, reformist parties and environmental believe the same. Demands for a ‘Just Transition’ or a ‘green economy’ are still all within the logic of capitalism.
Other options are being put forward by Communists of the Leninist tradition. Though they call for revolution, theirs would be a top-down one, sacrificing our freedom in the process. Anarchism, without the communism, is also an inadequate solution. Focusing on individual freedom and being anti-authority does not address the big changes that need to take place in our economic and social systems.
Instead we propose anarchist communism. As Malatesta said:
“We too aspire to communism as the most perfect achievement of human solidarity, but it must be anarchist communism, that is, freely desired and accepted, and the means by which the freedom of everyone is guaranteed and can expand; for these reasons we maintain that State communism, which is authoritarian and imposed, is the most hateful tyranny that has ever afflicted, tormented and handicapped mankind.”
Free tickets from Eventbrite:

The Beautiful Idea: Why we need anarchist communism now

This is an unprecedented time of human history, with the future of the planet at stake. A discussion of why we need anarchist communism.

www.eventbrite.fi

 

[8ball]

Can we have it from next Friday, cos I’m being made redundant.

 

[PTK]

Monday, March 18th 7-9pm
We are going through an unprecedented time of human history, in which even the future of the planet is at stake. This was not inevitable. It is the result of the systems that have been brutally imposed by a ruling elite, including colonial expansion and imperialism, which gave rise to global capitalism. This system as spread to ever corner of the world, bringing with it exploitation, oppression, wars and environmental disaster.
We believe that only anarchist communism can save the day. The ruling class is desperate to make us think that the serious issues we are facing can be resolved within capitalism, with continual growth and profits for a few. Too many in the trade unions, reformist parties and environmental believe the same. Demands for a ‘Just Transition’ or a ‘green economy’ are still all within the logic of capitalism.
Other options are being put forward by Communists of the Leninist tradition. Though they call for revolution, theirs would be a top-down one, sacrificing our freedom in the process. Anarchism, without the communism, is also an inadequate solution. Focusing on individual freedom and being anti-authority does not address the big changes that need to take place in our economic and social systems.
Instead we propose anarchist communism. As Malatesta said:
“We too aspire to communism as the most perfect achievement of human solidarity, but it must be anarchist communism, that is, freely desired and accepted, and the means by which the freedom of everyone is guaranteed and can expand; for these reasons we maintain that State communism, which is authoritarian and imposed, is the most hateful tyranny that has ever afflicted, tormented and handicapped mankind.”
Free tickets from Eventbrite:

The Beautiful Idea: Why we need anarchist communism now

This is an unprecedented time of human history, with the future of the planet at stake. A discussion of why we need anarchist communism.

www.eventbrite.fi

There is not actually such a thing as "state communism", as anyone familiar with Marx ought to know.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

State communism =/= State capitalism

 

[PTK]

State communism =/= State capitalism

The USSR, as its name tells us, never claimed to be communist.

 

[charlie mowbray]

And of course, the CPSU never existed either.

 

[PTK]

And of course, the CPSU never existed either.

Of course the CPSU existed.

 

[Serge Forward]

There is not actually such a thing as "state communism", as anyone familiar with Marx ought to know.

I suppose the term would be 'state socialism' then. But as Magnus McGinty points out, that's the same as state capitalism. Yes, I know, there are those who speak of denegerate or deformed workers' states* but I always found such definitions to be horseshit.

* For some reason, these terms make me think of the "Igor" character in the old Frankenstein films furiously wanking himself silly

 

[PTK]

We would need some kind of state, were the capitalist class to be overthrown.

 

[Serge Forward]

We would need some kind of state, were the capitalist class to be overthrown.

There is the view that every state represents the organised ruling class, so 'capturing' the capitalists' state would not get us any closer to socialism, communism or whatever you want to call it. If socialists captured the state, it might reflect aspect of socialism but they would still be a new ruling class. For those from a Marxist background, I'd say council communists like Pannekoek, Gorter, Ruhle and Mattick expressed more viable means of achieving socialism without capturing (and subsequently running) the state.

 

[PTK]

There is the view that every state represents the organised ruling class, so 'capturing' the capitalists' state would not get us any closer to socialism, communism or whatever you want to call it. If socialists captured the state, it might reflect aspect of socialism but they would still be a new ruling class. For those from a Marxist background, I'd say council communists like Pannekoek, Gorter, Ruhle and Mattick expressed more viable means of achieving socialism without capturing (and subsequently running) the state.

As I am sure you know, Lenin, in the tradition of Marx and Engels, argued that the old capitalist state machine had to be smashed and replaced with a state based on the working class.

 

[hitmouse]

If only there had been some kind of developments over the last century or so that would give us an opportunity to assess how that played out in practice.

 

[Serge Forward]

As I am sure you know, Lenin, in the tradition of Marx and Engels, argued that the old capitalist state machine had to be smashed and replaced with a state based on the working class.

Yep, and as hitmouse says, we know how that played out.

 

[charlie mowbray]

Of course, Lenin had to be legitimised by the sacred scriptures of Marx and Engels, so that makes it alright.

 

[PTK]

Of course, Lenin had to be legitimised by the sacred scriptures of Marx and Engels, so that makes it alright.

I was simply poining out that his position was not original.

 

[TopCat]

Echos in a small room.

 

[PTK]

Yep, and as hitmouse says, we know how that played out.

That is a bad argument. That a revolutionary movement fails does not mean that all the ideas espoused by its leaders are wrong. If, after the bourgeois state was overthrown in Russia, the workers and peasants simply handed in their guns, then they would have been slaughtered by the counter-revolutionaries. They needed some way of ensuring that that did not happen. Workers' militias can be seen as a proto-state.

You can blame the failures in Russia on many factors – key being that it was a backward country isolated by the rest of the world and devastated by the First World War and the Civil War – including the nature of the Bolshevik Party, but to conclude that those failures falsify the proposition that the construction of a workers state would be a necessary stage
on the road to establishing communism is failure of logic.

 

[Serge Forward]

Let's not forget the bolshevik counter revolution in its own right, from Kronstadt to the Makhnovschina. The state wasn't overthrown, it was captured and put to use as a means of establishing a new ruling class, obvs run by the bolsheviks.

Oh and TopCat, of course it's a small bloody room If it wasn't, the world as we know it would be completely different.

 

[8ball]

In the last few weeks i think I’ve heard the term “council communism” more times than in my previous whole life. Makes me ponder whether there has been a new current of discussion over there on Libcom.

It sounds nice. Like regular communism but with cheap cider and those tiny motorbikes.

 

[A380]

Monday, March 18th 7-9pm
We are going through an unprecedented time of human history, in which even the future of the planet is at stake. This was not inevitable. It is the result of the systems that have been brutally imposed by a ruling elite, including colonial expansion and imperialism, which gave rise to global capitalism. This system as spread to ever corner of the world, bringing with it exploitation, oppression, wars and environmental disaster.
We believe that only anarchist communism can save the day. The ruling class is desperate to make us think that the serious issues we are facing can be resolved within capitalism, with continual growth and profits for a few. Too many in the trade unions, reformist parties and environmental believe the same. Demands for a ‘Just Transition’ or a ‘green economy’ are still all within the logic of capitalism.
Other options are being put forward by Communists of the Leninist tradition. Though they call for revolution, theirs would be a top-down one, sacrificing our freedom in the process. Anarchism, without the communism, is also an inadequate solution. Focusing on individual freedom and being anti-authority does not address the big changes that need to take place in our economic and social systems.
Instead we propose anarchist communism. As Malatesta said:
“We too aspire to communism as the most perfect achievement of human solidarity, but it must be anarchist communism, that is, freely desired and accepted, and the means by which the freedom of everyone is guaranteed and can expand; for these reasons we maintain that State communism, which is authoritarian and imposed, is the most hateful tyranny that has ever afflicted, tormented and handicapped mankind.”
Free tickets from Eventbrite:

The Beautiful Idea: Why we need anarchist communism now

This is an unprecedented time of human history, with the future of the planet at stake. A discussion of why we need anarchist communism.

www.eventbrite.fi

I love the way they use slightly more words to say why other revolutionaries are both wrong and bad than they do to, rightly, denigrate capital and rail against climate change. That will motivate a single mum working 14 hours a day on a zero hours contract in an Amazon distribution centre to come along.

 

[charlie mowbray]

eeting this coming Monday, March 18th at 7pm. Get your free tickets, see above.

 

[Blackred]

We would need some kind of state, were the capitalist class to be overthrown.

As an Anarchist/Libertarian Communist the need for an intérim "Statehood stop the réintroduction of Capitalism would dépend on the consciousness of the Class.I find the arguments by traditional Anarchists and Marxists of Equality validation .It's à vex that is difficult to judge imo

 

[Pickman's model]

As an Anarchist/Libertarian Communist the need for an intérim "Statehood stop the réintroduction of Capitalism would dépend on the consciousness of the Class.I find the arguments by traditional Anarchists and Marxists of Equality validation .It's à vex that is difficult to judge imo

Could you expand on equality validation?

 

[charlie mowbray]

No anarchist/libertarian communist would argue for an "interim" state.

 

[Karl Masks]

No anarchist/libertarian communist would argue for an "interim" state.

The state isn't just going to vanish though

 

[Rob Ray]

Tbf it's doing a fair degree of vanishing atm even without our efforts.

 

[ska invita]

Tbf it's doing a fair degree of vanishing atm even without our efforts.

the state is enormous, especially when compared to the time of the writings of the classic anarchists

 

[The39thStep]

Could you expand on equality validation?

and also on the French anarchist theory of réintroduction

 

[A380]

the state is enormous, especially when compared to the time of the writings of the classic anarchists

Although so is humanity TBF…

 

[ska invita]

Although so is humanity TBF…

Quite. I think the issue of the state is the biggest "mistake" in modern anarchism, repeating arguments that may have made sense in the 1800s but are disconnected from modern British reality.