Outline of anarchism facts for kids

Anarchism is a political philosophy that believes in a society without a government or rulers. People who support anarchism are called anarchists. They believe that people can live together peacefully and manage their own lives without needing a boss or a government to tell them what to do. Instead, they imagine a society where everyone works together and makes decisions as a community.

What Anarchism Is All About

Anarchism is a way of thinking about how society should be organized. It's about people being free to make their own choices and work together without anyone forcing them.

What Anarchists Support

Anarchists believe in many things that help people be free and equal:

• Autonomy: This means being able to make your own decisions and control your own life.
• Freedom: Everyone should have the right to speak, think, and act freely.
• Fairness for all: Anarchists want a society where everyone is treated equally, no matter their background.
• Working together: People should help each other and cooperate to solve problems.
• Direct action: This means people taking action themselves to make changes, instead of waiting for politicians.
• Helping each other: People should support their communities and those in need.
• No government: Anarchists believe society can work without a central government.
• Voluntary groups: People should join groups and work together because they want to, not because they have to.
• Workers managing their own jobs: People who do the work should have a say in how their workplaces are run.

What Anarchists Don't Like

Anarchists are against things that limit people's freedom or create unfair power:

• Bossy leaders: They don't like systems where a few people have all the power.
• Capitalism: They often disagree with economic systems where a few people own most of the wealth and businesses.
• Controlling information: They are against censoring what people can say or read.
• Forcing people: They believe no one should be forced to do things against their will.
• Unfair treatment: They are against any kind of discrimination.
• Hierarchies: This means systems where some people are above others in power.
• Governments: Anarchists believe governments are not needed and can be harmful.

Different Ideas in Anarchism

Anarchism isn't just one single idea; it has many different "schools of thought." These are like different flavors of anarchism. While they all agree that government is not needed, they have different ideas about how a free society would work.

Older Anarchist Ideas

• Individualist Anarchism: This idea focuses on the freedom of each person. It says that individuals are most important, and they should be free from outside control, like rules from society or government.
  • Philosophical Anarchism: This is a type of individualist anarchism. It argues that governments don't have a moral right to rule, and people don't have a duty to obey them. However, it doesn't usually suggest a revolution to get rid of the government.
• Mutualism: This idea is a mix of individualist and social anarchism. It focuses on people making agreements freely, helping each other, and forming groups. It suggests that in a truly free market, prices would be based on the effort put into making things, and there would be no big profits or rents.
• Social Anarchism: This idea emphasizes how people live and work together in groups. While individualists focus on personal freedom, social anarchists believe that individual freedom is connected to everyone being equal. They stress community and helping each other.
  • Collectivist Anarchism: This idea, linked to thinkers like Mikhail Bakunin, believes that groups of people should own the means of production (like factories and farms) together, not private individuals. Workers would be paid based on the time they worked.
  • Anarcho-communism: This idea goes further than collectivism. It suggests getting rid of money and wages. Instead, everyone would own everything in common, and people would take what they need and contribute what they can.

Newer Anarchist Ideas

• Anarcha-feminism: This idea combines anarchism with feminism. It sees systems where men have power over women (patriarchy) as another type of unfair rule. It believes that fighting for women's freedom is a key part of the anarchist struggle against all forms of control.
• Green Anarchism: This idea focuses on environmental issues. It extends anarchist ideas to include how humans interact with nature. It aims for a society that is not only free for humans but also good for the environment and all living things.
  • Anarcho-primitivism: This idea critiques modern civilization. It suggests that the move from hunting and gathering to farming led to many problems, like unfair social classes and control.
• Anarcho-pacifism: This idea believes in achieving social change and getting rid of the government without using any violence.
• Religious Anarchism: This is an umbrella term for different religious beliefs that align with anarchist ideas. They often believe that organized religion has become too controlling and has moved away from its original humble teachings.
  • Christian Anarchism: This idea believes that Christians should only follow God's authority, as taught by Jesus. It suggests that freedom from government comes from spiritual guidance and showing kindness to others.
• Anarchism without Adjectives: This idea means not adding specific labels like "communist" or "individualist" to anarchism. It's about different anarchist ideas existing together peacefully.

Modern Anarchist Ideas

• Black Anarchism: This idea combines anarchism with the fight against racial oppression. It opposes the state, white supremacy, and capitalism, stressing that ending racial injustice is crucial for a truly free society.
• Crypto-anarchism: This idea uses computer technology and secret codes to create freedom. It aims to protect people's privacy and freedom by allowing them to share information securely online, away from government control.
• Free-market Anarchism: This idea supports an economic system based on voluntary exchanges without government involvement.
  • Anarcho-capitalism: This idea suggests getting rid of the state and letting individuals, private property, and free markets guide society. However, many traditional anarchists do not consider this a true form of anarchism because anarchism has historically been against capitalism.

How Anarchists Organize

Anarchists create different kinds of groups to meet, share ideas, and work for change. They believe that to create a free and equal society, their groups must also be free and equal.

• Platformist Federation: This type of anarchist group aims for strong unity among its members. Everyone in the group agrees on the same ideas and goals.
• Synthesis Federation: This type of anarchist group welcomes different kinds of anarchists (like individualists and anarcho-communists) to work together, focusing on their shared anarchist principles.
• Anarcho-syndicalist Union: This type of group focuses on workers' rights and the labour movement. They believe that workers can gain control of the economy through unions, using principles like solidarity, direct action, and workers managing their own jobs. Their goal is to end the wage system.

A Brief Look at Anarchist History

The execution of the Haymarket martyrs after the Haymarket affair of 1886 inspired many new anarchists.

While ideas similar to anarchism have existed for a long time, anarchism as a specific political idea started in 1840. This was when Pierre-Joseph Proudhon published his book What Is Property? and called himself an anarchist. From there, it spread across the world, influencing many social movements.

Important Moments in Anarchist History

• 1840: Pierre-Joseph Proudhon publishes What Is Property? and becomes the first person to call himself an anarchist.
• 1864: The International Workingmen's Association (IWA) is formed. This group saw early disagreements between anarchists and Marxists.
• 1871: The Paris Commune takes place, and early anarchists are involved.
• 1886: The Haymarket affair happens in Chicago. This event, where workers were protesting for an eight-hour workday, led to violence and the execution of several anarchists. It inspired many new anarchists and is the origin of May Day as a worker's holiday.
• 1892: The Conquest of Bread by Peter Kropotkin is published, helping to establish anarcho-communism.
• 1917: The Russian Revolution leads to the creation of the first "socialist state." This period, along with the Cold War, made it harder for anarchist movements to grow.
• 1919–1921: The Makhnovshchina in Ukraine becomes a major anarchist revolution.
• 1936–1939: The Spanish Revolution in Catalonia is another important anarchist revolution.
• 1999: Anarchists take part in protests that disrupt a major trade conference in Seattle. This event is seen as a sign of anarchism becoming more active again in the United States.

Anarchism Around the World

Anarchism has had a presence in many parts of the world:

• Anarchism in Africa
• Anarchism in the Americas, including Anarchism in Brazil, Anarchism in Canada, Anarchism in Mexico, and Anarchism in the United States.
• Anarchism in Asia, including Anarchism in China, Anarchism in Japan, and Anarchism in Korea.
• Individualist anarchism in Europe, including Anarchism in France, Anarchism in Italy, Anarchism in Russia, and Anarchism in Spain.
• Anarchism in Oceania, including Anarchism in Australia.

Important Anarchist Thinkers

Many people have contributed to anarchist ideas throughout history. Here are some of the well-known figures:

• Mikhail Bakunin
• Alexander Berkman
• Murray Bookchin
• Noam Chomsky
• Voltairine de Cleyre
• Buenaventura Durruti
• Emma Goldman
• David Graeber
• Peter Kropotkin
• Ricardo Flores Magón
• Nestor Makhno
• Errico Malatesta
• Louise Michel
• Lucy Parsons
• Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
• Rudolf Rocker
• Leo Tolstoy
• Benjamin Tucker
• Oscar Wilde

Related Ideas

Anarchism shares some ideas with other philosophies:

• Communalism
• Libertarian socialism
• Voluntaryism

Images for kids

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  The traditional fist-and-cross symbol of the Anarchist Black Cross, a group that supports political prisoners.

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  Australian Anarchist Centenary Celebrations on May 1, 1986, at the Melbourne Eight Hour Day monument.