anarchism without adjectives Archives - The Libertarian Labyrinth

Fernando Tarrida del Mármol, Revolutionary Theory in 1889 and 1908 (ES)

August 30, 2018 Shawn P. Wilbur

[one_half padding=”0 10px 0 0px”] LA TEORÍA REVOLUCIONARIA Lema: La teoría revolucionaria que puede considerarse mas conforme con la Naturaleza, la Ciencia y la Justicia, es la que prescinde de todo dogma político, económico y religioso. – X. Vamos a demostrar que para establecer una teoría revolucionaria que no pugne con la Naturaleza, la Ciencia ó la Justicia, cuando no contra las tres á la vez, es indispensable deshacerse de todo dogma, sea político, sea social, sea económico. sea religioso. I — Dogmas Políticos La política es el arte de gobernar á los pueblos. Desde los tiempos antiguos hasta nuestros […]

Max Nettlau, “Observations d’actualité” (1910)

May 26, 2018 Shawn P. Wilbur

[The French essay “Observations d’actualité” was a translation and revision of “A General Survey” (Freedom 24 no. 249 (January, 1910): 5-7.) This new English translation is intended to show the refinement of Nettlau’s ideas.] [one_half padding=”0 10px 0 0″] Observations d’actualité Les organismes primitifs parlant grosso modo ressemblent l’un à l’autre ; un développement plus élevé produit la différenciation. La société primitive fut facilement asservie par us classe dominante rusée qui fit accepter à la masse de croyances et des coutumes uniformes. Nous sommes encore sous le charme et nous nous imaginons habituellement que la société tout entière acceptera par la […]

Max Nettlau, “The Case of Gustave Hervé” (1912)

May 22, 2018 Shawn P. Wilbur

[one_third padding=”0 0px 0 10px”][/one_third][two_third_last padding=”0 0px 0 10px”] The Case of Gustave Hervé. Considerable surprise and ill-feeling were created by the news that Hervé, the editor of the Paris Guerre Sociale, hitherto believed to be an uncompromising antipatriot, antimilitarist, and insurrectionist, was, since his recent release from prison, working on much more moderate lines, apparently renouncing his former opinions and methods. When he proposed to state his standpoint and to give his reasons to an immense Paris audience at the Salle Wagram (September 25), some denied him a hearing, and a great row ensued. He has now lectured in […]

Max Nettlau, “Another Point of View.—A Reply” (1910)

May 21, 2018 Shawn P. Wilbur

[one_third][/one_third][two_third_last] ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW.—A REPLY. (To the Editor of Freedom.) Dear Comrade,—The contradictory statements which “Anarchist Communist” points out in my January article (“A General Survey,” see his letter in Freedom, February) may be due to my want of logic, and I stand open to be corrected; they may be contradictory in appearance only where I failed to make myself quite clear; they may also be reconciled by an explanation which gives the reasons of an unexpected divergence of development. I am looking out for such reasons, and when I shall have stated the case in a clearer way […]

Max Nettlau, “A General Survey” (1910)

May 21, 2018 Shawn P. Wilbur

[one_third][/one_third][two_third_last] A GENERAL SURVEY. As time goes, by, an increasing number of social commotions of some kind seem to happen each year, periods of rest are hardly known, and it would not be difficult to. describe a number of events of a hopeful character tending towards freedom during the year that is just past. The first French postal strike, the anti-militarist revolt in Catalonia, the international Ferrer protest, the crushing of absolutism in Turkey and in Persia are each of them events of a magnitude that has not happened in years in the quiet past. But I do not wish […]

Max Nettlau, “Anarchism and the Unemployed” (1908)

May 21, 2018 Shawn P. Wilbur

[one_third][/one_third][two_third_last] ANARCHISM AND THE UNEMPLOYED. (To the Editor of Freedom.) Dear Comrade,—May I make a few remarks on Anarchism and the unemployed? A problem of suffering humanity ought not to be considered from an exclusive propaganda standpoint but at the same time none of our ideas ought to be relegated, even temporarily, to the background. We believe that our ideas will help us to find an adequate solution for all such problems, only our own different personal dispositions make us sometimes disagree on these proposed solutions, which, after all, experience alone can verify. Thus I fail to see that authoritarian […]

Max Nettlau, “Can a General Strike Be Successful?” (1909)

May 21, 2018 Shawn P. Wilbur

[one_third][/one_third][two_third_last] CAN A GENERAL STRIKE BE SUCCESSFUL? Anarchism should receive the greatest attention just now when the insufficiency of Syndicalism becomes more patent. So many things happen which ought to set our friends thinking. Too many things are taken for granted which require continuous fresh examination, e.g., the General Strike, in light of recent French experience. Will an effective strike of the kind be possible before immense masses are filled with indignation and enthusiasm to such a degree that they might, and would just as well straightaway make a revolution and not stop at a passive strike? I think that […]

Max Nettlau, “Woman’s Work for Human Freedom” (1908)

May 21, 2018 Shawn P. Wilbur

[one_third][/one_third][two_third_last] WOMAN’S WORK FOR HUMAN FREEDOM. Seen from a distance, the Suffragists’ movement evokes sympathies even among those who, as Anarchists, abhor their political aims. It is because we so seldom see people of all classes working together for a common purpose, leaving, the well-trodden paths of legality and conventionality, and to some extent, imposing sacrifices -upon themselves. All other movements—the women’s and the Anarchist movements excepted—are class movements, which, however ideal their beginnings may be, necessarily lead to class egoism of growing narrowness, and, as in the case of Social Democracy, do everything to perpetuate the class which they […]

Max Nettlau, “1907 and the Present Outlook” (1908)

May 20, 2018 Shawn P. Wilbur

No one can possibly guess the strength of latent revolutionary energy that will be brought to the surface by coming events. Will it be sufficient to lead to a clean sweeping away of the whole present system, or will by-and-by a greater separation of progressive from reactionary forces arise than exists already, and the next stage be that the progressive forces obtain full elbowroom at the said of the reactionary forces—just as Freethought is existing to-day side by side with the densest religious obtusity? Freethought would have preferred to demolish religion altogether, but had to be content with the success of attracting some of the best and obtaining neutrality from the rest—on its guard always against a treasonous enemy, of course. Will a similar state of things—exemption from the political State and economic independence on a co-operative basis—be the next stage of Anarchism also? Or will it remain in its present state of action by propaganda only? Or will it be able, by bridging over the gulf which still separates Syndicalist from revolutionary action, to establish a new basis—collective property—on which it could be practiced on a larger scale?

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Sébastien Faure, “The Anarchist Synthesis” (1928)

August 3, 2017 Shawn P. Wilbur

THE ANARCHIST SYNTHESIS by Sébastien FAURE The Three Great Anarchist Currents In France, as in the majority of other countries, we distinguish three great anarchist currents, which can be designated in this way: Anarcho-syndicalism; Libertarian communism; Anarchist individualism. It was natural and inevitable that, having reached a certain development, an idea as vast as anarchism would result in this triple manifestation of life. A philosophical and social movement, a movement of ideas and action, intending to make a clean break with all authoritarian institutions, must inevitably give rise to these distinctions necessarily determined by the variety of the situations, milieus […]