Anarchism is a wide and varied ideology. It does not represent a single coherent set of political ideas or a single movement. Although anarchists are generally united in their opposition to the institutions of the state and other forms of authority they arrive at this conclusion from very different angles and disagree – often fundamentally – about the nature of an anarchic society.
The roots of collective anarchism lie in socialism rather than liberalism. Collectivism is essentially the belief that human beings are social animals and naturally sociable – better off working together for the natural good rather than for individual self interest. The natural and proper relationship between people is one of harmony and affection. Collectivists believe that when people are linked by a common humanity, they have no need to be regulated by a government.
A number of obvious similarities exist between collective anarchism and Marxism. Both regard capitalism as class exploitation, and promote the collective ownership of wealth and communal organisation of social life and believe that a truly communist society would be anarchic.
Collective anarchists and Marxists agree that human beings have the ability to conduct their affairs without the need for any state mechanism. However, anarchists reject the major role that economics plays in Marxist theory, preferring to concentrate on utopian hopes and the ideals of the masses rather than to their material or class interests. Marxists also believe in a ‘vanguard party’ who will lead the working class towards class consciousness and revolution. In contrast, anarchists have faith in the spontaneous instincts of the masses and see the idea of a revolutionary party as elitist.
The largest disagreement comes from their differing ideas of the transition from capitalism to communism. Marxists see the need for a ‘dictatorship of the proletariat (working class)’ – a transitional period between the revolution and achievement of full communism. In contrast, anarchists are fundamentally against any kind of authority – whether it is the state or a temporary ‘proletariat state’. Genuine anarchism requires not only the overthrow of capitalism but the immediate removal of all forms of state power.
There are various forms of collectivist anarchism. Mutualism is a system of fair and equitable exchange, in which individuals or groups can bargain with one another, trading goods and services without profit or exploitation. Social interaction is voluntary and mutually beneficial, requiring no regulation or interference by government.
Anarcho communists admire small, self managing communities along the line of the medieval city-state or the peasant commune. Their ideal society would consist of a collection of largely self-sufficient communes, each owning its wealth in common. They would be held together by natural bongs of solidarity rather than rules and regulations. There would be no need for prisons or punishment, as in the eyes of anarcho communists, these merely corrupt and deprave human beings further.
