This is a calendar of the selected articles which appear on Portal:Anarchism. To assign a new selected article, see the usage instructions below.
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Anarchism-related Good or Featured articles can be added directly to this calendar without nomination. All other articles should be nominated on the talkpage first to ensure that only the best anarchism articles are selected for use in the portal. If no appropriate article can be found for a given month, that month's entry should be redirected to the previous month's.
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Selected article 1
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Anarcho-capitalism is a form of individualist anarchism that advocates the elimination of the state and the elevation of the sovereign individual in a free market. Anarcho-capitalists argue for a society based in voluntary trade of private property in order to maximize individual liberty and prosperity. In the place of the state's tax-funded, centrally controlled security, infrastructure, banking and other services, an anarcho-capitalist society relies on individuals to voluntarily fund socially desirable services through the self-regulated free market.
Developed by Murray Rothbard in the latter half of the 20th century, anarcho-capitalist thought is derived from the American individualist anarchism of people like Lysander Spooner and Benjamin Tucker, the neo-classical economic theory of people like Gustave de Molinari and Ludwig von Mises, and the anti-imperialist ideas of people like Albert Jay Nock and Frank Chodorov. Some, particularly anti-propertarian anarchists, deny that anarcho-capitalism is a type of anarchism at all. (read more...)Selected article 2
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The Haymarket affair (also known as the Haymarket riot ) was a disturbance that began at a strike rally in Haymarket Square in Chicago on May 4, 1886. An unknown person threw a bomb at police as they dispersed the public meeting. The bomb blast and ensuing gunfire resulted in the deaths of eight police officers and an unknown number of civilians. In the internationally publicized legal proceedings that followed, eight anarchists were tried for murder. Four were put to death, and one committed suicide in prison.
The Haymarket affair is generally considered to have been an important influence on the origin of international May Day observances for workers. In popular literature, this event inspired the caricature of "a bomb-throwing anarchist." The causes of the incident are still controversial, although deeply polarized attitudes separating business and working class people in late 19th century Chicago are generally acknowledged as having precipitated the tragedy and its aftermath. The site of the incident was designated as a Chicago Landmark on March 25, 1992. The Haymarket Martyrs' Monument in nearby Forest Park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and as a National Historic Landmark on February 18, 1997. (read more...)Selected article 3
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Emma Goldman (June 27, 1869 – May 14, 1940) was a Lithuanian-born anarchist known for her political activism, writing, and speeches. She was lionized as a free-thinking "rebel woman" by admirers, and derided as an advocate of politically-motivated murder and violent revolution by her critics. Goldman played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy in the United States and Europe in the first half of the twentieth century. Although she distanced herself from first-wave feminism and its efforts toward women's suffrage, she developed new ways of incorporating gender politics into anarchism. She spoke and wrote on a wide variety of issues, including prisons, atheism, freedom of speech, militarism, capitalism, marriage, and free love. After decades of obscurity, Goldman's iconic status was revived in the 1970s, when feminist and anarchist scholars rekindled popular interest about her life.
Born to an Orthodox Jewish family which forbid her from further education, Goldman read voraciously and educated herself about the politics of her time. She moved to New York in the United States at the age of sixteen, married briefly in 1887, and moved to New York City. Attracted to anarchism after the Haymarket Riot, Goldman was trained by Johann Most in public speaking and became a renowned lecturer, attracting crowds of thousands. She also became the lover of Alexander Berkman, who became her lifelong intimate friend and comrade. Together they planned unsuccessfully to assassinate Henry Clay Frick, as an act of propaganda of the deed. Goldman herself was imprisoned several times in the years that followed, for "inciting to riot" and illegally distributing information about birth control. Goldman published an anarchist journal called Mother Earth. Following her deportation to Russia in 1919, Goldman lived in England, Canada, and France, before eventually traveling to Spain to participate in that nation's civil war. She died in Toronto on 14 May 1940. (read more...)Selected article 5
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Crimethought is not any ideology or value system or lifestyle, but rather a way of challenging all ideologies and value systems and lifestyles—and, for the advanced agent, a way of making all ideologies, value systems, and lifestyles challenging.
Crimethinc.com, "All Traveler Kids Purged From CrimethInc. Membership"
Selected article 7
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I once believed it's too bad that there are a lot of people who work for government who are hard-working and honest people who will get hit (by Assassination Politics) and it's a shame…Well, I don't believe that any more. They are all either crooks or they tolerate crooks or they are aware of crooks among their numbers.
Jim Bell in interview with Wired, on 2000-11-11.
Jim Bell (born James Dalton Bell, 1958) is a contemporary American crypto-anarchist theorist and activist. Bell attracted wide attention in 1996 when he authored a notorious crypto-anarchist essay called "Assassination Politics", which detailed an elaborate assassination market in which anonymous benefactors could securely order assassinations of government officials via the Internet. Bell was targeted and identified by the Federal government of the United States as a "techno-terrorist" in 1997 and following an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, was arrested and subsequently jailed for 11 months on felony charges of harassment and using fraudulent Social Security numbers.
While he was serving his sentence, two of Bell's acolytes succeeded in partially implementing his assassination market scheme and were also swiftly charged and jailed. After his release, Bell was subjected to heavy surveillance and was rearrested for harassment and stalking of federal agents, charged with intimidation and stalking and again imprisoned, this time for a decade-long sentence. Bell protested vociferously against the conduct of the trial, going so far as to file civil lawsuits against two judges, at least two prosecutors, his former probation officers and his defense attorneys, but ultimately to no avail. Bell was hailed by Wired in 2001 as "[o]ne of the Internet's most famous essayists" and "the world's most notorious crypto-convict". (read more...)Selected article 8
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Pável Dimítrievich Turchanínov (died September 21, 1921), known by the pseudonym Lev Chernyi, was a Russian anarchist theorist, activist and poet, and a leading figure of the Third Russian Revolution. His early thought was individualist, rejecting anarcho-communism as a threat to individual liberty. In 1917, Chernyi was released from his political imprisonment by the Imperial Russian regime, and swiftly became one of the leading figures in Russian anarchism. After strongly denouncing the new Bolshevik government in various anarchist publications and joining several underground resistance movements, Chernyi was arrested by the Cheka on a charge of counterfeiting and in 1921 was executed without trial. (read more...)Selected article 10
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The Manifesto of the Sixteen (French: Manifeste des seize), or Proclamation of the Sixteen, was a document drafted in 1916 by anarchists Peter Kropotkin (pictured) and Jean Grave, which advocated an Allied victory over Germany and the Central Powers during World War I. It was the position of Kropotkin and the other signatories that the forces of German imperialism constituted a major threat to the working class of the world and must be defeated.
The document is named after the original number of signatories, but incorrectly counts sixteen names, rather than the proper fifteen, due to a misreading of the text. It was first published in La Bataille Syndicaliste. The position of the manifesto was in stark contrast to that of most anarchists of the day, many of whom denounced the signatories and their sympathizers, and accused them of betraying anarchist principles. (read more...)Selected article 11
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From Bakunin to Lacan: Anti-Authoritarianism and the Dislocation of Power is a 2001 book on political philosophy by Saul Newman. It investigated the essentialist elements of anarchist theory, and by utilising concepts from post-structuralist thought sought to move beyond the limitations of classical anarchism. Newman's was a more substantive account of post-anarchism than previous efforts, and influenced later approaches to the philosophy. Released in a climate of an anarchist movement hostile to postmodern philosophy, From Bakunin to Lacan was criticised for its poor understanding of and engagement with contemporary anarchism. (read more...)Selected article 12
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The Bolshevik Myth (Diary 1920–1922) is a book by Alexander Berkman describing his experiences in Bolshevist Russia from 1920 to 1922, where he saw the aftermath of the Russian Revolution of 1917. Written in the form of a diary, The Bolshevik Myth charts Berkman's recollections after having been deported from the United States along with Emma Goldman and over two hundred socialists, anarchists and other leftists.
The book describes how Berkman's initial enthusiasm for the revolution faded as he became disillusioned with the Bolsheviks and their suppression of all political dissent. Berkman recounts the economic scarcity in the cities of Petrograd and Moscow, his meeting with Lenin and his intercessions with the Bolshevik leadership on behalf of anarchist political prisoners. Berkman and Goldman learn of the anarchist Revolutionary Insurrectionary Army of Ukraine fighting the Bolsheviks in the Free Territory, and of the Kronstadt rebellion against the regime in Russia. In a climate of increasing repression of anarchists, they leave the Soviet Union for the last time in 1921. The Bolshevik Myth was published to positive reviews in 1925, following Goldman's My Disillusionment in Russia (1923) and My Further Disillusionment in Russia (1924). (read more...)Selected article 13
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Theodore Kaczynski (born May 22, 1942) is an American anarchist and an important figure in the green anarchist and anarcho-primitivist movements. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, where, as an intellectual child prodigy, he excelled in academics from an early age. Kaczynski received an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and earned a PhD in mathematics from the University of Michigan. He became an assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley at age twenty-five, but resigned two years later. In 1971, he moved to a remote cabin in Lincoln, Montana, where he sought to live closer to nature.
From 1978 to 1995, Kaczynski sent sixteen bombs to several people he saw as key agents in the development of the industrial society, creating what came to be known as the "Unabomber case". A total of three people died and twenty-three were injured. Kaczynski sent a letter to The New York Times on April 24, 1995 in which he threatened further attacks if his manifesto were not published. In the manifesto, called Industrial Society and Its Future, he argues that mass society is inherently oppressive to man, with its development progressively depriving the individual of his autonomy. He then refers to primitive society, without the dependence on large social institutions, as an ideal of freedom.
Anarchist authors such as John Zerzan and John Moore, have come to Kaczynski's defense, while expressing some concerns over his actions. He has also been criticised by primitivists for having failed to understand the underlying aspects of civilization/domestication, which he might have perceived as non-issues, such as poverty, sexism, racism and homophobia. Even outside the anarchist movement, Kaczynski's writing has been referenced for the importance of its critiques and for its analysis of technology in relation to social organization and freedom. Part of Kaczynski's manifesto was cited by the scientist and author Raymond Kurzweil in his book The Age of Spiritual Machines, and then mentioned in the article "Why the future doesn't need us" by computer scientist Bill Joy. His FBI-granted name, Unabomber ("UNiversity and Airline BOMber") stands now in popular culture both as an example of a lone-wolf mad bomber and a symbol of resistance against a future technological, Orwellian dystopia. (read more...)Selected article 14
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Alexander Berkman (November 21, 1870 – June 28, 1936) was an anarchist known for his political activism and writing. He was a leading member of the anarchist movement in the early 20th century.
Berkman was born in Vilnius in the Russian Empire and emigrated to the United States in 1888. He lived in New York City, where he became involved in the anarchist movement. He was the lover and lifelong friend of anarchist Emma Goldman.
In 1892, Berkman attempted to assassinate Henry Clay Frick as an act of propaganda of the deed. Though Frick survived the attempt on his life, Berkman served 14 years in prison. His experience in prison was the basis for his first book, Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist.
After his release from prison, Berkman served as editor of Goldman's anarchist journal, Mother Earth, and he established his own journal, The Blast.
In 1917, Berkman and Goldman were sentenced to two years in jail for conspiracy against the newly instated draft. After their release from prison, they were arrested—along with hundreds of others—and deported to Russia. Initially supportive of that country's Bolshevik revolution, Berkman quickly voiced his opposition to the Soviet use of violence and the repression of independent voices. In 1925, he published a book about his experiences, The Bolshevik Myth.
While living in France, Berkman continued his work in support of the anarchist movement, producing the classic exposition of anarchist principles, Now and After: The ABC of Communist Anarchism. Suffering from ill health, Berkman committed suicide in 1936. (read more...)Selected article 15
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Here, within the ring of hills, Bors had constructed an accurate and detailed reproduction of a society two centuries gone. The world as it had been in the old days. The time of governments. The time that had been pulled down by the Anarchist League.
Philip K. Dick, "The Last of the Masters"
"The Last of the Masters" depicts a society 200 years after a global anarchist revolution has toppled the national governments of the world (the exact year is unstated). Civilization has stagnated due to the loss of scientific knowledge and industry during the now-legendary revolt. Elsewhere, the last state, governing a highly centralized and efficient society, conceals itself from the Anarchist League, a global militia preventing the recreation of any government. When three agents of the League are sent to investigate rumors of the microstate's existence, the government arranges for them to be killed, leading to the death of one and the capture of another. Tensions rapidly escalate after the agents of the state realize that the third has escaped. Assuming he will report the state's existence, the government mobilizes for total war. In actuality, the surviving anarchist elects to attempt his comrades' rescue and assassinate the head of state: the last surviving "government robot".
The primary theme of the story is the conflict between anarchism and statism, the political and ethical dimensions of which are explored through the characters' dialogue. Though the attention the story received was limited prior to the author's death in 1982, it has since seen greater circulation in Philip K. Dick story collections, and has been reviewed and analyzed for its postmodern critique of technology and its political implications. (read more...)References
- ^ Rickman 1989, p. 389
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Golos Truda (The Voice of Labour) was a Russian language anarcho-syndicalist newspaper. Founded by working-class Russian expatriates in New York in 1911, Golos Truda shifted to Petrograd during the Russian Revolution in 1917, when its editors took advantage of the general amnesty and right of return for political dissidents. There, the paper integrated itself into the nascent anarcho-syndicalist movement, pronounced the necessity of a social revolution of and by the workers, and situated itself in opposition to the myriad of other left-wing movements.
The rise to power of the Bolsheviks marked the turning point for the newspaper however, as the new government enacted increasingly repressive measures against the publication of dissident literature and against anarchist agitation in general, and after a few years of low-profile publishing, the Golos Truda collective was finally expunged by the Stalinist regime in 1929. (read more...)Selected article 17
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Society is rotten. It will only be changed when the people see the greed, arrogance and brutality of those who rule them!
Anarky dialogue by Alan Grant, "Anarky", The Batman Adventures #31, April 1995.
Anarky (Lonnie Machin) is a fictional character in the DC Comics Universe. Co-created by Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle, he first appeared in Detective Comics #608 (November 1989) as an adversary of Batman. Stories revolving around Anarky often focus on political and philosophical themes. Named after the philosophy of anarchism, the primary philosophical element that has underscored the character's appearances has been anti-statism. With Grant's transition to the philosophy of Neo-Tech, Anarky was transformed from a vehicle for socialist and populist philosophy, to rationalist, atheist, and free market based thought. Highly thematic and philosophical in tone, Alan Grant avoided using the character often, but addressed multiple social issues whenever the character appeared, including environmentalism, antimilitarism, economic exploitation, and political corruption. Inspired by multiple sources, early stories to feature the character often included homages to political and philosophical books, including notable anarchists such as Mikhail Bakunin and Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, among others. The creation of the character was also partially influenced by Alan Moore's character "V" from V for Vendetta.
Originally intended to only be used in the debut story in which he appeared, positive reception by readers and his editor convinced Grant to continue using Anarky as a recurring character throughout the early 90s. The character experienced a brief surge in media exposure during the late '90s, beginning when Norm Breyfogle convinced Grant to produce a limited series based on the character. The 1997 spin-off series, Anarky, was received with positive reviews and sales, and later declared by Grant to be among his "career highlights". Batman: Anarky, a trade paperback collection of stories featuring the character, soon followed. This popular acclaim culminated, however, in a financially and critically unsuccessful ongoing solo series. The 1999 Anarky series, in which even Alan Grant has expressed his distaste, was quickly canceled after eight issues. (read more...)Selected article 18
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(Anarky is) a philosophical action hero, an Aristotle in tights, rising above mere "crime-fighter" status into the realm of incisive social commentary. In fact, Anarky exists primarily to challenge the status quo of hierarchical power, and he may be the first mainstream comics hero of his type to do it consistently and with such rational intelligence.
Norm Breyfogle, Batman: Anarky introduction, June 1998.
Batman: Anarky is a 1999 trade paperback published by DC Comics. The book collects prominent appearances of Anarky, a comic book character created by Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle. Although all of the collected stories were written by Alan Grant, various artists contributed to individual stories. Dual introductions were written by the creators—both of whom introduce the character and give insight into their role in Anarky's creation and development.
Featured as an antagonist in various Batman comics during the 90's, stories based on the character were highly thematic, political, and philosophical in tone. The majority of the collected stories ("Anarky in Gotham City", "Anarky: Tomorrow Belongs to Us", "Anarky") are influenced by the philosophy of anarchism, while the final story ("Metamorphosis") is influenced by Neo-Tech. Although anti-statism is the overarching theme of the collection, other concepts are explored. Under the umbrella of anarchist theory, anti-electoralism and the tactic of non-voting are the dual focuses of "Anarky: Tomorrow Belongs to Us", while economic exploitation, environmental issues, and political corruption are also repeatedly referenced. In "Metamorphosis", new emphasis was placed on previously unexplored themes, including the mind, consciousness, bicameral mentality, and the ethical value of honesty. Anarky's characterization was also expanded to present him as an atheist and rationalist, while determinism and free will became key elements in the character's discourse on the nature of evil. Literary references are also utilized throughout the collected stories to stress the philosophical foundations of the character. (read more...)Selected article 19
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As man seeks justice in equality, so society seeks order in anarchy.
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, What Is Property? Ch. V, Part 2
Anarchism is a political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which consider the state to be unnecessary, harmful, or otherwise undesirable, and favour instead a stateless society or anarchy.<Individual anarchists may have additional criteria for what they conceive to be anarchism, and there is often broad disagreement concerning these broader conceptions. According to The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, "there is no single defining position that all anarchists hold, and those considered anarchists at best share a certain family resemblance."
There are many types and traditions of anarchism, not all of which are mutually exclusive. Strains of anarchism have been divided into the categories of socialist and individualist anarchism or similar dual classifications. Anarchism is often considered to be a radical left-wing ideology, and much of anarchist economics and anarchist legal philosophy reflect anti-statist interpretations of communism, collectivism, syndicalism or participatory economics; however, anarchism has always included an individualist strain, with that strain supporting a market economy and private property, or egoism.
Others, such as panarchists and anarchists without adjectives, neither advocate nor object to any particular form of organization as long as it is not compulsory. Some anarchist schools of thought differ fundamentally, supporting anything from extreme individualism to complete collectivism. The central tendency of anarchism as a social movement have been represented by communist anarchism, with individualist anarchism being primarily a philosophical or literary phenomenon. Some anarchists fundamentally oppose all forms of aggression, supporting self-defense or non-violence, while others have supported the use of some coercive measures, including violent revolution and terrorism, on the path to an anarchist society. (read more...)