Anarcho-Syndicalism Flashcards
(17 cards)
What is a syndicate?
A group of individuals or organizations combined to promote a common interest.
Syndicates can be formed in various sectors to advocate for shared goals.
Define syndicalism.
A movement for transferring the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution to workers’ unions.
It emphasizes the role of trade unions in achieving social change.
What is solidarity from an anarchist perspective?
A relationship of sympathy, cooperation and harmony between people, free from state regulation.
Anarchists believe that state regulation disrupts genuine solidarity.
How is anarcho-syndicalism related to syndicalism?
Anarcho-syndicalism is a variant of anarchism based on revolutionary movements involving trade union organization.
It combines anarchist principles with syndicalist strategies.
What do anarcho-syndicalists believe about human nature?
They share a view similar to other collective anarchists, emphasizing mankind’s potential for social solidarity.
This belief underpins their advocacy for a stateless society.
What do anarcho-syndicalists believe about work?
Work should be an expression of mankind’s creativity, achievable only when state oppression is removed.
This belief promotes the idea of fulfilling labor conditions.
What is the relationship between capitalism and the state according to anarcho-syndicalists?
Capitalism can be abolished ONLY if the state is removed.
This reflects the idea that state power sustains capitalist structures.
What would the new social order be based on after the revolution?
It would be based on trade union organization.
This emphasizes self-governance among workers in similar occupations.
What is the role of syndicates in anarcho-syndicalism?
Syndicates organize workers into unions based on specific industries or crafts, initially to protect their members.
They later aim to prepare workers for a revolutionary overthrow of capitalism.
What is a revolutionary general strike in anarcho-syndicalism?
A so-called ‘revolution of empty hands’ aimed at bringing down the capitalist order.
This concept was articulated by theorist Georges Sorel.
Who was Rudolph Rocker?
A German anarcho-syndicalist who influenced by Bakunin and Kropotkin, known for his works on nationalism and anarcho-syndicalism.
He was an anti-fascist and supported the Allies during WWII.
What principles does Rocker advocate for remaking the socio-economic organism?
Under socialist principles.
This reflects a desire for a restructuring of society based on collective ownership.
Who should manage the ‘plants’ according to Rocker?
The workers and producers themselves.
This emphasizes self-management in the economic structure.
What is the effect of workers participating in parliamentary action?
It cripples their power of resistance and dooms their warfare against the existing system to futility.
Rocker believed this participation undermines revolutionary potential.
To whom should the revolution give social wealth?
The producers.
This aligns with the idea of rewarding those who contribute to production.
What is the ‘federal council of economy’?
An economic and administrative regulating power, not a political power, receiving orientation from below.
It operates according to resolutions from regional and national assemblies.
In what way did Engels and Rocker disagree?
Engels disagreed with the anarchist position of disposing of the state at the beginning of the revolution.
This highlights a fundamental difference in revolutionary strategy.
