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Title: Anarchist Communism Author: Sam Dolgoff Date: July 1932 Language: en Topics: anarcho-communism, syndicalism, Vanguard, economics, labor movement, Introductory Source: Retrieved on 25.01.22 from https://libcom.org/library/vanguard-libertarian-communist-journal Notes: Published in three parts in the New York anarchist-communist journal âVanguardâ: Vol. 1, No. 2, July 1932; Vol. 1, No. 3, August-September 1932; and Vol. 1, No. 4, November 1932. Attributed to Sam Weiner, pen-name of Sam Dolgoff.
The fast approaching downfall of capitalism, as shown by the worldwide
economic debacle, is driving men to think about a new social order. It
is generally admitted, even by conservatives, that capitalism is on itâs
last legs. The greatest confusion prevails as to what should be done.
Many so-called remedies are suggested, ranging from earnest prayer as
recommended by the Pope, to fifty-seven varieties of dictatorship â as
urged by Fascists, Communists, and Socialists.
The proposed remedies while differing in many respects, possess one
quality which is common to all. They are based upon an abiding faith
that government can remedy all evils. They would extend the functions of
the State. The State would control and operate all the industries, would
regulate the distribution of commodities, determine the conditions of
labor, monopolize the sources of information and enlightenment â
schools, newspapers, radio, etc. It would thrust itself into the life of
every individual. No one would dare question its authority.
The delegation of power into the hands of an all omnipotent State cannot
solve the problems which are facing the working class â the problems of
exploitation, of monopoly, of inequality, of suppression of the
individual. The State bureaucracy constitutes a class in itself. This
privileged class, not being engaged in productive labor, must be
supported by the workers. The tremendous waste, inefficiency, and
corruption of present day government is well known. How much greater
would this burden become, how much more entrenched would this
bureaucracy become, should the powers of the State be multiplied a
thousand fold?
The growth of a bureaucratic class endowed with special privileges must
give rise to inequality. The interests of those who rule, and the
interests of those who are ruled cannot be reconciled. The people
finding themselves reduced to mere tools in the hands of the
all-enveloping State machine would be compelled to check the
ever-growing power of the bureaucracy. The Contradictions inherent in
state socialism, far from being solved through the metaphysical
âWithering away of the stateâ must result in a war between the
privileged bureaucracy and the oppressed masses. It would lead to a
social-revolution. The State cannot conduct the economic life of Society
in the interests of all. The State cannot lose its class character. The
abolition of capitalism is not sufficient as long as the State and its
bureaucracy are maintained. The new social order must be based on
entirely different principles. The need for a social philosophy which
will avoid the pitfalls of state centralization is becoming more and
more pressing in the face of the ever-growing tendencies toward
dictatorship of one type or another. Anarchism is the only Social theory
capable of filling this need. Anarchism aims to establish a society in
which the economic activities will be conducted by voluntary groups and
federations. It aims to institute mutual agreement in place of coercion
as the guiding principle of human life. The development of the
individual should be the sole aim of social life. A social system which
does not provide for the development of the individual is a failure. A
social system based upon exploitation and oppression cannot allow for
the fullest development of the individual. We therefore believe in the
abolition not only of Capitalism but also of the State.
Society is an organic whole intricately connected and bound by a
thousand ties. Should one organ fail to function it will immediately
affect the others. The tremendous complexity and interdependence of
social life is leading to communism. Communism is a system whereby
industry is operated for the benefit of the whole of society. Society
must be conducted upon the basis of âFrom each according to his ability
and to each according to his needs.â No man has the right to monopolize
that which generations of men have labored to produce. The combined
efforts of all are necessary in order to produce the means of life,
consequently all are entitled to share alike that which all have labored
to produce. There is no room in such a society for privilege, inequality
or dictatorship. Anarchist-communism combines freedom and equality. One
is indispensable to the other.
The economic life of society should be conducted by those who are
actually engaged in industry, through co-operatives, industrial unions,
federations and voluntary societies of all kinds and for all purposes.
The needs of mankind are so infinitely varied, the specific problems
affecting a given industry or locality are so different that no single
body, be it a bureaucratic state or a centralized administrative agency,
can ascertain and efficiently attend to the needs of society, even if
government would be impartial and wholly disinterested which it is not
and cannot be. An all-seeing omnipotent governmental bureaucracy in
Washington, cannot work the mines in Pennsylvania, or drill oil wells in
Oklahoma, or can fruit in California. Only the people who do the work,
who are intimately acquainted with the needs of a given industry or
community can successfully solve the problems that constantly present
themselves. The economic structure must be based upon the fullest
possible amount of local autonomy and independent action. The economic
basis of society must correspond to life itself, must reflect its many
sidedness and its varied interests. This can be done only when every
group and every individual if free to conduct his affairs in accordance
with his needs. The decentralization of functions in the hands of those
directly concerned will ensure freedom for the producers, and will
prevent the monopoly, oppression, and inefficiency which are the
distinguishing characteristics of centralized institutions.
An examination of present-day society will show the extent to which
voluntary association and mutual co-operation are responsible for all
that is constructive in modern life. The voluntary scientific societies
of all types, without which the wonders of modern life would be
impossible, the voluntary educational societies, producersâ and
consumersâ co-operatives, labor unions, mutual benefit associations, and
societies of all types embracing every field of human endeavor are
indispensable to social life. Social life is impossible without mutual
agreement. The need for mutual co-operation is so great that even
centuries of governmental oppression and red-tape have been unable to
crush them. Recent history fully bears out the contention that
government is absolutely helpless in any emergency, that only the
creative impetus of the masses is capable of responding to such
situations. The abolition of the State and Capitalism will release the
masses from the dead weight of exploitation and oppression. Voluntary
associations, increased in scope and united by the impetus of mutual
necessity, would be free to develop. The constructive genius of mankind
would regenerate the social-organism.
The question of the economic structure of the future society will be
further developed in the next article, which will also deal with the
tactics to be pursued in realizing our Ideal.
In the previous article, I stated that the tremendous complexity and
interdependence of social life is leading to Communism.
The production of steel, for example, is dependent upon the production
of iron ore, coal, machinery, railroad transportation, etc., whereas
iron ore, coal, machinery or railroad transportation is impossible
without the production of steel. The curtailment or suspension of
operation of any industry immediately affects the others. The harmonious
relationships of one industry to another are indispensable to social
life. Production of any article is no longer the individual task of a
single artisan, but is the task of the whole of society. The evolution
of industry shows a distinct tendency toward the co-ordination and
integration of human effort. This change is well illustrated in the
development of agriculture.
Agriculture has long since ceased to depend upon archaic methods of
cultivation. The introduction of labor-saving machinery, the great
contributions of chemistry in increasing the fertility of the soil, the
facilities for storing and transporting perishable foods has made
possible the cultivation of tremendous areas at a minimum of human
labor. Gigantic farms covering thousands of acres are too well known to
require further description. The rationalization of agriculture is
spelling the doom of individualized farming and is placing the industry
on a par with any other in technique and efficiency.
The growth of tenant farming, the inability of the individual farmer to
pay heavy taxes and mortgages imposed by the capitalist and the state is
placing the land in the hands of the bankers, leaving the dispossessed
farmer in the same position as any other unemployed worker. The banking
interests are establishing huge farms operating upon the principle of
mass production. If a conflict of interests between the petty landed
proprietor and the industrial worker exists, the antagonism is being
liquidated by the rationalization of agriculture and the expropriation
of the land into the hands of the self same class that controls the
other basic industries.
The present development of society is due to the inter-dependence of
industry.
The natural relations between producers and consumers are distorted by
production for profit instead of for use. The contradiction between
private ownership and monopoly, and the social nature of production is
one of the principle factors in the break down of capitalism. Society
must own and control industry. Society is being impelled to adopt
communism as the economic form of the new society.
Production under Anarchist-Communism will be conducted by the workers
themselves through their own organizations. The workers would be
organized into industrial unions. The basic unit of production would be
the factory council which would choose a factory committee composed of
the representatives of the various departments to undertake the task of
administration and co-ordination. Frequent meetings between the workers
and the factory committee would give the benefit of the experience of
all the workers for the better execution of the work at hand. The
rotation of workers on the factory committee would develop their
capacities to understand the problems of production and would preclude
the possibility of any group monopolizing their functions.
The fullest amount of local autonomy would characterize each unit. The
abolition of a centralized, coercive institution, and its inevitable
abuse of power, the abolition of the wage system, the abolition of
inequality and privilege destroys the leading motives for oppression.
The factory committees would act only in an advisory capacity. No agency
could be better acquainted with the needs and methods of production than
those who are actually doing the work. Having no fear of being fired by
the âboss,â be that boss the state or a private individual, and having
everything to gain by efficient administration, the workers would be
compelled by their common interests, if by no other, to cooperate with
one another.
The factory councils of a given industry would elect representatives to
the regional federation of workersâ councils in their industry. These
regional councils would co-ordinate the work for that area. They would
in turn choose delegates to the national and international union of
their industry. The functions of these bodies would be to suggest ways
and means of improving the quality or quantity of work, to establish
technical schools, to gather and publish statistical material, to
conduct laboratories, etc. The congress of regional or national
industrial unions would, like the factory committees, act only in an
advisory capacity. It would not possess the power to compel any group to
abide by their suggestions any more than scientific associations can
compel any of its members to accept its findings. They merely submit
them for discussion. The acceptance of their conclusions depends solely
upon their validity.
The present administration of industry contains many examples of the
principle of the suggestive body. The association of American Engineers,
the American Association of Railway Managers, Trade Associations
embracing practically every phase of industry voluntarily congregate and
discuss the problems affecting the administration and development of
their various industries. They publish trade journals, conduct research
bureaus, etc. Their findings are not binding or compulsory. They act as
a clearing house of information for mutual benefit.
The actual problems of administration of industry must be differentiated
from the question of exploitation of industry. Administration requires
the voluntary association of trade bodies and groups for the purpose of
exchanging suggestions, and applying scientific methods to the
production of commodities. The exploitative function in industry demands
a rigid centralization based upon coercion. In order to exploit, it is
necessary to keep the workers in ignorance, and to maintain an army of
overseers whose function consists in seeing to it that the last ounce of
energy is squeezed out of the workers. Workersâ control and initiative
cannot go hand in hand with exploitation.
The removal of exploitative functions of industry automatically
increases the scope and creative impetus of the trade bodies. The energy
and resourcefulness of mankind is directed toward constructive channels.
It is not dissipated and warped in applying these abilities for the
purpose of devising better ways of exploiting mankind. In advocating
these principles, we extend the constructive tendencies in modern
industry and at the same time eliminate the destructive features which
are characteristic of capitalistic production.
The problem of distribution in an Anarchist-Communist Society would be
successfully solved by an extensive system of consumersâ societies, a
network of co-operatives of all types which would reflect the myriad
needs of mankind. Consumersâ co-operatives would undertake the work of
distribution. Agricultural co-operatives would undertake the task of
supplying farm and dairy produce. The numerous class of artisans and
handicraft workers which cannot fit into the general plan of a
socialized industry could freely combine into artels. Housing societies,
medical and health associations, etc. â each of the various
co-operatives would be federated into national and international bodies
similar in structure to that of the industrial unions. Local, national,
and international confederations of co-operative societies would
harmonize the work of the various co-operatives. Being in direct touch
with the needs of the people, they would be able to accurately gauge the
quantity of commodities to be consumed and would thereby supply the
necessary statistics for a planned economy.
The fact that over fifty million people are now in the co-operative
movement and that the movement attained such proportions in spite of the
determined opposition of the state and the capitalists only serves to
illustrate the vitality of the principle of voluntary association.
Society is in reality nothing more than the grouping of individuals for
the satisfaction of human needs. The state and the exploiter are a
parasitic growth upon the social body. They are no more beneficial than
a cancer.
The various organs of production and distribution meet in the free
commune. The commune is the unit which reflects the interest of all.
Through the commune the connection between the various associations is
achieved. The commune, through its bodies, plans production to satisfy
its needs. It utilizes all the resources at its command. It endeavors to
eliminate waste. It is the exchange bureau wherein the particular
service of each is made available to all. In the commune, the âfactory
hand,â whose only function in capitalistic society is to turn bolt No.29
would become a MAN. For the city and the country would combine to give
each person the opportunity to achieve that balance and variety of
pursuits which makes for a healthy mind. Agriculture and manufacturing
would go hand in hand. The factory would move to the people instead of
the people moving to the factory. The development of electricity instead
of steam, in addition to the development of high tension lines through
which power can be transmitted to any section of the country, makes it
possible to bring the factory to any community. Machinery can now be
made available for decentralized production.
There is a tendency even in modern capitalistic society to decentralize
production by establishing complete factories throughout the country. It
has been proven that this method makes for greater efficiency and
economy.
In an Anarchist-Communist Society the fullest extension of this
principle would allow for the greatest amount of local autonomy. It
would immeasurably increase the ability of the commune to become self
sustaining. It would simplify and facilitate the task of co-ordination.
Anarchist-Communism is the only social theory that is all embracing. It
provides for the fullest development of the best in man. Here he attains
his fullest stature. He is represented as a producer in his factory or
shop, as a consumer in his co-operative, as both in his commune, and as
a happy creative human being in the liberty of thought and action, which
only a free society can develop.
Anarchist-Communism, being in direct contradiction to the institution of
the state, cannot employ parliamentary tactics as a means towards its
realization. It casts aside as useless and dangerous the idea that a
series of gradual and legal changes can bring about the fall of
Capitalism, or usher in a new society.
The great struggles in the First International between Marx and Bakunin
represented two directly opposing points of view on the tasks and
tactics of the working class. In the main, as far as tactics were
concerned, they differed in the following respects.
The Marxian faction advocated political action, ie., electing labor
representatives who would support petty reforms. The believed in the
centralization of the affairs of the labor bodies into a single
directing agency. They advocated the alliance of trade unions with a
political party. They conceived of the Socialist State as the necessary
link between Capitalism and a free society.
The Bakuninist faction advocated the direct economic action of the
working class, i.e., general strikes, sabotage, and armed resistance,
through the organized power of the masses, such as revolutionary
industrial unions, peasant organizations, etc. They conceived of the
labor movement as a federation of workers and farmers bodies, possessing
the greatest amount of local autonomy, and the federation of these
decentralized units for common action and solidarity as the most
desirable form of organization. They held that any state is in its very
nature reactionary, and therefore proposed that the mass organizations
replace the state in the transitional period between the old and new
society.
The history of the labor movement in every country and in every period,
shows how well the Bakuninists understood the nature of reformism. What
has become of the reformist labor movement? Why have they failed to live
up to their âHistorical Mission?â Despite the fact that the British
labor movement was strong enough the paralyze England in the general
strike of 1926, we see it reduced to beggary, chasing after doles,
dominated by the politicians of the âlaborâ party, and advocating the
most reactionary policies. The British labor movement is standing idly
by while British Imperialism is crushing their brother workers in India,
Ireland and other colonies.
The great labor movement of Germany, despite its numbers, is helpless in
the face of the Fascist menace. Like the labor movement of England it is
the plaything of the traitorous Social-Democratic Party. Deprived of its
initiative and its revolutionary spirit at a low ebb, it has allowed the
politicians to dupe them so that reaction has gained the upper hand.
There is no doubt whatever that the World War would never have been
fought were these self-same reformist unions revolutionary, and free
from the deadening influence of opportunism.
Wherever we turn, in Italy, in Spain, in Germany, we see reaction in the
saddle; the revolution thwarted. The greatest obstacle in the path of
the revolution has been not so much the conservatives, as these Judases,
the âsocialistsâ who are in reality the last bulwark of Capitalism.
The Communist Party of Germany is in a large measure responsible for the
rise of Fascism. When the crying need of the hour was a united front of
all class conscious workers regardless of party, when only the united
working class fighting on the economic field was important, when only
the armed resistance of the workers was capable of crushing the
reaction, the Communist Party of Germany, by the order of the Moscow
bureaucrats, took a long step backward. Knowing that a united front was
impossible without them, they laid down the law: either rule or ruin.
They insisted upon dominating the entire labor movement of Germany. When
the labor movement refused to accept what they called a âunited front,â
the resulting lack of unity among the workers gave the fascists an
opportunity to consolidate their forces. The situation was and still is
most critical. Either the united front or fascism. The communists
refused the united front. The interests of the bureaucracy outweighed
the interests of the working class.
Even a revolutionary movement is rendered ineffective when it is
dominated by a centralized bureaucracy. When the labor movement is
dominated by a political party, it inevitably becomes the football of
politics. It is clear to all except âthose who will not seeâ that the
downfall of Capitalism, and the establishment of a new society, cannot
be accomplished by the use of such tactics. It is clear that political
action is one of the greatest impediments in the path of the coming
social revolution. Only a fundamental change in the political, economic
and social relationships of man, only the social revolution can
accomplish what the reformists have failed to do. Nor is a social
revolution in itself a guarantee that Anarchist-Communism will be
realized. A social revolution can stop short of its objectives, can like
a stream, be diverted from its course. The failure to understand the
goal of the revolution, or a labor movement brought up in the
authoritarian school trained to leave all in the hands of a bureaucratic
and corrupt leadership, can so distort the character of a revolution as
to render it harmful to the further progress of mankind.
The Russian Revolution shows that despite the heroic struggle of the
masses, the revolution failed to achieve its objectives â liberty and
well being for all. The Russian labor unions have become blind pawns in
the hands of a party dictatorship. The masses are being ground to dust
by the Communist steam roller. The revolution failed because the labor
movement was unprepared. They did not understand that the delegation of
power into the hand of the state meant the death of the revolution.
There is no record of any great change, any great victory of labor that
was won through parliamentary means. The eight hour day, the right to
organize, the right of free speech, were the triumphs of direct action.
The early history of the American labor movement is replete with
examples of militant direct action. The struggles of the Knights of
Labor, the struggles of the Black International which culminated in the
Haymarket tragedy, the struggles of the Western Federation of Miners,
and of the I.W.W., etc., were mainly responsible for whatever progress
the movement has made in America. On the other hand, what has been
accomplished by the reformist American Federation of Labor? The
degeneration of the modern labor movement is nowhere so apparent as in
the present happenings in the Illinois coal fields. The officialdom of
the United Mine Workers of America has joined the bosses and the state
in crushing the revolt of the militant rank and file against the
bureaucracy of the A. F. of L. What really important victory was gained
without the direct economic pressure of the working class? To this
question history answers â none.
In the light of the struggles and hard won gains of the workers all over
the world, the position taken by the Anarchist-Communists is basically
sound and therefore fully justified.
The goal of the working class must be the social revolution. The workers
must be prepared to overthrow Capitalism through a Social Revolution;
must be prepared to conduct the economic life of the country when the
time comes. In order to do this, they will be obliged to organize into
mass movements such as industrial unions, artels, agrarian
co-operatives, etc. The solidarity of the working class must be attained
through the federation of autonomous bodies, instead of centralization
from the top down. The tactics must correspond to the ends in view. The
masses, permeated with the revolutionary spirit, must make use of the
general strike, sabotage, armed resistance, expropriation, etc. The
revolutionary labor movement must become the militant vanguard who by
their deeds and intelligence will show the rest of the masses how to
help themselves, how to establish a new society. The militant vanguard
consisting of mass organizations of workers and peasants takes the place
of the bureaucratic party and renders the state unnecessary in the
transitional period.
The revolution will be successful to the extent that the workers are
prepared for it. A good deal will depend upon the extent to which
Anarchist ideas have permeated the social body. A period of intense
propaganda and revolutionary struggle is necessary in order to influence
the masses. Outside of the labor movement as such, Anarchist-Communism
must be propagated among the intelligent youth through study groups,
propaganda centers and through the dissemination of literature. The
field of education, the co-operative movement, the anti-war leagues,
every mass organization, must be invested with a revolutionary
character. Anarchists must turn them into organs of successful social
revolution.
In a very real sense, we are facing a momentous period in human history.
The inevitable social revolution will determine the paths in which
mankind will tread for a long time. All depends upon a correct
conception of the nature of our tasks and the manner and spirit in which
we approach them. âAnarchist-Communism,â as Kropotkin so aptly said,
âmust be the goal of the revolution of the twentieth century.â