Anarchism and governance

[Nehru]

I am trying to learn about anarchism, especially about governance. I take it that they agree with Marxists on economic issues (such as capital exploiting labor and all that), but differ with them on the matter of state.

So what exactly is it - must there be governance without a state? I am confused on this point.

EDIT: I mean anarcho-syndicalism, specifically.

[thefinalmarch]

[Most] anarchists are of the view that there should be some sort of self-government post-revolution - operating as a direct or a consensus democracy where appropriate, or really other any other proposal which doesn't allocate power hierarchically - and they see the state as just one possible form of government. In their eyes, all states are governments but not all governments are states. There are others however, who reject the idea of government outright (this often does have some theoretical basis, judging from some anarchists I talked to a long time ago).

[Nehru]

Thanks, is their idea of governance more like federalism?

[thefinalmarch]

You're better off asking an actual anarchist imo.

[Tim Cornelis]

Anarcho-Syndicalism is a tactic, not an ideal. So I suppose you're asking about social anarchism.

All social decisions are made by the people as a whole. Smaller communities deliberate and decide on decisions through participatory democracy. The communities send delegates to an assembly. The delegates voice the opinion of the community and their mandate. So it's democracy from the bottom-up. Since there is no hierarchy, there is self-governance.

This should answer your questions: http://anarchism.pageabode.com/afaq/secIcon.html

[cheguvera]

popular social organizations would undertake those social functions that the state fulfils through the beaurocracy.Members of those organizaions would be temporary while organizations would be temporary as well.They do not tolerate permanent members or organiztions as they develop vested interests.

[Magón]

Thanks, is their idea of governance more like federalism?

Yes, but not the type of Federalism we see today, because the federalism today is just bureaucratic bullshit, masked as Federalism.

Anarcho-Syndicalism is a means to fight bureaucracy, capitalism, etc. through trade unions, by forming/organizing worker's into various revolutionary unions. They still oppose a state, as all Anarchists do, whether Capitalist or as we saw in Russia, because it doesn't put the power of the people into the right power structure, which is of course the control of the Means of Production by the workers who work in them.

Anarcho-Syndicalists are all for direct democracy and self management of the Means of Production, with no sort of state interference.

[syndicat]

anarcho-syndicalism has a dual meaning because it is both strategy and program. the program includes workers self-management of production, but also presupposes social self-management of public affairs, using delegate bodies such as congresses, rooted in the base assemblies in workplaces and neighborhoods.

so, yes, there would be a social governance system, that is, a way for the society to make collective decisions about public affairs, decisions that affect the people in a territory...from small to large. it is not about breaking everything down into small self-sufficient chunks...it has to scale up to whole nations and continents...but with significant areas of control at more local levels, depending on what mainly affects people at the local level.

there would also be a democratically structured militia that is directly accountable to the governance bodies, such as the congresses, local assemblies, that is, the organs of mass democracy.

[Nehru]

How do anarchists plan to do any of this? Is it about forming one large labor union that includes all other unions? How do anarchists plan to bring all workers together (because I am assuming that's the whole point instead of having a vanguard or a select group representing them)?

[Os Cangaceiros]

Thanks, is their idea of governance more like federalism?

Yep, anarchists are all about the federalism.

It's one of the core tenets of anarchist thought that I've kind of moved away from, though.

[#FF0000]

It's one of the core tenets of anarchist thought that I've kind of moved away from, though.

In favor of what?

[Zav]

How do anarchists plan to do any of this? Is it about forming one large labor union that includes all other unions? How do anarchists plan to bring all workers together (because I am assuming that's the whole point instead of having a vanguard or a select group representing them)?
Anarcho-Syndicalists would tend to support a large overarching union like the IWW. This union would be a vanguard, but it is important to distinguish it from a vanguard party. As has been said, Anarchists are very much in favor of (real) Federalism, especially Anarcho-Communists.

[Os Cangaceiros]

In favor of what?

Centralism

I'm not particularly hostile to anarchist federalism, I've just become more influenced by centralist arguments as time has gone on. Of the left-communist (Bordiga ultra-Leninist) variety. Although obviously I'm very skeptical of it, too, in many ways. I don't know. I go back and forth, depending on my daily mood.

[syndicat]

How do anarchists plan to do any of this? Is it about forming one large labor union that includes all other unions? How do anarchists plan to bring all workers together (because I am assuming that's the whole point instead of having a vanguard or a select group representing them)?

A very large alliance or federation of grassroots, worker-controlled labor oganizations, and perhaps in alliance with various kinds of community organizations and social movements. There needs to be the mass organizations so that the class has a vehicle it controls to ensure that it controls the process of change and what is then built to replace the existing order.

"Vanguard" refers to the more active, developed elements of the class who have developed leadership skills, a more ambitious and clear sighted agenda for change, and so on. This is simply a fact. Some anarchists also favor organizations of revolutionaries who are part of this organic vanguard for organizing and influencing the development of the mass movement, but not to create hierarchical positions or become the management of the movement in a hierarchical sense.

In some situations where the radical elements in the class are a "militant minority" kind of union, mass organizations can be a class vanguard. but the aim is to have the class itself gain power, through the creation of assemblies and delegates controlled by the workers themselves.

if your question about "how" is about the strategy, it comes down to mass disobedience to continued control by the dominating classes, through the takeover of the means of production by workers and linking up with the rank and file of the military and other public sector workers so that the means of repression are broken.

[eyedrop]

Anarcho-Syndicalism is a tactic, not an ideal. So I suppose you're asking about social anarchism.[/url]
While I agree that it is a tactic, what tactics are used have a large part in deciding what the outcome is.

As anarcho-syndicalism has as an aim to develop grassroots power centers in workplaces and wrest the power from the old powers.

If those power centers are successful they will largely keep the organisational structure they already have over the production chain. You cannot choose one organisational tactic to gain power and then implement something else when you get it so anarcho-syndicalism isn't just a tactic.

Anarcho-syndicalism cannot function only on its own as there are also other parts of the public sphere that need organisation.