Advice for Young Anarchists

If you’re a young anarchist, you’ve probably often felt that your ideas don’t quite translate into existing struggles or today’s reality. Peter Kropotkin, Mikhail Bakunin, and Daniel Guérin won’t help you much in figuring out how to act as an anarchist today, and anarchist websites will mostly offer vague, half-formed answers to current problems.

That’s why it’s important to understand that anarchism is, in fact, a blend of different elements—various strands of the radical left. Your comrades are mostly aware of this, but often hesitate to admit it, which only adds to the confusion.

Authentic anarchism and anarcho-syndicalism both contain the core ideas of Karl Marx’s thought. The ultimate goal—communism—is imagined in essentially the same way in both anarchism and communism. Class divisions, and the working class as the agent of change—these too are taken from Marxism. So instead of starting with anarchist theorists, it’s better to begin by studying the origins and development of the left, socialism, and communism. In the end, all you really need to do is subtract from these ideas the principles of the “workers’ state,” the “communist party,” and the “revolutionary vanguard.”

Because the key difference lies precisely in those elements. For anarchists, revolution does not involve a “transitional period” with a socialist state—this phase is skipped. Instead, they emphasize the possibility of a rapid, immediate transition from capitalism to communism through broad revolutionary and directly democratic organization of the masses, and through their direct action.

The establishment of direct democratic control, according to anarchists, would inject revolution into existing socio-economic relations and unleash the creative potential of the masses, thereby initiating a profound transformation. The authority of local councils, workers’ councils in production, and decision-making without leaders or separate political bodies are seen as the means of transitioning to communism.

In everyday struggles, this translates into a model of action focused on building anarcho-syndicates and militant movements based on direct democracy. At its core, this is the same form of organization—except that anarcho-syndicates are permanent structures that function like assemblies. In other words, anarcho-syndicates are unions that operate through direct democracy, like a general assembly, but endure over the long term.

Only after educating yourself on topics related to Marxism, class, and capitalism is it advisable to dive into the history of the various currents that influenced anarchism. These include the literary and artistic avant-garde (such as Dadaism and Surrealism), the student movement of 1968, and historically significant anarchist figures like Bakunin, Kropotkin, Guérin, and Emma Goldman. Avoid subcultural anarchism which, although important in music and youth culture, tends to create confusion in its political form.

When it comes time to engage in social critique and current issues—such as crisis, austerity, and neoliberalism—anarchist outlets won’t be especially helpful. It’s therefore important to stay open to other sources, such as Western European left-wing newspapers, websites, and magazines. There is a negative tendency within anarchist organizations to label and dismiss “non-anarchist” media as undesirable. Rejecting that kind of dogmatic thinking is precisely what will make you better informed and more prepared for activism.