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Anarchy
In anarchy, there is no government. It is a form of government characterised by the absence of government. The members of a society organise themselves independently. Anarchy can also be associated with the absence of state order and lawlessness. However, there may also be a state order organised through councils or free agreements between the members of society.
For the Greek philosophers of antiquity, anarchy was a form of democracy. It was seen as a direct democracy in which the population had either greatly weakened or abolished the government.
Aristotle and his teacher Plato, who had a major influence on the concept of anarchy in antiquity through their works, were particularly strongly influenced by Attic democracy. This was marked by crises. In addition, the negative influence of demagogues led to unlawful decisions being made by the popular assembly. For example, after the conquest of the city of Milos by the Athenians in 416 BC, a referendum was held to decide to execute all adult men and sell the women and children into slavery. The city was then refounded by Attic citizens. This was a democratically decided genocide. The Arginusae trial, in which six captains were executed, and the conviction of Socrates were also the result of unlawful decisions by the popular assembly. During the military expeditions to Egypt and Sicily, serious misjudgements by the popular assembly led to the loss of the army and fleet that had been sent out. Aristotle and Plato therefore took the view that power should be better placed in the hands of a few experts.
In later times, anarchy was mostly seen as a state of lawlessness and chaos. Thomas Hobbes described this as a natural state without government or law, in which there is a war of all against all
[Original: bellum omnium contra omnes
, in ‘Elementorum philosophiae sectio tertia de cive’ [‘The Third Section of the Elements of Philosophy on the Citizen’], 1642].
Anarchism
Anarchy can also be viewed positively as a self-organised community without state authority. For example, in his work ‘Qu'est ce que la propriété?’ [‘What is Property?’], Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (1809-1865) not only argues that property is theft and should be abolished. He also believes that a people should govern itself without the rule of rulers, through mutual agreements and arrangements between citizens, in an ‘order without power’. Voltairine des Cleyre (1866-1912) believed that many problems were created by rule and authority. She therefore saw the abolition of states and governments as the solution to these problems. She envisioned society as consisting of small, federal groups with voluntary associations for cooperation in production, communication, education and defence. Natural resources should be accessible to all, and everyone should own what they themselves have produced.
Examples of anarchy
The period of civil war in England from 1135 to 1154 is described as anarchy. During this time, Henry I's daughter Matilda and his nephew Stephen of Blois fought for the English throne, as the original heir to the throne, William Ætheling, had died in a shipwreck. He was Matilda's brother and Stephen of Blois's father. The period of civil war was characterised by lawlessness and the collapse of state order.
In 1871, the Paris Commune existed from 18 March to 28 May. The Commune arose from the rejection of France's surrender in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 to 1871 and the rejection of the government that emerged from the National Assembly elected in February. Attempts were made to organise the administration of the city through councils. The leaders changed frequently, as members were repeatedly arrested. Various decrees were issued, such as the retroactive remission of unpaid rents, the confiscation of unoccupied flats for rental, the return of pawned items, especially bedding, clothing and furniture, and the payment of pensions to the wounded, widows and orphans. At the end of May, government troops captured the city and mass executions followed. Between 17 000 and 35 000 people were killed.
The Free Town of Christiania is an area in the city of Copenhagen in Denmark. It is autonomously self-governing and has several hundred to around a thousand inhabitants. It was founded in 1971 and, despite several attempts to clear and dissolve the Free Town, it is still largely tolerated today. The community organises itself through assemblies, where every member of the community is heard and joint decisions are made on a grassroots democratic basis by consensus. The Free Town is divided into 14 local areas, within which their own local decisions are made. The community is financed by its members, most of whom work outside the Free Town or receive social benefits from the Danish state. There is a small brewery, cafés, restaurants and small businesses.
Anarchy in international relations
The international relations between states can be seen as anarchic, as there is no world government and no world jurisdiction. Even the United Nations merely provides a forum for communication and cooperation between states. However, participation is voluntary and the United Nations itself is dependent on the support of individual, powerful states in order to enforce decisions. Enforcement is only possible against smaller states if larger states or a group of states take on the task of enforcement.
The International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court are also dependent on voluntary participation and the support of powerful states to enforce their judgements.
