The dice are loaded. You can’t win. Because when the skeptic says “society,” what he really means is “state,” even “nation-state.” Since no one is going to produce an example of an anarchist state—that would be a contradiction in terms—what we’re really being asked for is an example of a modern nation-state with the government somehow plucked away: a situation in which the government of Canada, to take a random example, has been overthrown, or for some reason abolished itself, and no new one has taken its place but instead all former Canadian citizens begin to organize themselves into libertarian collectives. Obviously this would never be allowed to happen. In the past, whenever it even looked like it might—here, the Paris commune and Spanish civil war are excellent examples—the politicians running pretty much every state in the vicinity have been willing to put their differences on hold until those trying to bring such a situation about had been rounded up and shot.
I think this is somewhat overblown. Aside from the regrettable instance of the Spanish Civil War Communists have generally supported Anarchist revolts, even if they’ve had (usually proto) states, as long as it isn’t happening to them.
Lenin thought the Anarchists were not ready and supported the revolt anyway. Mao, in what should be famous but isn’t, was a strong supporter of the ill-fated KPAM, the largest and longest lasting Anarchist experiment ever, and supplied it as much as possible. Refugees from its destruction fled to the CPC and had their hands in developing large sections of Maoist doctrine. The Great Leap Forward, in particular, tried to incorporate many anarchist ideas.
Just, the whole May Days shitfest…Stalin should have openly supported the CNT/FAI as well as the Republican government (I can understand him not wanting to back POUM) and to hell with the protests of the PF government in France. The Anarchists should probably have been a bit more compromising especially about military integration.
Stalin should have openly supported the CNT/FAI as well as the Republican government
I guess Stalin should’ve deployed Soviet armor and airforces to help fight Spanish fascism, maybe even send Soviet armaments and training cadres.
Wait no he actually did that.
The actual blame, yet again, rests on France and England chosing “neutrality” while the Italian and German fascists were running hog wild in Spain before Soviet intervention.
There can be arguments made that there could’ve been more done by the Soviets, if we ignore historical conditions that the Soviets faced a very real possibility of a two-front war against the Japanese imperialists in Asia and the German-Italian fascists in Europe thus having to prepare for such events, yet insofar as I’ve seen the Soviets did the best they could in the limited capacity that they could afford.
I’m not talking about the material support which was good and cool and I am in fact more sympathetic to Stalin in this.
But I think he does open himself to critique on his support of the USPC’s position of compromise with bourgeois Republican forces and their political position of not establishing a DOtP and, more damningly, rolling back the collectivisation established by the CCMA before it’s dissolution.
It is my opinion that this lack of left unity fatally weakened Republican forces on a key front and moreover robbed us of a Western European Socialist experiment.
There were good reasons for these actions, but in hindsight, I feel left unity would have been more productive.
Pre-postscript message: Could you tell me what acronym USPC and CCMA stand for?
I disagree and stand with the decision made by the Comintern in pursuing the popular front strategy.
In the face of the contrarian trotskyite opposition and uncompromising anarchist uncooperativity, chosing to then immediately alienate the socialist, social democrat, and fellow traveler republican forces in an attempt to appease the vanity of the left opposition would’ve spelt a more immediate death to the Second Republic.
Trying to push the communism button when you’re in a state of conflict and/ or instability is a form of dogmatism that puts the ideal ahead of the material. This was one of the bloody lessons that were learned during the Russian civil war.
in the spanish civil war it was anarchists deciding to break the united front because they were stupid. give me a good reason that isnt just stupid nitpicking over absurdities when youre fighting actual fascism.
Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology
I think this is somewhat overblown. Aside from the regrettable instance of the Spanish Civil War Communists have generally supported Anarchist revolts, even if they’ve had (usually proto) states, as long as it isn’t happening to them.
Lenin thought the Anarchists were not ready and supported the revolt anyway. Mao, in what should be famous but isn’t, was a strong supporter of the ill-fated KPAM, the largest and longest lasting Anarchist experiment ever, and supplied it as much as possible. Refugees from its destruction fled to the CPC and had their hands in developing large sections of Maoist doctrine. The Great Leap Forward, in particular, tried to incorporate many anarchist ideas.
Care to elaborate on the Spanish Civil War? Afaik, USSR was the only state to sell weapons to the antifascists
Just, the whole May Days shitfest…Stalin should have openly supported the CNT/FAI as well as the Republican government (I can understand him not wanting to back POUM) and to hell with the protests of the PF government in France. The Anarchists should probably have been a bit more compromising especially about military integration.
I guess Stalin should’ve deployed Soviet armor and airforces to help fight Spanish fascism, maybe even send Soviet armaments and training cadres.
Wait no he actually did that.
The actual blame, yet again, rests on France and England chosing “neutrality” while the Italian and German fascists were running hog wild in Spain before Soviet intervention.
There can be arguments made that there could’ve been more done by the Soviets, if we ignore historical conditions that the Soviets faced a very real possibility of a two-front war against the Japanese imperialists in Asia and the German-Italian fascists in Europe thus having to prepare for such events, yet insofar as I’ve seen the Soviets did the best they could in the limited capacity that they could afford.
this is usually true for 99 percent of events in soviet history, they did their best.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tanks_in_the_Spanish_Civil_War#Tanks_supplied_by_foreign_powers
Oh neat they had Renault, I wonder how well they worked
And they also supplied China against Japan at the same time.
I’m not talking about the material support which was good and cool and I am in fact more sympathetic to Stalin in this.
But I think he does open himself to critique on his support of the USPC’s position of compromise with bourgeois Republican forces and their political position of not establishing a DOtP and, more damningly, rolling back the collectivisation established by the CCMA before it’s dissolution.
It is my opinion that this lack of left unity fatally weakened Republican forces on a key front and moreover robbed us of a Western European Socialist experiment.
There were good reasons for these actions, but in hindsight, I feel left unity would have been more productive.
Pre-postscript message: Could you tell me what acronym USPC and CCMA stand for?
I disagree and stand with the decision made by the Comintern in pursuing the popular front strategy.
In the face of the contrarian trotskyite opposition and uncompromising anarchist uncooperativity, chosing to then immediately alienate the socialist, social democrat, and fellow traveler republican forces in an attempt to appease the vanity of the left opposition would’ve spelt a more immediate death to the Second Republic.
Trying to push the communism button when you’re in a state of conflict and/ or instability is a form of dogmatism that puts the ideal ahead of the material. This was one of the bloody lessons that were learned during the Russian civil war.
United Socialist Party of Catalonia, and the Central Committee of Anti-Fascist Militias.
Thank you I’ll look into them
in the spanish civil war it was anarchists deciding to break the united front because they were stupid. give me a good reason that isnt just stupid nitpicking over absurdities when youre fighting actual fascism.
Oh nice quote thanks for this