Radicalised youth, seeking to understand how to change modern society, naturally tend to look to both Marxism and anarchism in equal measure. The question as to which philosophy, or which combination of the two, has the best answers, has long been at the forefront of the minds of revolutionaries.
Anarchism is naturally attractive to all those correctly alienated by bureaucracy in the revolutionary movement. Anarchists are certainly correct to reject Stalinism and careerism. However, it is not sufficient simply to reject these phenomena. We need to understand why bureaucracy and oppression exist and what role they play, in order to understand how to avoid them. We believe that, for all its opposition, anarchism has little to say about the alternative to bureaucracy. Instead, it is Marxism’s historical materialist method that allows us to understand these problems.
A few years ago we published a book called Marxism and Anarchism. This collection of classic and contemporary writings helps to clarify the Marxist perspective on anarchist theory and practice, and the need for a revolutionary party.
This volume includes classic essays by Engels, Lenin, Trotsky, Plekhanov, as well as contemporary analysis by Alan Woods, Phil Mitchinson and others, on an array of topics related to anarchism. Among them are: the Occupy movement; Marx vs Bakunin; Engels on authority; Michael Albert and Parecon; why Marxists oppose individual terrorism; direct action; anarcho-syndicalism; Kronstadt; the Makhno rebellion; the Spanish Revolution.
Below this table of contents are a few other links to articles published on Marxist.com.
Table of Contents
Section One: Marxist and Anarchist Theory
Section Two: Marxist and Anarchist Tactics
Section Three: Anarcho-syndicalism
Section Four: Kronstadt and Makhno
Section Five: The Spanish Revolution
Other articles:
- Marxism or anarchism? - An open letter to thinking anarchists (by Alan Woods)
- Marxism and Anarchism: The Philosophical Roots of the Marx-Bakunin Conflict (by Ann Robertson)
- Noam Chomsky and Marxism: On the roots of modern "authoritarianism" (by Heiko Khoo)
- A meeting between V.I. Lenin and P. A. Kropotkin (by V. D. Bonc-Brujevic)
Audio:
- [Audio] Marxism and Anarchism (Alan Woods talk)