Questions
- Should those who seek to replace the market with the state be called ‘anarchists’?
- Discuss the proposition that the new social movements like the movement for
peace, environmentalism and women’s rights embrace part of anarchism rather
than anarchism as a whole. - What do anarchists understand by ‘hierarchy’ and does it interfere with the
demands of political organisation? - What do you see as the lessons of the Spanish Civil War?
- Is the notion of a stateless society a mere anarchist fantasy?
References
Berki, R. (1974) SocialismLondon: Dent.
Carter, A. (1978) ‘Anarchism and Violence’ in J. Pennock and J. Chapman (eds) Anarchism
New York: New York University Press, 320–40.
Dahl, R. (1989) Democracy and its CriticsNew Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Goodwin, B. (1997) Using Political Ideas4th edn Chichester: John Wiley.
Hoffman, J. (1995) Beyond the StateCambridge: Polity.
Marshall, P. (1993) Demanding the ImpossibleLondon: Fontana.
Maximoff, G. (ed.) (1953) The Political Philosophy of BakuninNew York: Free Press.
Miller, D. (1974) AnarchismLondon: Dent.
Nozick, R. (1974) Anarchy, State, and UtopiaOxford: Basil Blackwell.
Orwell, G. (2001) Orwell in Spain(ed. P. Davison) Harmondsworth: Penguin.
Thomas, H. (1965) The Spanish Civil WarHarmondsworth: Penguin.
Turner, R. (1993) ‘Anarchism: What Is It?’ Politics Review3(1), 28–32.
Vincent, A. (1995) Modern Political IdeologiesOxford: Blackwell.
Wolff, R.P. (1970) In Defense of AnarchismBerkeley: University of California Press.Further reading
Marshall Demanding the Impossible(1993) is a detailed and highly readable account of
anarchist doctrines and personalities. Turner’s short piece on ‘Anarchism: What Is It?’ (1993)
is very clear and comprehensive and raises the question as to why anarchism still continues
to make an impact. Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia(in 2001) provides a vivid account of the
way in which the anarchists operated in Spain, and the difficulties under which they worked.
Carter’s piece on ‘Anarchism and Violence’ 1978) is both thoughtful and rigorous, and raises
important theoretical problems within anarchism. Dahl’s chapter 3 in his Democracy and
its Critics(1989) contains an amusing and instructive dialogue between characters he calls
‘Demo’ and ‘Anarch’ which is both critical and fair. Shatz’s edition of The Essential Works
of Anarchism(London: Bantam Books, 1971) contains extracts from classical and more recent
anarchists so that you can read the arguments ‘in the original’. A useful exposition of
anarcho-capitalism can be found in C. Stone (1978) ‘Some Reflections on Arbitrating our
Way to Anarchy’ (in J. Pennock and J. Chapman (eds) AnarchismNew York: New York
University Press).256 Part 2 Classical ideologies