Anarchist communism

Some people want a fair world. They want to share all things. No one should own everything alone.

Everyone helps out. Everyone gets what they need. This idea is called anarchist communism.

Many years ago, thinkers like Joseph Déjacque shared these ideas. They wanted people to work together.

They did not want a big government to rule. They wanted workers to run things themselves.

In some places, people tried this way of living. They worked in groups to share.

Anarchist communism is a way of thinking about how people live together. It says that no one should be in charge of others. It also says people should not own private property. Instead, people should own things together. This means everyone shares goods and services. The goal is for people to give what they can and get what they need.

Many thinkers helped build these ideas. Long ago, Théodore Dézamy said we should share all property. Later, Joseph Déjacque spoke about workers running things themselves. He wanted people to have total freedom.

In 1864, a group called the International Workingmen's Association formed. It had many different ideas. Some leaders, like Karl Marx, wanted a strong government. Other leaders wanted no government at all. After a split in the group, many people joined the anarchist side.

Carlo Cafiero helped make a plan for this way of life. He wanted to end paid work. He wanted everyone to share resources fairly. In the past, people tried these ideas in real life. Nestor Makhno led an army in Ukraine to try this. People also used these ideas during the Spanish Revolution.

Anarchist communism is a way of thinking about how society should work. It is a type of far-left political idea. This idea says that no one should be in charge of other people. It calls for the end of hierarchies, which are levels of power. It also wants to stop private property. Instead, people would own things together as a group. This includes goods and services that everyone uses. People would give what they can based on their ability. Then, they would receive what they need to live.

This way of living works through sharing and self-management. People would own the tools and land together. They would not use money or paid labor. Instead, they would use direct democracy to make choices. Workers would manage their own jobs without a boss. This would stop the division of labor. In this system, everyone would be part of one large class. There would be no police or military to enforce rules. Everything would be based on the free distribution of resources.

Many thinkers helped create these ideas over a long time. In 1843, Théodore Dézamy wrote about common ownership. He wanted to end money and the state. Later, Joseph Déjacque spoke about social revolution in 1859. He wanted to abolish the state and religion too. He believed workers should have the right to satisfy their needs. In 1864, the International Workingmen's Association was formed. This group had many different ideas about how to change the world.

History shows how these ideas grew and changed. Mikhail Bakunin was a leader in the association in 1868. After he died in 1876, people moved toward anarchist communism. The term was first printed in a pamphlet in February 1876. In 1880, Carlo Cafiero wrote a program for this way of life. He wanted to end all wage labor. He believed that sharing resources was better than keeping value. Other thinkers like Peter Kropotkin also helped develop these theories.

Real groups of people have tried to live this way. During the Russian Revolution, Nestor Makhno led an army in Ukraine. From 1918 to 1921, his group tried to build an anarchist society. They fought against many different sides to protect their ideas. Another example happened during the Spanish Revolution. In places like Catalonia, people used these ideas to organize. These stories show how people try to build worlds without leaders. They connect to big ideas about fairness and freedom.

Anarchist communism is a far-left political ideology and a specific school of anarchist thought. It advocates for a society based on communism but without any centralized authority. This system calls for the total abolition of hierarchies, which are systems where people hold power over others. It also seeks to abolish private property. However, it distinguishes this from personal property, which individuals may still keep. Instead, it promotes the social ownership of property and the collective ownership of goods and services. The core goal is the distribution of resources based on the principle: "from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs."

The mechanism of anarchist communism relies on self-management and the removal of forced labor. In this system, workers would manage their own production without bosses or state control. This is intended to end the division of labor. By integrating the proletariat, or working class, with the intelligentsia, or educated class, into a single group, the system seeks to remove social layers. Rather than using money or exchange values, resources are distributed freely to ensure everyone's needs are met. This process requires the abolition of the state, the police, and the military. Proponents often suggest that direct democracy and direct exchange would replace traditional government structures.

Different stages and types of organization have emerged within this movement. One major debate involves organizationalism versus insurrectionarism. Organizationalists might favor working through established structures like trade unions. In contrast, insurrectionary thinkers often prefer small, loosely organized affinity groups. They may view large unions as being prone to bureaucracy and corruption. Another distinction is found between platformism and synthesism, which are different methods of organizing anarchist groups. These debates reflect different ideas on how to best achieve a classless society without creating new hierarchies.

The history of these ideas began with several key thinkers in the 19th century. In 1843, Théodore Dézamy wrote the *Code de la Communauté*. He argued for the abolition of money, the state, and the division of labor. Later, in 1859, Joseph Déjacque published his *Humanisphere*. He advocated for a social revolution to abolish the state, religion, and private property. He believed workers should have the right to satisfy their needs through self-management. In 1864, the International Workingmen's Association (IWA) was established. This group became a major site for debates between Marxists and anti-authoritarian anarchists.

Following the death of Mikhail Bakunin in 1876, the movement shifted toward anarchist communism. The term was first printed in a pamphlet by François Dumartheray in February 1876. In 1877, a clash occurred between Italian anarcho-communists and Spanish collectivists. In 1880, Carlo Cafiero presented a program called *Anarchy and Communism*. This program officially broke away from collectivism. Cafiero rejected the use of exchange values and wage labor. He believed that collective ownership of industry could still lead to social stratification. He instead pushed for the immediate distribution of resources based on need.

There have been notable historical examples of these ideas in practice. During the Russian Revolution, Nestor Makhno led the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine from 1918 to 1921. His movement, the Makhnovshchina, created anarchist territories while fighting both the "Reds" and the "Whites." Another significant example occurred during the Spanish Revolution. In regions like revolutionary Catalonia, anarchist principles were used to organize society. These moments show the attempt to implement large-scale social changes based on these theories.

Anarchist communism connects to broader political and sociological concepts. It sits within the wider spectrum of far-left politics and challenges the necessity of the state. It engages with theories of economic value, specifically questioning the role of money and wage labor. The movement also intersects with studies of social organization and human cooperation. By exploring how people might live without centralized power, it touches on fundamental questions about freedom and equality. It remains a significant subject in the study of political history and social movements.