Chomsky on Anarchism.pdf - Zine Library

FIVE
PREFACE TO
ANTOLOGIJA ANARHIZMA
(1986)
The anarchosyndicalist thinker Rudolf Rocker described modern anarchism as
"the confluence of the two great currems, which during and since the French
revolution have found such characteristic expression in the intellecnlal 1ife of
Europe: Socialism and Liberalism." Correspondingly, the most constructive
elements of modern anarchism, both in theory and in practice, developed from
a critique of liberal capitalism and of tendencies that depict themselves as
socialist.
The liberal ideals of the Enlightenment could be realized only in very partial
and limited ways in the emerging capitalist order: "Democracy with its
mono of equality of all citizens before the law and Liberalism with its right of
man over his own person both were wrecked on the realities of capitalist economy,"
Rocker correctly observed. Those who are compelled to rent themselves
ro owner. of Glpir::ll in oreier ro sllfvive ::Ire ciepriveci of one of The mmr funcbmental
rights: the right to productive, creative and fulfilling work under one's
own control, in solidarity with others. And under the ideological constraints
of capitalist democracy, the prime necessity is to satisfy the needs of those in a
position to make investment decisions; if their demands are not satisfied, there
will be no production, no work, no social services, no means for survival. All
necessarily subordinate themselves and their interests to the overriding need to
serve the interests of the owners and managers of the society, who, funhermore,
with their control over resources, are easily able to shape the ideological
system (the media, schools, universities and so on) in their interests, to determine
the basic conditions within which the political process will function, its
parameters and basic agenda, and to call upon the resources of state violence,
when need be, to suppress any challenge to entrenched power. The point was
formulated succinctly in the early days of the liberal democratic revolurions by
John Jay, the President of the Continental Congress and the first Chief Justice
of the United States Supreme Cour£: "The people who own the country ought
to govern it." And, of course, they do, whatever political faction may be in
power. Matters could hardly be otherwise when economic power is narrowly
concentrated and the basic decisions over the nature and character of life, the
investment decisions, are in principle removed from democratic control,
Similarly, the principle of equality before the law can only be partially realized
in capitalist democracy. The rule of law exists in varying degrees, but all
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