# Anarchist FAQ

* Section A - What is Anarchism?
* A.1 What is anarchism?  (Jun 22, 2008)
* A.1.1 What does "anarchy" mean?  (Jun 22, 2008)
* A.1.2 What does "anarchism" mean?  (Jun 22, 2008)
* A.1.3 Why is anarchism also called libertarian socialism?  (Jun 22, 2008)
* A.1.4 Are anarchists socialists?  (Jun 22, 2008)
* A.1.5 Where does anarchism come from?  (Jul 30, 2008)
* A.2 What does anarchism stand for?  (Jul 30, 2008)
* A.2.1 What is the essence of anarchism?  (Jul 30, 2008)
* A.2.2 Why do anarchists emphasise liberty?  (Apr 28, 2009)
* A.2.3 Are anarchists in favour of organisation?  (Apr 28, 2009)
* A.2.4 Are anarchists in favour of "absolute" liberty?  (Apr 28, 2009)
* A.2.5 Why are anarchists in favour of equality?  (Apr 29, 2009)
* A.2.6 Why is solidarity important to anarchists?
* A.2.7 Why do anarchists argue for self-liberation?
* A.2.8 Is it possible to be an anarchist without opposing hierarchy?
* A.2.9 What sort of society do anarchists want?
* A.2.10 What will abolishing hierarchy mean and achieve?
* A.2.11 Why are most anarchists in favour of direct democracy?
* A.2.12 Is consensus an alternative to direct democracy?
* A.2.13 Are anarchists individualists or collectivists?
* A.2.14 Why is voluntarism not enough?
* A.2.15 What about "human nature"?
* A.2.16 Does anarchism require "perfect" people to work?
* A.2.17 Aren't most people too stupid for a free society to work?
* A.2.18 Do anarchists support terrorism?
* A.2.19 What ethical views do anarchists hold?
* A.2.20 Why are most anarchists atheists?
* A.3 What types of anarchism are there?
* A.3.1 What are the differences between individualist and social anarchists?
* A.3.2 Are there different types of social anarchism?
* A.3.3 What kinds of green anarchism are there?
* A.3.4 Is anarchism pacifistic?
* A.3.5 What is Anarcha-Feminism?
* A.3.6 What is Cultural Anarchism?
* A.3.7 Are there religious anarchists?
* A.3.8 What is "anarchism without adjectives"?
* A.3.9 What is anarcho-primitivism?
* A.4 Who are the major anarchist thinkers?
* A.4.1 Are there any thinkers close to anarchism?
* A.4.2 Are there any liberal thinkers close to anarchism?
* A.4.3 Are there any socialist thinkers close to anarchism?
* A.4.4 Are there any Marxist thinkers close to anarchism?
* A.5 What are some examples of "Anarchy in Action"?
* A.5.1 The Paris Commune
* A.5.2 The Haymarket Martyrs
* A.5.3 Building the Syndicalist Unions
* A.5.4 Anarchists in the Russian Revolution
* A.5.5 Anarchists in the Italian Factory Occupations
* A.5.6 Anarchism and the Spanish Revolution
* A.5.7 The May–June Revolt in France, 1968
* Section B - Why do anarchists oppose the current system?
* B.1 Why are anarchists against authority and hierarchy?
* B.1.1 What are the effects of authoritarian social relationships?
* B.1.2 Is capitalism hierarchical?
* B.1.3 What kind of hierarchy of values does capitalism create?
* B.1.4 Why do racism, sexism and homophobia exist?
* B.1.5 How is the mass-psychological basis for authoritarian civilisation created?
* B.1.6 Can hierarchy be ended?
* B.2 Why are anarchists against the state?
* B.2.1 What is main function of the state?
* B.2.2 Does the state have subsidiary functions?
* B.2.3 How does the ruling class maintain control of the state?
* B.2.4 How does state centralisation affect freedom?
* B.2.5 Who benefits from centralisation?
* B.2.6 Can the state be an independent power within society?
* B.3 Why are anarchists against private property?
* B.3.1 What is the difference between private property and possession?
* B.3.2 What kinds of property does the state protect?
* B.3.3 Why is property exploitative?
* B.3.4 Can private property be justified?
* B.3.5 Is state owned property different from private property?
* B.4 How does capitalism affect liberty?
* B.4.1 Is capitalism based on freedom?
* B.4.2 Is capitalism based on self-ownership?
* B.4.3 But no one forces you to work for them!
* B.4.4 But what about periods of high demand for labour?
* B.4.5 But I want to be "left alone"!
* B.5 Is capitalism empowering and based on human action?
* B.6 But won't decisions made by individuals with their own money be the best?
* B.7 What classes exist within modern society?
* B.7.1 But do classes actually exist?
* B.7.2 Does social mobility make up for class inequality?
* B.7.3 Why is the existence of classes denied?
* B.7.4 What do anarchists mean by "class consciousness"?
* Section C - What are the myths of capitalist economics?
* C.1 What is wrong with economics?
* C.1.1 Is economics really value free?
* C.1.2 Is economics a science?
* C.1.3 Can you have an economics based on individualism?
* C.1.4 What is wrong with equilibrium analysis?
* C.1.5 Does economics really reflect the reality of capitalism?
* C.1.6 Is it possible to a non-equilibrium based capitalist economics?
* C.2 Why is capitalism exploitative?
* C.2.1 What is "surplus value"?
* C.2.2 How does exploitation happen?
* C.2.3 Is owning capital sufficient reason to justify profits?
* C.2.4 Is profit the reward for the productivity of capital?
* C.2.5 Do profits represent the contribution of capital to production?
* C.2.6 Does interest represent the "time value" of money?
* C.2.7 Are interest and profit not the reward for waiting?
* C.2.8 Are profits the result of entrepreneurial activity and innovation?
* C.2.9 Do profits reflect a reward for risk?
* C.3 What determines the distribution between labour and capital?
* C.4 Why does the market become dominated by Big Business?
* C.4.1 How extensive is Big Business?
* C.4.2 What are the effects of Big Business on society?
* C.4.3 What does the existence of Big Business mean for economic theory and wage labour?
* C.5 Why does Big Business get a bigger slice of profits?
* C.5.1 Aren't the super-profits of Big Business due to its higher efficiency?
* C.6 Can market dominance by Big Business change?
* C.7 What causes the capitalist business cycle?
* C.7.1 What role does class struggle play in the business cycle?
* C.7.2 What role does the market play in the business cycle?
* C.7.3 What role does investment play in the business cycle?
* C.8 Is state control of money the cause of the business cycle
* C.8.1 Does this mean that Keynesianism works?
* C.8.2 What happened to Keynesianism in the 1970s?
* C.8.3 How did capitalism adjust to the crisis in Keynesianism?
* C.9 Would laissez-faire capitalism reduce unemployment?
* C.9.1 Would cutting wages reduce unemployment?
* C.9.2 Is unemployment caused by wages being too high?
* C.9.3 Are "flexible" labour markets the answer to unemployment?
* C.9.4 Is unemployment voluntary?
* C.10 Is "free market" capitalism the best way to reduce poverty?
* C.10.1 Hasn't neo-liberalism benefited the world's poor?
* C.10.2 Does "free trade" benefit everyone?
* C.10.3 Does "free market" capitalism benefit everyone, especially working class people?
* C.10.4 Does growth automatically mean people are better off?
* C.11 Doesn't neo-liberalism in Chile prove that the free market benefits everyone?
* C.11.1 Who benefited from Chile's "economic miracle"?
* C.11.2 What about Chile's economic growth and low inflation?
* C.11.3 Did neo-liberal Chile confirm capitalist economics?
* C.12 Doesn't Hong Kong show the potentials of "free market" capitalism?
* Section D - How does statism and capitalism affect society?
* D.1 Why does state intervention occur?
* D.1.1 Does state intervention cause the problems to begin with?
* D.1.2 Is state intervention the result of democracy?
* D.1.3 Is state intervention socialistic?
* D.1.4 Is laissez-faire capitalism actually without state intervention?
* D.1.5 Do anarchists support state intervention?
* D.2 What influence does wealth have over politics?
* D.2.1 Is capital flight really that powerful?
* D.2.2 How extensive is business propaganda?
* D.3 How does wealth influence the mass media?
* D.3.1 How does the structure of the media affect its content?
* D.3.2 What is the effect of advertising on the mass media?
* D.3.3 Why do the media rely on government and business "experts" for information?
* D.3.4 How is "flak" used as a means of disciplining the media?
* D.3.5 Why is "anticommunism" used as control mechanism?
* D.3.6 Isn't the "propaganda model" a conspiracy theory?
* D.3.7 Isn't the model contradicted by the media reporting government and business failures?
* D.4 What is the relationship between capitalism and the ecological crisis?
* D.5 What causes imperialism?
* D.5.1 How has imperialism changed over time?
* D.5.2 Is imperialism just a product of private capitalism?
* D.5.3 Does globalisation mean the end of imperialism?
* D.5.4 What is the relationship between imperialism and the social classes within capitalism?
* D.6 Are anarchists against nationalism?
* D.7 Are anarchists opposed to National Liberation struggles?
* D.8 What causes militarism and what are its effects?
* D.9 Why does political power become concentrated under capitalism?
* D.9.1 What is the relationship between wealth polarisation and authoritarian government?
* D.9.2 Why is government surveillance of citizens on the increase?
* D.9.3 What causes justifications for racism to appear?
* D.10 How does capitalism affect technology?
* D.11 Can politics and economics be separated from each other?
* D.11.1 What does Chile tell us about the right and its vision of liberty?
* D.11.2 But surely Chile proves that "economic freedom" creates political freedom?
* Section E - What do anarchists think causes ecological problems?
* E.1 What are the root causes of our ecological problems?
* E.1.1 Is industry the cause of environmental problems?
* E.1.2 What is the difference between environmentalism and ecology?
* E.2 What do eco-anarchists propose instead of capitalism?
* E.3 Can private property rights protect the environment?
* E.3.1 Will privatising nature save it?
* E.3.2 How does economic power contribute to the ecological crisis?
* E.3.3 Can capitalism's focus on short-term profitability deal with the ecological crisis?
* E.4 Can laissez-faire capitalism protect the environment?
* E.4.1 Will laissez-faire capitalism actually end pollution?
* E.4.2 Can wilderness survive under laissez-faire capitalism?
* E.5 Can ethical consumerism stop the ecological crisis?
* E.6 What is the population myth?
* Section F - Is "anarcho"-capitalism a type of anarchism?
* F.1 Are "anarcho"-capitalists really anarchists?
* F.2 What do "anarcho"-capitalists mean by freedom?
* F.2.1 How does private property affect freedom?
* F.2.2 Do Libertarian-capitalists support slavery?
* F.2 Why do "anarcho"-capitalists place little or no value on equality?
* F.3.1 Why is this disregard for equality important?
* F.3.2 Can there be harmony of interests in an unequal society?
* F.4 What is the right-"libertarian" position on private property?
* F.4.1 What is wrong with a "homesteading" theory of property?
* F.5 Will privatising "the commons" increase liberty?
* F.6 Is "anarcho"-capitalism against the state?
* F.6.1 What's wrong with this "free market" justice?
* F.6.2 What are the social consequences of such a system?
* F.6.3 But surely market forces will stop abuses by the rich?
* F.6.4 Why are these "defence associations" states?
* F.7 How does the history of "anarcho"-capitalism show that it is not anarchist?
* F.7.1 Are competing governments anarchism?
* F.7.2 Is government compatible with anarchism?
* F.7.3 Can there be a "right-wing" anarchism?
* F.8 What role did the state take in the creation of capitalism?
* F.8.1 What social forces lay behind the rise of capitalism?
* F.8.2 What was the social context of the statement "laissez-faire?"
* F.8.3 What other forms did state intervention in creating capitalism take?
* F.8.4 Aren't the enclosures a socialist myth?
* F.8.5 What about the lack of enclosures in the Americas?
* F.8.6 How did working people view the rise of capitalism?
* Authors
* The following self-proclaimed anarchists are (mostly) responsible for this FAQ:
* Iain McKay (main contributor and editor)
* Gary Elkin
* Dave Neal
* Ed Boraas
* We would like to thank the following for their contributions and feedback:
* Andrew Flood
* Mike Ballard
* Francois Coquet
* Jamal Hannah
* Mike Huben
* Greg Alt
* Chuck Munson
* Pauline McCormack
* Nestor McNab
* Kevin Carson
* Shawn Wilber
* ...and our comrades on the anarchy, oneunion and organise! mailing lists.
* Adoption of An Anarchist FAQ Copyright (C) 1995-2008 The Anarchist FAQ Editorial Collective:
* Iain McKay, Gary Elkin, Dave Neal, Ed Boraas; originally released under the terms of the GFDL version 1.1 or any later version of the licensed published by the Free Software Foundation