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Anarcho-syndicalism seeks to liberate the working class through trade unions and direct action, aiming to abolish oppressive structures and establish a self-managed socio-economic system. It emerged from the split between Marxism and collectivist anarchism in the late 19th century and flourished in Spain in the 1920s. Anarcho-syndicalism still has a following today, with variations such as anarcho-communism.
Anarcho-syndicalism is a branch of anarchism whose proponents call for the liberation of the working classes through the strength of trade unions. Anarcho-syndicalists are also sometimes called libertarian syndicalists or revolutionary syndicalists. The principles of anarcho-syndicalism call for the overthrow of oppressive structures largely through direct action, such as mass movements and strikes, as opposed to indirect action, such as lobbying politicians to fight for workers’ rights . After abolishing the state and the wage system, anarcho-syndicalism demands a socio-economic system managed by self-managed labor councils.
Anarcho-syndicalists believe that wage systems and governments – even free capitalist markets – are oppressive, preventing individuals from realizing their full freedom and potential. They also believe that the wage system stifles work with unequal top-down management hierarchies.
The movement was born out of European labor struggles in the late 19th century. In particular, the seeds of the anarcho-syndicalist movement arose from the formation of the International Workingmen’s Association (IWA), which was also known as the First International. The First International first met in St. Martin’s Hall, located in London, England in 1865. It was there that several communist and anarchist philosophies were discussed.
After the meeting in St. Martin’s Hall, the labor movement split into two major factions: Marxism, led by Karl Marx, and what was then known as collectivist anarchism, led by Mikhail Bakunin. These two different movements have been termed statesman, or Marx, wing, and anarchist, or Bakunin, wing. Collectivist anarchism laid the philosophical foundation for what would come to be known as anarcho-syndicalism.
Marxism called for changing the socio-economic structure through the use of political force, while followers of anarcho-syndicalism believed that political relations would not be enough; a more direct opposition to capitalism would be needed. Bakunin also argued that Marx and his followers, once they gained political power, would eventually become as flawed and corrupt as those powers they had opposed.
Followers of anarcho-syndicalism grew throughout Europe, particularly flourishing in Spain in the 1920s. In fact, Spain may have originated the word “syndicalism” with the Spanish word “sindicalismo”, meaning trade unionism. That said, the movement could be called anarcho-syndicalism; for whatever reason, however, the name syndicalism stuck, even in English translations. In the late 1930s, anarcho-syndicalism was playing a key role in the Spanish Civil War. As various parties jostled for power after the instability of the Second Spanish Republic, both anarchists and Marxist followers contributed to the national struggle and debate about the country’s future.
Anarcho-syndicalism persists as one of the more popular branches of anarchy, and the movement still enjoys a healthy following. As in any philosophical movement, there are different shades of anarcho-syndicalism. Some followers, for example, blend anarchist beliefs with communist principles. Such individuals have been called anarcho-communists.
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