Anarchism: A Marxist Criticism
Acknowledgements
Thanks are due to Sally Campbell, Kieran Allen, Paul Blackledge, Mark Bergfeld, AlexCallinicos, and Andy Durgan for critical comments and suggestions.This work is dedicated, with love and gratitude, to my partner, Mary Smith.
Introduction
The first version of this booklet was written, in conjunction with Connor Kostik, abouteighteen years ago, in the wake of the collapse of Communism/Stalinism in Eastern Europeand Russia, and published in French and Spanish, but not English. I began work on revisingand updating it with a view to an English edition in November 2010. Then came the Tunisianand Egyptian Revolutions (followed by epic struggles, still ongoing, in Libya, Bahrain,Yemen and Syria) which necessarily shifted my attention elsewhere.Then, on 15 May 2011, taking inspiration from Tahrir Square in Cairo, thousands of Spaniards occupied Puerta Da Sol, the main square in Madrid, one week in advance of nationwide local elections. They were protesting at unemployment, homelessness, and thewhole corrupt political system. They called themselves
los indignados
– the indignant – anddenounced all the mainstream politicians and parties. ‘They do not represent us!’ was a keyslogan and they demanded ‘Real Democracy Now!’ Within days these occupations or campshad spread to over one hundred cities right across the country including, crucially, PlacaCatalunya in Barcelona. Spanish communities as far afield as Brussels and Dublin, followedsuit with solidarity rallies. On 19 June close to a million people, including 250,000 inBarcelona, marched in solidarity with
los indignados
. Moreover on 25 May a similar campwas established in Syntagma Square in Athens which served as a focus for the ongoing mass protests and general strikes against the harsh austerity measures being imposed on the Greek people by the EU/IMF.Taken as a whole this movement was young, peaceful, hugely vibrant and enthusiastic, andclearly influenced by various forms of anarchism or autonomism, or at least by anarchist or autonomist ideas. It took decisions by means of direct democracy in its general assemblies andall political parties, together with their banners, flags, newspapers etc, were banned from thesquares. In short it dramatically confirmed the original opening lines of this booklet.
