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Traditionally, the revolutionary left sees the commune as a populist replacement for the elitist parliament. Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language Anarchism is a Political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which support the elimination of all compulsory Government, i Anarchism is a Political philosophy with many heterogeneous and diverse schools of thought, united by a common opposition to compulsory Some observers believe certain Buddhist teachings form a philosophical ground for Anarchism. Anarcho-capitalism (also known as Free-market anarchism) is an individualist anarchist Political philosophy that advocates the elimination Christian anarchism is any of several traditions which combine Anarchism with Christianity. Collectivist anarchism (also known as anarcho-collectivism) is an umbrella term embracing two Anarchist schools of thought the first school is Socialist Crypto-anarchism is an Ideology that expounds the use of strong Public-key cryptography to enforce Privacy and individual freedom. Anarcha-feminism (also called anarchist feminism and anarcho-feminism) combines Anarchism with Feminism. Green anarchism is a school of thought within Anarchism which puts an emphasis on Environmental issues. Individualist anarchism refers to any of several traditions that hold that "individual conscience and the pursuit of self-interest should not be constrained by any collective Infoanarchism is an Umbrella term for various groups of people who are opposed to forms of Intellectual property, such as Copyright and Patents Insurrectionary anarchism is a revolutionary theory practice and tendency within the Anarchist movement which opposes formal anarchist organizations such as labor unions and Left anarchism or left-wing anarchism refers to forms of anarchism that are seen by some on the ' left of politics ' Anarcho-pacifism (also pacifist anarchism or anarchist pacifism) is a form of Anarchism which completely rejects the use of Violence in Philosophical anarchism is an Anarchist school of thought which contends that the State lacks moral legitimacy but does not advocate revolution to eliminate Platformism is a tendency within the wider Anarchist movement which shares an affinity with organising in the tradition of Dielo Truda's Organizational Platform Post-anarchism or postanarchism is the term used to represent anarchist philosophies developed since the 1980s using post-structuralist and Post-left anarchy is a recent current in Anarchist thought that promotes a critique of anarchism's relationship to traditional leftism. Anarcho-primitivism is an anarchist critique of the origins and progress of Civilization. Social anarchism, socialist anarchism, anarcho-socialism, anarchist socialism or Communitarian anarchism,(sometimes used interchangeably with Anarcho-syndicalism is a branch of Anarchism which focuses on the labour movement. Anarchism without adjectives (from the Spanish " anarquismo sin adjetivos " in the words of historian George Richard Esenwein "referred to an An Anarch is a Conservative Revolutionary ideal of a sovereign individual, conceived by Ernst Jünger. Anarchy (from αναρχία anarchía, "without ruler " may refer to any of the following "Absence of government a state of lawlessness A black bloc is made up largely of anarchists or autonomists, anti-capitalist individuals or groups that gather for protests demonstrations or other event Consensus democracy is the application of Consensus decision making to the process of legislation in a Democracy. __FORCETOC__ Decentralization or Decentralisation (see Spelling differences) is the process of dispersing Decision-making governance closer to the people Deep ecology is a recent branch of ecological Philosophy ( Ecosophy) that considers Humankind an integral part of its environment. Direct action is political action which happens outside normal political channels via indirect actions such as electing representatives. Direct Democracy is a movement within the British Conservative Party dedicated to localism and Constitutional reform as a means of reviving public Dual power is a concept first articulated in an article by Lenin, "The Dual Power" ( dvoevlastie) which described a situation in the wake of the February Especifismo (English specifism is one of the two main forms of anarchist activism championed by FARJ (Federação Anarquista do Rio de Janeiro and other South American anarchist organizations Horizontalidad ( Eng: horizontality or horizontalism) is a theory or system that advocates the creation development and maintenance of social structures Not to be confused with the concept of "popular illegalisms" created by Michel Foucault in Discipline and Punish. Individual reclamation ( Fr: reprise individuelle) is a form of the Direct action, characterized by the individual theft of resources from the rich by the Anarchist law refers to a series of ongoing debates within the various branches of Anarchist theory regarding if and how norms of individual and/or collective behavior Participatory Politics or Parpolity is a theoretical political system proposed by Stephen R A Permanent autonomous zone (or a PAZ) is a Community that is autonomous from the generally recognized Government or authority structure in which The term prefigurative politics is widespread within various activist movements and in short it describes modes of organization and tactics undertaken that accurately reflect the future Propaganda of the deed (or propaganda by the deed, from the French propagande par le fait) is a Concept that promotes physical violence against Refusal of work is a concept that has been advocated at various times by many social activist groups mostly located on the Libertarian left. Pleistocene Rewilding Rewilding is the process of creating a lifestyle that is beyond Domestication. Social Ecology is a philosophy developed by French geographer and anarchist Élisée Reclus and revived by Murray Bookchin in the 1960s See also the closely related articles Emergence and Self-organization. Anarchism is a heterogeneous philosophy with many different tendencies and schools of thought; differences on questions of ideology values and tactics are common This article discusses similarities and differences between Anarcho-capitalism and other types of Anarchism. The anarchist philosophical and political movement has some connections to elements of the Animal liberation movement. Though some Anarchists advocate free-market, Laissez-faire Capitalism, other anarchists oppose capitalism to varying degrees Criticisms of anarchism originate from the interest groups it opposes as well as related theories such as Marxism. Although anarchists commonly reject Organized religion (see Anarchism and religion) there have been numerous traditions within Islam (often associated with Sufism Anarchism and Marxism are related political philosophies which emerged in the nineteenth century Anarchism and nationalism both emerged in Europe following the French Revolution and have a long and complicated While there is no organized Orthodox Jewish anarchist movement, various anarchistic ideas are common in the works of many Kabbalists and Hasidic teachers Anarchists have traditionally been skeptical of and opposed to Organized religion. Anarchism and violence have become closely connected in popular thought in part because of a concept of " Propaganda of the deed " Originating in the Greek language ( αρχή "arche" means "beginning origin outset prime principle start threshold" the term "anarchy" The Amakasu Incident occurred on September 16, 1923, in the chaos immediately following the Great Kantō earthquake. Anarchist Catalonia ( July 21, 1936 – February 10, 1939) was the self-proclaimed Stateless territory and Anarchist The Anarchist Exclusion Act refers to two different acts passed by the United States Congress intended to keep immigrants that subscribed to anarchist ideas Somalia, from 1991 to present is cited as a real-world example of a Stateless society and legal system The Australian Anarchist Centenary Celebrations occurred on the 1st to the 4th of May 1986 in Melbourne, Australia. Barcelona May Days is a term covering the events between May 3 and May 8 1937, when factions on the Republican side of the Spanish Civil The Global Carnival Against Capital took place on Friday June 18, 1999. La Escuela Moderna ( Spanish for "The Modern School" was a progressive school that existed briefly at the start of the 20th century in Catalonia ( The Hague Congress was the Fifth congress of the International Workingmen's Association (IWA held in (September 1872) in The Hague Holland which anarchists consider The, also known as the, was a Socialist - Anarchist plot to assassinate the Japanese Emperor Meiji in 1910 leading to a mass arrest of leftists and the execution The International Anarchist Congress of Amsterdam took place from 24 August to 31 August, 1907. The Kate Sharpley Library (or KSL) is a Library dedicated to anarchist texts and History. This article is about the historical event known as the Kronstadt rebellion The Labadie Collection at the University of Michigan is recognized as one of the world’s most complete collections of materials documenting the history of Anarchism LIP is a French clock company whose turmoil became emblematic of the conflicts between workers and management in France For other events in May 1968 see 1968. May Day occurs on May 1 and refers to any of several Public holidays In many countries May Day is synonymous with International Workers' Day, or Labour The Paris Commune (La Commune de Paris was a Government that briefly ruled Paris from 18 March (more formally from 26 March) to 28 May Provo was a Dutch Counterculture movement in the mid-1960s that focused on provoking violent responses from authorities using non-violent bait The Red inverted triangle was the badge that political prisoners in Nazi Concentration camps had to wear The Spanish Revolution of 1936 began during the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. Third Russian Revolution (also know as the Left Wing Rebellions Against the Bolsheviks) was a series of Rebellions and uprisings against the Bolsheviks Tragic Week (in Catalan la Setmana Tràgica, in Spanish la Semana Trágica) ( July 25 - August 2, 1909) is the Protest activity surrounding the WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999, which was to be the launch of a new millennial round of Trade negotiations occurred Anarcho-punk is a faction of the Punk subculture that consists of bands groups and individuals promoting anarchist politics Anarchism has long had an association with the Arts, particularly in music and literature Black anarchism opposes the existence of the State and the subjugation and domination of people of color and favors a non-hierarchical organization of society Celtic anarchism is a new tendency within the larger Anarchist movement A precise definition of culture jamming is elusive It has been called a Resistance movement to Cultural hegemony, whereas some say the defining theme of culture jamming DIY (or Do It Yourself culture is a broad term that refers to a wide range of Grassroots political activism Freeganism is an anti-consumerist lifestyle whereby people employ alternative living strategies based on "limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption The Independent Media Center (aka Indymedia or IMC) is a global participatory network of journalists that reports on political and social issues An infoshop is a storefront or Social center that serves as a node for the distribution of Anarchist information typically in the form of books Zines, The Internationale ( L'Internationale in French) is a famous socialist, communist, and Social-democratic Jewish anarchism is a general term encompassing various expressions of Anarchism within the Jewish community Lifestyle anarchism is a term derived from Murray Bookchin 's polemical essay " Social Anarchism Or Lifestyle Anarchism An Unbridgeable Chasm. Popular education is at the crossroads between Politics and Pedagogy, and strongly relies on the democratic ideal of the Enlightenment, which considered Radical cheerleading is a form of Cheerleading that originated in Florida, but has now spread across the United States as well as Canada Radical environmentalism, is a grassroots branch of the larger Environmental movement that emerged out of an Ecocentrism -based frustration with the co-option of mainstream Squatting is the act of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or Building that the squatter does not own rent or otherwise have permission to use While anarchists have historically largely denied the importance of Symbols to political movement anarchists have embraced certain symbols for their cause " To The Barricades " ( A Las Barricadas) was one of the most popular songs of the Spanish anarchists during the Spanish Civil War. Anarchist economics is the set of theories and practices of economic activity within the political philosophy of Anarchism. Agorism is an anarchist Political philosophy founded by Samuel Edward Konkin III that holds the ultimate goal as bringing about a society in which Anarcho-capitalism (also known as Free-market anarchism) is an individualist anarchist Political philosophy that advocates the elimination Collectivist anarchism (also known as anarcho-collectivism) is an umbrella term embracing two Anarchist schools of thought the first school is Socialist Counter-economics is a term originally coined by Samuel Edward Konkin III, a radical Libertarian activist and theorist who defined it as " the study and/or Free-market anarchism (sometimes called market anarchism) refers to an Individualist anarchist Philosophy that harmonizes the abolition of the state with A free school, sometimes intentionally spelled free skool, is a decentralized network in which skills information and knowledge are shared without Hierarchy or the Give-away shops, freeshops, or free stores are second-hand stores where all goods are free "Georgist" redirects here For the Romanian political group see National Liberal Party-Brătianu. A gift economy is a Social theory in which goods and services are given without any explicit agreement for immediate or future Quid pro quo. Market abolitionism is a belief that the market, in the economic sense should be completely eliminated from society Mutual aid is a term in Political economy used to signify the economic concept of voluntary reciprocal exchange of resources and services for mutual benefit Mutualism, is an Anarchist school of thought, can be traced to the writings of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon that envisioned a society where each person might possess a Participatory economics, often abbreviated parecon, is a proposed Economic system that uses participatory decision making as an economic mechanism The Really Really Free Market ( RRFM) movement is a non- hierarchical collective of individuals who form a temporary Market based on an alternative Self-ownership (or sovereignty of the individual, individual sovereignty or individual autonomy) is the moral or natural right (aka Freedom of a person Social anarchism, socialist anarchism, anarcho-socialism, anarchist socialism or Communitarian anarchism,(sometimes used interchangeably with Anarcho-syndicalism is a branch of Anarchism which focuses on the labour movement. Wage slavery is a term first coined by the Lowell Mill Girls in 1836 though articulated as a concept at least as early as Cicero and elaborated by subsequent thinkers Worker self-management (or autogestion) is a form of workplace decision-making in which the workers themselves agree on choices (for issues like customer care general production This is a list of anarchist movements by region, both geographical and/or political Anarchism in Africa refers both to purported anarchic political organization of some traditional African societies and to modern Anarchist movements in Africa The powerful Radical faction of Austria-Hungary 's Social Democratic Party was anarchist in all but name until 1884 and anarchist ideas penetrated deeply Anarchism was an influential contributor to the social politics of '''Brazil''''s Old Republic. Anarchism in Canada spans a range of anarchist philosophy including Anarcho-syndicalism, Individualist anarchism, green anarchy and Anarchist The origins of Chinese Anarchism are traceable to the early Chinese Nationalist movement Anarchism as a social movement in Cuba held great influence with the Working classes during the 19th and early 20th century Anarchism in France dates from the 18th century Many Anarchists such as the Egalitarians took part in the French Revolution. evolution of Anarchism in Greece has shown a series of historical paradoxes which have to do with both the insufficient historical coverage of such events as well as the distortion In India, Anarchism never took the form of formally named "anarchism" Irish Anarchism has little historical tradition before the 1970s and as a movement it only really developed from the late 1990s - although one organisation the Workers Anarchism has been an undercurrent in the politics of Palestine and Israel for over a century Italy, in particular at the turn of the 20th century had a strong Anarcho-syndicalist movement Anarchism was an influential movement in Japan in the 19th and 20th centuries Anarchism in Korea began in 1894 when Japan invaded Korea with the stated intention of protecting it from China. Pre-conquest some of the indigenous peoples of what is today Mexico had decisionmaking structures based on participation discussion and consensus hallmarks of modern anarchism The Anarchist movement in Poland developed at the end of the 19th century under the influence of anarchist ideas from Western Europe and Russia Russian anarchism is Anarchism in Russia or among Russians. Bakunin and the anarchists' exile See also Exile In 1848 Anarchism has historically gained more support and influence in Spain than anywhere else especially before Francisco Franco 's victory in the Spanish Civil War One of the first Swedish anarchists was the Swedish artist Ivan Aguéli who in 1884 was arrested and sentenced in the " Trial of the thirty " in Paris Anarchism came to the political scene in Turkey only after the publication of Kara, a monthly magazine Anarchism in Ukraine dates to the 20th century though it has roots in the peasant uprisings of Stenka Razin and Yemelyan Pugachev as well as the Zaporozhian Anarchism in the United States spans a wide range of Anarchist Philosophy, from Individualist anarchism to Anarchist communism and other less Anarchism as a Political movement in Vietnam started in the early twentieth century This is a list of Anarcho-punk bands The following is a list of notable or influential books on or relating to Anarchism, in alphabetical order by author This is a list of anarchist communities, past and present Throughout history anarchists have been involved in a wide variety of communities This is a list of Fictional anarchists; the source material in which they are found their creator(s the individual(s who interpreted them as anarchists during This is a list of Jewish Anarchists. A Yehuda Ashlag Paul Avrich B The following is a list of anarchist musicians, which details instruments such musicians utilize musical genres they perform and if applicable bands which they are members of This list uses the word Organization in its loosest sense Some of the following groups would be better categorized as networks. The following is a chronological list of noteworthy anarchist periodicals This is a list of anarchists poets, examples of their published work and the source material in which their poetry is found Anti-capitalism describes a wide variety of movements ideas and attitudes which oppose Capitalism. Anti-communism refers to opposition to Communism. Historically the word "communism" has been used to refer to several types of communal social organization and Anti-consumerism refers to the socio-political movement against Consumerism. Anti-corporate activists (see Activism) believe that the rise of large business Corporations is posing a threat to the legitimate authority of the public good " Anti-globalization " is a term that encompasses a number of related ideas Antimilitarism is a doctrine commonly found in the Anarchist and more globally in the Socialist movement which may be both characterized as Internationalist Anti- Statism refers to opposition to state intervention into personal social or economic affairs The term anti-war usually refers to the opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. Autarchism (from Greek, "belief in self rule" is a Political philosophy that upholds the principle of Individual liberty, rejects compulsory Autonomism refers to a set of Left-wing political and social movements and theories close to the socialist movement. The labour movement or labor movement is a broad term for the development of a collective organization of working people, to campaign in their own interest for better Left communism is the range of communist viewpoints held by the Communist Left, which opposes the political ideas of the Bolsheviks Libertarianism is a term used by a broad spectrum of political philosophies which prioritize individual Liberty and seek to minimize or even abolish the Libertarian Marxism is a school of Marxism that describes itself as taking a less Authoritarian view of Marxist theory than conventional currents such as Stalinism Libertarian socialism is a group of political philosophies that aim to create a society without political economic or social hierarchies – a society in which all violent The Situationist International ( SI) was a small group of international political and artistic Agitators with roots in Marxism, Lettrism and the Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution African socialism is a belief in sharing economic resources in a "traditional" African way as distinct from classical Socialism. Arab Socialism (الاشتراكية العربية al-ishtirākīya al-‘arabīya) is a political ideology based on an amalgamation of Pan-Arabism and Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based De Leonism, occasionally known as Marxism-Deleonism, is a form of Marxism developed by Daniel De Leon. Democratic socialism is a description used by various socialist movements tendencies and organizations to emphasize the democratic character of their political orientation Eco-socialism, Green socialism or Socialist ecology is an Ideology merging aspects of Marxism, Socialism, Green politics Guild socialism is a political movement advocating workers' control of industry through the medium of trade-related Guilds. Libertarian socialism is a group of political philosophies that aim to create a society without political economic or social hierarchies – a society in which all violent Market socialism is a term used to denote two different Economic system (s based in Socialism which operate according to Market principles The term revolutionary socialism refers to Socialist tendencies that advocate the need for fundamental social change through Revolution, as a strategy to achieve a Social anarchism, socialist anarchism, anarcho-socialism, anarchist socialism or Communitarian anarchism,(sometimes used interchangeably with Social democracy is a Political ideology of the left and centre-left A socialist market economy is an economic form that is practiced in the People's Republic of China, where it is called Socialism with Chinese characteristics Utopian socialism is a term used to define the first currents of modern socialist thought Religious socialism is a Term used to describe forms of Socialism that are based on Religious values. Buddhist socialism is a Political ideology which advocates Socialism based on the principles of Buddhism. Christian socialism generally refers to those on the Christian left whose politics are both Christian and Socialist and who see these two philosophies as Islamic socialism is a term coined by various Muslim leaders to meet the demand for a more spiritual form of Socialism. Criticisms of Socialism range from disagreements over the efficiency of socialist economic and political models to condemnation of states described by themselves The history of socialism, sometimes termed 'modern socialism' finds its origins in the French Revolution of 1789 and the changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution Socialist economics is a broad and sometimes controversial term The term socialist state (or socialist republic, or workers' state) can carry one of several different (but related meanings In strictly speaking any Since the 18th century Socialist ideas have developed and separated into many different types of socialism. The following is a list of self-identified Socialists divided by geographical location The International Workingmen's Association (IWA, sometimes called the First International, was an international socialist organization which aimed at uniting a variety The Second International (1889-1916 was an organization of socialist and labour parties formed in Paris on July 14, 1889. The Comintern ( Com munist Intern ational also known as the Third International) was an international Communist organisation founded in Moscow The Fourth International ( FI) is a communist international organisation working in opposition to both Capitalism and Stalinism. Socialist International is a worldwide organization of socialist ( social democratic and labour) political parties The World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY is a left-wing youth organization recognized by the United Nations as an international youth Non-governmental organization The International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY encompasses socialist, Social democratic and Labour Party youth organizations from more than 100 states Anarchism is a Political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which support the elimination of all compulsory Government, i Worker self-management (or autogestion) is a form of workplace decision-making in which the workers themselves agree on choices (for issues like customer care general production Class struggle is the active expression of Class conflict looked at from any kind of socialist perspective Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system The " dictatorship of the proletariat " or workers' state is a term employed by Marxists that refers to what they see as a temporary state between the Egalitarianism (derived from the French word égal, meaning equal) is a political doctrine that holds that all people should be treated as equals and have Equality of outcome or equality of condition is a form of Egalitarianism which seeks to reduce or eliminate differences in material condition between individuals or Impossibilism is an interpretation of Marxism. It emphasizes the limited value of reforms in overturning capitalism and insists on revolutionary political action as the only For the Marxist concept of internationalism see Proletarian internationalism. Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A proletarian revolution is a social and/or political Revolution in which the Working class attempts to overthrow the Bourgeoisie. Socialism in One Country was a thesis developed by Nikolai Bukharin in 1925 and adopted as state policy by Joseph Stalin. A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming Utilitarianism is the idea that the moral worth of an action is solely determined by its contribution to overall Utility, that is its contribution to happiness The far-left, despite their differences agree that the commune would have several features. The most important of these is that it would be a local and transparent organization, secondly delegates would be bound by terms, and lastly they could be recalled at any time from their positions. A recall election is a procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office Proponents view the right of recall as a particularly important safeguard against corruption and unresponsiveness among the representatives.
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Introduction
Almost universally, communists, left-wing socialists, anarchists and others have seen the Commune as a model for the liberated society that will come after the masses are liberated from capitalism, a society based on participatory democracy from the grass roots up. Participatory democracy is a process emphasizing the broad Participation (decision making of constituents in the direction and operation of political systems
Marx and Engels, Bakunin, and later Lenin and Trotsky gained major theoretical lessons (in particular as regards the "dictatorship of the proletariat" and the "withering away of the state") from the limited experience of the Commune. Mikhail Alexandrovich Bakunin ( - July 1 1876) was a well-known Russian Revolutionary and theorist of Collectivist anarchism. Leon Trotsky ( Russian:, Lev Davidovich Trotsky, also transliterated Leo, Lyev, Trotskii, Trotski, Trotskij World communism has a meaning close in meaning to ‘international communism’ which has usually been equated to the Comintern (Communist International
Nonetheless, these very advocates provided critiques of the commune. Marx found it aggravating that the Communards pooled all their resources into first organizing democratic elections rather than gathering their forces and attacking Versailles in a timely fashion. Many Marxists based on their interpretation of the historical evidence and Marx's on writings on the subject, believe that the Communards were too "soft" on the non-proletarian elements in their midst.
Within Marxism
Karl Marx, in his important pamphlet The Civil War in France (1871), written during the Commune, touted the Commune's achievements, and described it as the prototype for a revolutionary government of the future, 'the form at last discovered' for the emancipation of the proletariat.
Thus in Marxist theory, the commune is a form of political organization adopted during the first (or lower) phase of communism, socialism. Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based Communes are proposed as the proletarian counterpart to bourgeois political forms such as parliaments. TalkParliament#Screen-size. -->A parliament is a Legislature, especially in those In his pamphet, Marx explains the purpose and function of the commune during the period that he termed the dictatorship of the proletariat:[1]
| “ | The Commune, was to be a working, not a parliamentary, body, executive and legislative at the same time. The " dictatorship of the proletariat " or workers' state is a term employed by Marxists that refers to what they see as a temporary state between the . . Instead of deciding once in three or six years which member of the ruling class was to represent and repress the people in parliament, universal suffrage was to serve the people constituted in communes, as individual suffrage serves every other employer in the search for workers, foremen and accountants for his business. | ” |
Marx based these ideas on the example of the Paris Commune, which he described in The Civil War in France:[1]
| “ | The Commune was formed of the municipal councillors, chosen by universal suffrage in the various wards of the town, responsible and revocable at any time. The Paris Commune (La Commune de Paris was a Government that briefly ruled Paris from 18 March (more formally from 26 March) to 28 May The Civil War in France was a book written by Karl Marx as an address to the General Council of the International with the aim of distributing to workers of all countries The majority of its members were naturally working men, or acknowledged representatives of the working class. . . . The police, which until then had been the instrument of the Government, was at once stripped of its political attributes, and turned into the responsible, and at all times revocable, agent of the Commune. So were the officials of all other branches of the administration. From the members of the Commune downwards, the public service had to be done at workmen's wages. The privileges and the representation allowances of the high dignitaries of state disappeared along with the high dignitaries themselves. . . . Having once got rid of the standing army and the police, the instruments of physical force of the old government, the Commune proceeded at once to break the instrument of spiritual suppression, the power of the priests. . . . The judicial functionaries lost that sham independence. . . they were thenceforward to be elective, responsible, and revocable. | ” |
In addition to local governance, the communes were to play a central role in the national government:[1]
| “ | In a brief sketch of national organization which the Commune had no time to develop, it states explicitly that the Commune was to be the political form of even the smallest village. . . . The communes were to elect the "National Delegation" in Paris. The few but important functions which would still remain for a central government were not to be suppressed, as had been deliberately mis-stated, but were to be transferred to communal, i. e. , strictly responsible, officials. National unity was not to be broken, but, on the contrary, organized by the communal constitution; it was to become a reality by the destruction of state power which posed as the embodiment of that unity yet wanted to be independent of, and superior to, the nation, on whose body it was but a parasitic excrescence. While the merely repressive organs of the old governmental power were to be amputated, its legitimate functions were to be wrested from an authority claiming the right to stand above society, and restored to the responsible servants of society. | ” |
See also
References
For the Soviet republics of the Soviet Union see Republics of the Soviet Union. A workers' council is a Deliberative assembly, composed of Working class members intended to institute Workers' self-management or Workers' control Anarchism is a Political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which support the elimination of all compulsory Government, iDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic