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Matt Webb explores the rise in anarchism across the globe, specifically amongst young people. This article discusses the misconceptions surrounding the movement, the potential it has to change the world, and some of its flaws.
According to Lexico, anarchism is “the belief in the abolition of all government and the organization of society on a voluntary, cooperative basis without recourse to force or compulsion”. In other words, it’s the removal of all government, and the act of putting power "to the people", with some famous anarchists being Machine Gun Kelly, Emma Goldman, and Leo Tolstoy. Often seen as a ‘radical political ideology’. With an increase in student-run groups, belief in anarchism among young people is rising.
To find out why, I decided to speak to Clara, who is an environmental activist with close links to the Extincion Rebellion movement. I asked her why she thinks many young people of today are turning to anarchism as their dominant political ideology. She explained that it’s because “they've started to realise how beneficial horizontally organised structures can be to everyone”. A horizontally organised structure is an organizational structure with few, or no, levels of middle management between staff and executives. This reduction of intertwining superiors and subordinates within the political system quickly removes the so-called ‘pyramid schemes’, which we see commonplace in today’s society.
At the top of this diagram is the typical pyramid scheme, representing the capitalist society many of us live in. At the bottom, we can see the horizonal structure, where everyone is equal.
Clara followed up by claiming that there is a negative stigma around the movement, “because the word "anarchy" is socially used to define violent chaos”, arguing that the name of the movement gives it a bad rep. She continued, “‘we are taught to trust our current system, and think that it keeps us safe, when it is actually exploitative”. Another stereotype of anarchism is that it is merely a product of teenage angst, but Clara quickly shut this down, declaring: “I'd like to understand their definition of teenage angst, because it's definitely a result of anger against the system that they're being pushed to operate under, and becoming more anarchist is a good response to this realisation, since the alternative is becoming a cog in that system.”
Becoming that “cog” is a very real fear in young people today. Anarchism has surged in the 21st century, due to anti-war and anti-capitalist ideologies becoming dominant amongst the youth of today. Anarchists became known for their involvement in protests against the World Trade Organization, Group of Eight and World Economic Forum, cementing their place in commonplace media. Perhaps the youth are converting to this new ideology, simply because it makes a clear statement of refusal to conform to the system.
However, there are some serious issues with anarchism. Firstly, although Clara believes it’s not overly violent, anarchism carries a heavy stigma of aggression. There would have to be a sort of hostile takeover to reclaim that ‘power’, and that’s something that scares people, making the phrase ‘anarchist’ almost a dirty one. Furthermore, anarchism is arguably a utopian state of mind, meaning that it’s subjective and the state can’t really be defeated practically. It’s contradictory, as anarchism rules for no dominant political ideology, yet if it were to champion, it would become the dominant political ideology. It’s certainly confusing.
While everyone has starkly different views on the matter, anarchism sounds attractive to many - especially in today’s day and age. After a Brexit vote that many young people disagreed with, the movement may seem like the only way for the youth to get a voice. For those under 18, anarchism is a way to channel that anger, and bring about change through methods other than voting. Marches and protests are often essential to making positive developments across the world, although there does appear to be a risk that these anarchic demonstrations could turn violent. While many teenagers are frustrated, enraged even, at the state of society, none of us really want to watch an entire city burn to the ground.
Our thanks go to Clara for her willingness to be interviewed, and for giving us insight into the movement.
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