Anarchism

Anarchism is defined by Merriam-Webster as a political theory holding all forms of government authority to be unnecessary and undesirable and advocate a society based on voluntary cooperation and free association of individuals and groups.
 * __ Introduction to Anarchism __**

William Godwin is known as the father of philosophical anarchism. Godwin was influenced by enlightenment philosophes such Rousseau and Montesquieu as well as Englishmen such as Locke, Swift, and Priestly. The influence of those philosophers influenced Godwin to become a liberal. He changed religions many times as he aged. He believed in deism, socialism, agnosticism, and atheism, in that order. In 1783, Godwin started writing in radical Whig journals, but he never actually formally joined the Whigs. This biggest influence on Godwin was the happenings of the French Revolution. Godwin did not support everything that happened in the Revolution because he believed a large part of it was irrational and executed without the proper amount of reasoning. Godwin published his most important work during the middle of the revolution in 1793, // An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Political Justice, and Its Influence on General Virtue and Happiness //. Another one of his famous works, // Political Justice //, he explained the general principles of society and his future plans based on his past experiences. He also wrote // Things as They Are, or the Adventures of Caleb Williams, // a book explaining how the common civilian is a victim of society. Godwin spoke out yet again when he felt that the English government had been unfair to members of Scottish society. He anonymously wrote the pamphlet, // Cursory Strictures on the Charge Delivered by Lord Chief Justice Eyre to the Grand Jury, // in which he explained the inaccuracy in the English prosecution's definition of treason. Godwin influenced Thomas Malthus to write his // Essay on the Principle of Population, // an attempt to argue Godwin's ideas of the perfect man. In 1797, Godwin married Mary Wollstonecraft, an adamant feminist, although he spoke out against marriage, it being a hindrance of society. This caused much controversy and gave good reason for opposing critics. She changed Godwin strongly. He concentrated more on feelings and less on concrete things after death. She died shortly after she gave birth to Mary Shelley, Godwin and her daughter who became a famous romantic writer. Wollstonecraft also influenced Godwin to concentrate on feminism, such as in his essay, // Memoirs of the Author of a Vindication of the Rights of Woman //. The ideas of European anarchists have influenced many Europeans to rebel against the government or society. Actions taken by anarchists in hopes of revolution have been assassinations, bombings, and riots, as well as some non-violent protests.
 * __ William Godwin (1756-1836) __**
 * __ Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft (1797) __**
 * __ Influences of Anarchism __**

One of these actions taken by anarchists was the assassination of the Russian Czar, Alexander II (1818-1881). Many radical students were imprisoned or prosecuted by the Russian government in the 1860s. In 1881, after many unsuccessful attempts, a member of the "People's Will," assassinated Alexander with a bomb. This was recently after he had given more power to the zemstvos, or local governments.
 * __ Assassination of Alexander II (1881) __**

Gaetano Bresci, an Italian immigrant who lived in New Jersey, assassinated King Umberto, King of Italy, in 1900 because he wanted revenge for Umberto's massacre of the Milan workers in 1898. The strongest anarchist movement in the early twentieth century was in Spain. The workers in Barcelona created the anarcho-syndicalist movement and the National Confederation of Workers or Confederacion Nacional de Trabajo in 1911. Buenaventura Durruti led over 100,000 anarchists in the Spanish Civil War, but he was assassinated by alleged communists.
 * __ Assassination of King Umberto (1900) __**
 * __ Spanish Civil War (1911) __**

there was a large amount of discontent in Paris after France lost the Franco-Prussian War. The Paris Commune took place in May of 1871. Before the Germans came to France, The French National Guard stored cannons secretly in case of conflict, but the French government's troops were sent to get those cannons in fear of an uprising by the National Guard. The French troops felt animosity toward the government because they had just lost a war, so they joined the National Guard as well as Parisian workers in a riot in which many French military generals were killed. Government officials and members of their political parties fled Paris as the Paris Commune grew. The commune took over and instituted new laws such as separation of church and state, women's suffrage, and pensions for dead National Guards. The anarchists of the commune fought the Versailles government until they lost on May 28. The French government killed or imprisoned thousands of the rebels.
 * __ Paris __****__ Commune (1871) __**

There was a large anarchist movement in Great Britain in the 1970s after the beginnings of the punk-rock movement. Jamie Reid and the band //Crass// expressed their anarchist ideas through songs such as "Anarchy in the UK." Most anarcho-punkists support female rights, animal rights, and peace. Some are pacifists. They started many anti-war protests. Some anarcho-punk bands are the //Sex Pistols//, //The Damned//, and //The Clash//. Savonarola was an extremist of the Renaissance. He rose up against the government of Florence and Lorenzo de Medici. He went against the tide in that there was an explosion of secularism in Italy, but Savonarola wanted to move in the opposite direction. Anarchists and Savonarola were both extremists because they had ideas not in line with those of the status quo; therefore, they are related.
 * __ Anarcho-Punk Movement (1970s) __**
 * __ Relationship between anarchism and Savonarola __**

The Spanish Inquisition was an extremist movement in Spain in which Jews and Muslims were expelled. This was creation of an open conflict, the principal on which anarchism is founded. Anarchists believe that the best form of government is no government and open conflict can then occur; therefore, anarchism and the Spanish Inquisition are related. home page group 7 http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/anarchist_archives/kropotkin/britanniaanarchy.html http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/savonarola.html http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAanarchist.htm http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/godwin.html http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0803220.html http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anarchism http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/anarchist_archives/pariscommune/Pariscommunearchive.html http://eng.anarchopedia.org/anarcho-punk
 * __ Relationship between anarchism and Spanish Inquisition __**