Revolutionary Syndicalism: history, promises, limitations Three sources: Workers’ Socialism Marxism Anarchism

Revolutionary Syndicalism:history, promises, limitations

Three sources:

• Workers’ Socialism

• Marxism

• Anarchism


Workers’ Socialism:

• Perspective of the producer

• Aim: autonomy on the job –

associations

• Liberation of working class task of the

workers themselves

• After the revolution the economy will

be run by trade unions


Marxism:• Economic power-relations determine society

• Struggle for Socialism is primarily an economic

struggle to end capitalist relations and free the

worker from capitalist subjection and exploitation

• Economic struggle is more important than

political struggle

• Trade unions should lead the class struggle not

political parties


Anarchism:• goal is to free the worker from capitalism and to emancipate the individual from the mass• the organization should not undermine the development of the members as individuals• direct action the best means to educate the worker for the struggle and for post-revolutionary society• direct action the complete opposite to social-democratic strategies and to hierarchy in general


History:• As a mix of the three ingredients, Syndicalism emerges during the late 1890s• Charte d’Amiens (1906) important statement of principles, but Syndicalism is not a French invention• In various countries various factors at work:

• France: critique of parliamentary socialists and critique of terrorism• Great Britain, United States and Germany: critique of reformist and passive trade unions• Netherlands, Spain, Portugal: exclusion from parliamentary elections and critique of parliamentary socialists and Marxist strategies. F. Domela Nieuwenhuis, Le Socialisme en Danger (1897)• Russia: example of France and strength of Russian anarchism


History:• Before 1914 syndicalism strong France,

Netherlands, United States, Italy

• Syndicalist internationalism difficult to establish:

1907 Amsterdam and 1913 London

• First World War: set back:• Reformism of CGT• Disagreements among anarchists• Strengthening of social-democratic radicalism > Zimmerwald Movement > Communism


History• After World War I competition with successful Communist movement leading to a split in many syndicalist unions.• 1922 in reaction to the threat of the Profintern foundation of IWA, to which many syndicalist federations adhere• strength of syndicalism shifts to Southern European countries: Spain or Latin American Countries: Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Nicaragua.• Many different activities: antimilitarism, anti-imperialism. Heyday: Spanish Civil War, discussion about strategy (working within a revolutionary government?)


History

• During thirties general decline of the movement

• After Second World War continuing decline


Causes of decline• competition of communism in a more and more bipolar world• competition of capitalism: the rise of the welfare state• stagnation in syndicalist theory and analysis:

• as workers’ Socialism syndicalism centres around the role of the producer and around production• its Marxism precludes syndicalism from looking further than economic matters• its Anarchism rightly stresses the value of the individual, but does not suffice as an analysis of society as a whole; no blueprints of a better society.


Remedies• Theory needs an update:

• the needs and consequences of modern technology• the development of global capitalism• the lessons of planned economies

• especially the role of the market• the working of welfare states and of modern states in general• the place of production and work in relation to other aspects of life• the negative and positive sides of the current level of welfare• the desirable state of well-being.

Documents

Revolutionary Syndicalism: history, promises, limitations Three sources: Workers’ Socialism Marxism Anarchism