Revolution against Anarchism

In recent struggles against capitalism, anarchist groupings have taken a prominent role. Many anarchists share REVOLUTION?s desire to smash the capitalist state and create a free world without class division, property and repression. We will work together with anarchists wherever we have shared goals.
Anarchists and Marxists differ in the following ways:

Anarchists reject the need for a state of any type. REVOLUTION shares the goal of a society without a state power directed against the people. But we see the need for the working class to form a revolutionary republic of our own. This must be based on democratic workers? councils to transfer property and power from the capitalists to society as a whole - and to stop the capitalists getting it back. Anarchists reject the idea that this workers' state will be a temporary, transitional phase to a classless, stateless society.

Anarchists reject the need for a political party, which they say will result in a new elite leadership in society. REVOLUTION wants to build an international political party of a new type, with the fullest internal democracy to prevent it becoming bureaucratic. This party needs to bring together the part of the working class that supports revolutionary ideas, campaign to increase support for a revolution within the working class, and help organise the struggle for socialism. Without this we will not be able to defeat the influence of reformism worldwide.

Anarchism fails to understand the role of a revolutionary party. When a revolutionary party is described as a vanguard this means providing revolutionary leadership to the working class, not imposing the will of a small elite on the majority. Indeed a revolutionary party can only succeed with the support of the masses.

Some anarchist groups overemphasise the tactic of direct action by small and often disorganised groups of people ? and neglect or reject mass action and work within the unions and mass organisations of the working class, thereby leaving the reformist leaders unchallenged.

Consistent anarchists reject fighting for reforms such as taxing the rich, nationalising industries, defending democratic rights or supporting national liberation struggles, such as the Intifada in Palestine. This is because they believe it strengthens the legitimacy of the state. But this takes no account of the practical everyday needs of working people and again removes anarchists from mass working class struggle.

In opposition to the workers' state, some anarchists hold up the idea of federalism. But federalism is a weak and problem-riddled idea. With no agreement by separate collectives to follow decisions, a minority can effectively hold the majority to ransom. This would be disastrous not only in a counter revolutionary situation, but also in the effective organisation of the production of goods. Federalism is a utopian solution to the very real problem of how we organise from the smallest action committee to society as a whole.

REVOLUTION recognises the political limitations of anarchism. Their refusal to take state power, as shown concretely in the Spanish Revolution, ensures the defeat of the proletariat. The power vacuum that opens during the revolutionary period will be filled by reformists and reactionaries ? if the revolutionaries don't take power.