A World Without Governments? Anarchism Explained

The word anarchy is synonymous with chaos, but what does it mean to political theorists? In this episode of Crash Course Political Theory, we explore the theories and practices of anarchism.

Crash Course Political Theory #7

Introduction: 00:00
What Is Anarchy 0:42
Classical Anarchy 3:28
Collectivism 4:54
Anarchist Communism 5:39
Modern Anarchy 6:39
Review & Credits 10:30

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[teddyeverett]

“The ultimate, hidden truth of the world is that it is something that we make, and could just as easily make differently” -David Graeber

[laceisaverb]

A thoughtful, non-dogmatic, and non-judgmental discussion of these ideas is so important! There's a lot of propaganda that makes people scared of anarchism (and communism/socialism) without any basis in reality. Thank you for this!

[TheLetterbomber]

Thank god for people actually talking about anarchism and not just painting it with a broad, arbitrary, fearmongering brush. There's a reason why so many marginalized people take to its principals, and it's cause we know that systems of community care are often the only way we can look after another. Thanks Crash Course!

[dannyjdonovan]

I work at a library and am a bit of an everyday-anarchist. This video feels like it was made specifically for me.

[AaronJShay]

This is a fine introduction to Anarchism, covering the basics. That said, Rojava in NE Syria bears mentioning, as they are one of the few modern societies explicitly founded on Anarchist political theory. And they are constantly under threat from other regional powers.

[FQT_Keller-Ash]

I grew up in kind of anarchist household while my parents were not anarchists they always treated me with equality and never thought of themselves as better than me. They didn’t make me respect them because of their authority but because of their kindness, we have an amazing relationship now I am much closer to my parents than anyone else I can think of. There is an idea in society that if you don’t punish kids than they will become spoiled brats but my parents rarely and I mean rarely punished me and I have always been complimented on how respectful I am. I believe this is the correct reason I am an anarchist.

[scaredyfish]

I always think of anarchism as a direction, rather than a destination. Sure, it might not be possible to completely eliminate hierarchy, but we can see the hierarchy and domination that currently exists, and fight against it.

[meatharbor]

I just want to clarify that "private property" is different from "personal property." These two things commonly get conflated in discussions about socialist and anarchist politics. Personal property is anything that's owned for the purpose of utilizing it's use value while private property is anything that entitles it's owner to the exchange values produced by it, such as arable land, sources of clean water, homes, machines, tools, etc. that the owner isn't directly utilizing or investing their own labor into.

If you expect to be paid just because you "own" the thing and use violence to prevent others from using the thing specifically so you can profit off the thing without investing your own labor in the thing, that would be private property.

Your toothbrush and "vibrating back massager" is personal property.

[Eowar]

"I have gained this from philosophy: that I do, without being commanded, what others do only from fear of the law." -Aristotle

[gonzaloalonso]

As an anarchist here, I really enjoyed your video, and I would like to mention that apart from the Paris commune and Zapatistas, there have been dozens of anarchist or "almost anarchy" societies worldwide at multiple times.

Keep it up, nice video.

[GioEs]

ngl, I was very nervous clicking on this video, but I'm glad Crash Course is staying impartial and informative

[BennyBoy]

"By definition an anarchist is he who does not wish to be oppressed nor wishes to be himself an oppressor; who wants the greatest well-being, freedom and development for all human beings."
- Errico Malatesta

[DeedeeDirt]

the world needs more anarchism. i was drawn to it as a teenager when i started listening to anarchist punk bands like crass and subhumans

[Tazu]

The "revolutions or book clubs" line was hilarious and spot on. That really is how a lot of the discourse in the anarchist-adjecent communities I have seen.

[davidcheater]

A bit more about Kropotkin.
Along with being a geographer he also worked with theories of Evolutionary Biology and was a major critic of Social Darwinism. His book Mutual Aid: A Factor in Evolution, rejected the concept that interpersonal competition was the sole factor in evolution in favour of examining how different forms of Mutualism (Mutual Aid) were important forces. A lot of these theories have been absorbed into modern Biology including: Kin Selection, co-evolutional (ie bees and flowers), and the study of altruism.

[kinda_chaotically_shey]

This crash course series is doing really good! Love that these are real and educational videos on political theories instead of propaganda that doesn’t really understand the meaning of the words they use (look it at you, PragurU). You guys are doing great! Keep up the good work ❤

[ubik]

Anarchism calls for the abolition of hierarchical power structures and the creation of democratic horizontal power structures.

[davidalexallen]

Opening this video with positive examples is fantastic, excellent work!

[abhig]

I considered myself staunchly against Anarchism. My opinion was that it would just lead us to a society of Warlords fighting for resources.


Yet, this video has shown me that Anarchism is more than 'No Government'. Especially the ideas in the end, I am definitely in favour of those.

Thank you for the video.

[HistoryRoast-og]

Such a thought-provoking and well-explained video! The breakdown of anarchism’s ideas and real-world implications was super engaging. Great job making a complex topic easy to understand!