Anarchy

Anarchy (New Latin anarchia) is a term that has several usages, some of which may be contradictory. Specific meanings include

1. Absence of any form of state, coercive political authority, or coercive social hierarchy.
2. Absence of a ruler, ruling class, ruling political party or parties, or power elite.
3. Political disorder and confusion.
4. "The Anarchy" is the name given a period of civil war and unsettled government in England during the reign of King Stephen of England.
5. Specific publications titled "Anarchy." See Publications.

Currency

In the first sense, anarchy exists when there is no functioning state — society may take many forms in such a situation, so long as a state does not exist. Anarchy in this sense refers to a theoretical or actual society in accord with the principles of one or more strains of the political theory anarchism, which advocates that all forms of state and coercive hierarchical authority be abolished. In this sense, the term is close to the meaning of ideal democracy, in that the origins of the word anarchy mean "without a ruler" or "without a king." Primitivist anarchists point out that most indigenous societies, which operated for millenia without a state, have been anarchies.

When used in the sense of "disorder and confusion," anarchy generally references a situation in which several governments, gangs, leaders, or other political authorities are competing for control of a given set of resources, geopolitical boundaries, or peoples. This seems to be the most common modern usage of the word, despite the fact that such a situation, involving as it does multiple competing authorities, would more accurately be called a polyarchy. This causes consternation for those who espouse anarchy as a viable form of social organization and others concerned with precise use of the word; it is a constant barrier to clear communication between anarchists and people who are familiar with real world situations of chaos described by governments as anarchy. Such situations in fact entail competition among rival governments rather than their absence, and are more accurately referred to as civil war than anarchy.

According to the 2003 CIA World factbook, there is one nation in the world today in a condition of anarchy, namely Somalia. The Somali government has collapsed and rule in parts of the country is by mob and warlords, who often clash with bloody results. However, much of Somali society is highly organized and business operates successfully and freely. (Photographs of organized Somalia: [1]) Nevertheless, Somalia is still regarded to be in a situation of anarchy because there is no functioning state. There are a few others (Afghanistan, Albania, Burundi, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Rwanda) in which government is described as "emerging" or "transitional", and which were in anomie in the near past. The Solomon Islands is described as tending towards anomie because "violence, corruption and crime have undermined stability and civil society". This is a standard example of the "disorder" usage, promoted by state agencies globally.

Those adhering to the original meaning of the word assert that anarchy exists today in the Zapatista Autonomous Municipalities, Freetown Christiania, and areas of Argentina. For more information on this perspective, see past and present anarchist communities.

Etymology

The word anarchy comes from the Greek word αναρχία (anarchia), which means "without a ruler" (an- meaning "without", arch- meaning "ruler", and -ia corresponding to the English suffix "-y" in "monarchy"). It originated from the word anarchos which means either "without head or chief" or "without beginning" (Liddell & Scott's Greek-English Lexicon). Anarchos was a description often applied to God – to be "uncaused" was considered divine. A King might be called the archegos (αρχηγός, from arche + ago, "to lead") or just the archon (άρχων, from arche + on, "being") or the archos (αρχός, from arche + -os, masculine ending) which mean "ruler." Athenian democracy was not considered anarchia because, like modern England, Athens had Kings. In fact there were nine archontes led by an archon (Liddell & Scott). These "rulers" served mainly religious and magisterial purposes, but their existence precluded the Athenians from calling their government anarchia. Instead of calling themselves anarchos, the Athenians described their situation as eleutheros ("free").

Publications

• Anarchy, a magazine published in London in the 1960s and 1970s;
• Anarchy: A Journal of Desire Armed;
• Anarchy, a book by Errico Malatesta;
  • Anarchy!: An Anthology of Emma Goldman's Mother Earth, edited by Peter Glassgold.

Other uses

• Anarchy Online is an MMORPG (computer game)

See also

• Anarchism

External links

• Anarchist FAQ — large site includes many questions and answers on anarchy and anarchism.
• Crypto Anarchy
• OED definition
• The Anarchist International Information Service
• Riot-Folk! — resource for free anarchist music