Introduction

What's New in the FAQ?

Version	Date	What's New
7.2	22/05/98	Section C.1 Section C.2 Revision and expansion of the anarchist critique of capitalist economics and why exploitation (unpaid labour) is the root source of profits, interest and rent. Section C.10 Expansion of the section on why "free market" capitalism will not benefit all, especially the poor. Section C Introduction Section C.9 Slight changes to these two sub-sections of section C.
7.1	27/03/98	Section A.3.5 Revision and expansion of "What is Anarcha-Feminism?". Includes a few more quotes and a discussion on why anarchists and anarcha-feminism are critical of mainstream feminism. Section A.2.11 Expansion of the section explaining why most anarchists support direct democracy and consider it as the complement to free association and individual freedom. Section A.2.13 Slight expansion on the section explaining why anarchists reject "individualism" and "collectivism" as two sides of the same (capitalist) coin. Section A.1 Section A.2.2 Section A.2.12 Section A.5.2 Slight revisions to all the above sections. Section J.5 Slight revisions for grammar.
7.0	10/03/98	Section A.3.7 New sub-section on Are there religious anarchists?. Includes information on various forms of religious anarchism with particular reference to Tolstoy. Section A.3.8 New sub-section on What is "anarchism without adjectives"?. Gives the history of this form of anarchism, what it is and why it came about. Section A.4 Slight revision of this section on Who are the major anarchist thinkers to include information on religious anarchism. Section C.11 Slight arrangement of sections C.11 and C.12 on the "free market" capitalist experiment in Pinochet's Chile. C.12 is now included as a subsection of C.11. Section C.12 New section C.12 on Hong Kong and why it does not show the benefits of laissez-faire capitalism as is often claimed. Section F Extensive revision of section F on why "anarcho"-capitalism is not a form of anarchism. Expanded, revised and spell checked. Replies to the FAQ New appendix which will list webpages that reply to the FAQ. Currently it includes a reply to reply on section F.1 done by an "anarcho"-capitalist.
6.8	07/01/98	Section J.5 New sub-section on "What alternative social organisations do anarchists create?. Incudes information about community organising, industrial unionism and networking, mutual/co-operative credit systems, producer co-operatives (and why capitalism is inefficient), libertarian education and schools, a discussion on Libertarian Municipalism and anarchist views on state and private welfare and self-managed alternatives to both. Essential reading if you are interested in anarchy in action Section A.1 Slightly revised sub-section on "What is Anarchism?". Section B.1.4 Slight revision on the section on racism, sexism and homophobia and why they exist to include a summary of a study into the effects of racism in the USA. The study indicates that racism makes all working people worse off, including the "white" workers who are often said to benefit from it.
6.7	18/12/97	Section G.6 Slight revision to the section on Max Stirner and his ideas. Sections J introduction, J.1, J.2 and J.6 Minor revision on these sections of J for spelling and grammar
6.6	15/12/97	Section B.7 Slight revision to include more details on the concentration of wealth within the ruling class. Sections C.4, C.5 and C.6 Major revision on the sections on Big Business and oligopoly. Why it develops, its impact on society and why and how it enriches the few at the expense of the many. Section D Revised, expanded and spell checked section D on How does capitalism and statism effect society. Even more arguments and facts against capitalism and statism.
6.5	28/10/97	Slight corrections to sections A, B and C
6.4	03/09/97	Section J.6 Anarchist ideas on and methods for bringing up children. Section B Revised, expanded and spell checked section B on Why do anarchists oppose the current system. Even more arguments and facts against capitalism and statism. Section C Introduction, C.2, C.6, C.7.2 and C.9 Slightly revised and expended sections on capitalist economics. Sections F and G have been moved to another geocities address for space reasons.
6.3	17/07/97	Section C Revised, expanded and spell checked section C on The Myths of Capitalist Economics. Even more quotes from your favourite anarchists and libertarians!. Even more arguments and facts against capitalism! Section E Revised and spell checked section e on What do anarchists think causes ecological problems?. Section G Renamed, improved, expanded, revised and spell checked section G on Is individualist anarchism capitalistic? - the short answer being "no"! Indicates how and why individualist anarchism was opposed to capitalism plus why social anarchists are critical of the theory.
6.2	23/05/97	Section J.1 Newly completed sub-section. Find out why social struggle is important to anarchists and how anarchists take part in it. For anarchists, social struggle is the key from getting from capitalism to anarchy. Section A Revised section A on What is Anarchism?. Improved and updated arguments and evidence, plus spell checked, and so on! Section J - introduction and J.2 Spell checked and slightly revised.
6.1	01/05/97	Section J.2 Newly completed sub-section. Find out all about direct action, why anarchists support it, why we reject electioneering as a means of change and why we do not vote. Minor update of section B.3 to include a couple of nice Proudhon quotes on how "property is despotism." Minor updates of sections C.2 and F.2.1 to make the quotes from Proudhon's What is Property consistent in terms of edition. All quotes now from B.R. Tucker's translation, Bellamy Library edition, London. Minor updates to sections I.3, I.3.1, I.3.4 , I.3.5, I.4.4 and I.4.13 in order to make the possible nature and workings of an anarchist "economy" clearer. Minor update to section I.8.7 on the Aragon rural collectives and how they were the product of the radicalisation of the population during the 1930s.
6.0	26/03/97	Section B.3.4 New sub-section. Analysis of the claims that private property, particularly in land, can be justified in terms of self-ownership. Also indicates the authoritarian nature of private property and the way Robert Nozick ignores the liberty of the dispossessed in his attempts to justify appropriation of land. If land ownership cannot be justified, then capitalism is based upon stolen goods. Section B.7.1 This section on classes is slightly expanded to give details of income mobility within capitalism. Argues that even high income mobility cannot justify a class system and presents evidence that income mobility is moderate at best. Section F.2.2 New sub-section. Short discussion on why we should reject the right-Libertarian "entitlement theory of justice." The means do not justify the ends, and if the ends involve authoritarian social relationships, inequalities in liberty, wealth and power, even "civilised" slavery, then the theory stinks. Appendix New appendix on Anarchism and "anarcho"-capitalism. As well as including the old section F.10, this appendix contains new work - a reply to the claim that the Individualist Anarchists were not part of the socialist movement, a discussion on What socialism actually stands for, analysis on whether Proudhon and Tucker were socialists or capitalists, a reply to claims that "anarcho"capitalism is a form of anarchism and a discussion on why anarchism cannot be defined using dictionaries.
5.1	10/03/97	Minor updates to sections C.11 and C.12 on the Chilean "economic miracle." Why did it require mass murder, dictatorship and state terror to create "free market" capitalism in Chile and what was its actual results?
5.0	28/02/97	Section D.5 A slight update expanding upon the anarchist analysis of imperialism and how it has developed over time. Section C.7 An updated analysis of the capitalist business cycle. Argues that the class struggle both outside and inside the workplace has an impact in creating the business cycle. Old version ignored social struggle outside the workplace and put too much emphasis on technological innovation by big business. This has been corrected. Sections C.8.1,C.8.2 and C.8.3 Anarchist analysis of the rise of social Keynesianism and its fall into a combination of free markets and Pentagon-style Keynesianism. Even reformed capitalist is not immune to the struggle for freedom against hierarchy and the objective limits of capitalism. Section F.1 Expanded arguments on why "anarcho"-capitalism is not anarchist. Contains an excellent quote by Noam Chomsky on what he considers would happen if it was tried in practice. Also contains the new sub-sections F.1.2 and F.1.3 on how libertarian right-libertarian theory is (not very!) and how most right-Libertarians reject the scientific method in favour of dogma, respectively. Section G.5 An updated analysis of the ideas of Individualist Anarchist Benjamin Tucker. More quotes from Tucker on the socialistic nature of his ideas and his support for labour struggle. Section I.7.4 Expanded analysis on why capitalism does not protect individuality and why competition puts out the flame of individuality and rebellion. Section J - Introduction Introduction to the section on "What do Anarchists do?". Gives a short overview of the anarchist approach to social struggles and why its so important for creating an anarchist future. Plus updated contents page - what to look forward to in the near future!
4.1	14/02/97	Minor updates to sections A.1.5, A.2.9, I.5.8 and I.6.1.
4.0	10/02/97	Introduction At long last an introduction to the FAQ and its history. Also names the guilty parties. What's New? This "What's New" page will be a welcome addition to regular visitors to the FAQ. Section F.2.1 Do Libertarian-capitalists support slavery? Yes is the answer and find out why this indicates that right-libertarians are not libertarians at all. Section F.9 Update with new evidence of the nature of Medieval Iceland and why it indicates that private property produces statism. More reasons why Medieval Iceland demonstrates how "anarcho-"capitalism will not work in practice.
3.3	06/02/97	Section F.6 New analysis on how the "anarcho"-capitalist system of private states will become a public state. Builds on and extends original argument.