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Syndicalism and
Libertarianism
Syndicalism is a type of
economic system proposed as a replacement for capitalism and
state socialism which utilizes federations of collectivist trade
unions. For adherents, labor unions are the potential means of
both overcoming capitalist exploitation of the workers and
running society fairly in the interest of the majority. Industry
in a syndicalist system would be run through co-operative
alliances and mutual aid. Local syndicates would communicate
with other syndicates through the Bourse du Travail (labor
exchange) which would manage and transfer commodities.
INTRODUCTION to SYNDICALISM
An emphasis on industrial
organization was a distinguishing feature of syndicalism when it
began to be identified as a distinct current at the beginning of
the 20th century. Due to a still tangible faith in the viability
of the state socialist system, most socialist groups of that
period emphasized the importance of political action through
party organizations as a means of bringing about socialism;
seeing trade unions as simply a stepping stone to common
ownership. Although all syndicalists emphasize industrial
organization, not all reject political action altogether. For
example, De Leonists and some other Industrial Unionists
advocate parallel organization both politically and
industrially, while recognizing that trade unions are at a
comparable disadvantage due to the lobby of business groups on
political leaders.
Syndicalisme is a French word
meaning "trade unionism". Milder versions of syndicalism were
overshadowed by revolutionary anarcho-syndicalism in the early
20th century, which advocated the abolition of the state in
addition to capitalism, feeling that syndicalist economics would
replace the need for one. Anarcho-syndicalism was most powerful
in Spain in and around the time of the Spanish Civil War, but
also appeared in other parts of the world, such as in the
US-based Industrial Workers of the World.
Syndicalism is one of the
three most common ideologies of co-operative economics, together
with socialism and communism. It holds, on an ethical basis,
that all participants in an organized trade internally share
equal ownership of its production and therefore deserve equal
earnings and benefits within that trade, regardless of position
or duty. By contrast, socialism emphasizes distributing output
among trades as required by each trade, not necessarily
considering how trades organize internally. Syndicalism is
compatible with privatism, unlike communism. Communism rejects
government-sanctioned private ownership and private earnings in
favor of making all property legally public, and therefore
directly and solely managed by the people themselves. In
syndicalism, unions exist independent of the state rather than
needing the state's micromanagement and central planning. As
with businesses in capitalism, labor unions in syndicalism would
likely share a complicated relationship of co-operation and
opposition with the state.
Learn more by visiting:
www.SYNDICALISTS.COM
Special Thanks to wikipedia for some definitions and content. |
