A World Without Governments? Anarchism Explained

[@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!

[@christopherroberts646]

The entity with the most motivation to conflate the term anarchy ("no archons") with chaos and violence is a monarch (and the related bootlickers).

[@doejersey]

Except for calling Boogaloo boys and Cryptobros Anarchist. That’s not people legitimately calling themselves Anarchist. That’s the media appropriating the term to make anarchists look like fascists. I think CC did a pretty good job over all. But no one considers the Proud boys or Crypto bros anarchists even if they want to dissolve some government agencies. They fundamentally don’t follow the beliefs. They just want the U.S. government gone so they can set up their more hate fueled or exploitative governments.

[@Herr_Vorragender]

There are countries on earth and in our time where the state provides housing, food and all things of basic needs. But if we'd concentrate on the USA, then yes, only local communities provide care.

[@Dcc-yk2lo]

"Systems of community care" are governance dude.

[@teddyeverett3222]

“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!

[@stardust86x]

i get so mad that people mistake communism for totalitarianism (which absolutely exists independently/ including in capitalism!) consensual communalism is entirely a thing & yes i know communes get cultic. but another example is absolutely mutual aid!

[@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.

[@lostvarius]

Yes, thank you for mentionning them ! Rojava is a good example of a hybrid society, with both state and communal institutions coexisting

[@kaesmith2893]

Thanks for mentioning this!

[@Elixan1]

Not to mention the OG Spanish anarchists during the civil war

[@TheGIGACapitalist]

There are also small scale property owners. It's more of a proper mixed economy than anywhere else.

[@cattypat6]

Zapatistas as well, though they are not absolutely anarchists they somewhat embody the philosophy of anarchism in many ways

[@dannyjdonovan]

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

[@Eowar]

I had wondered a while ago if I shouldn't be more politically active, like joining a campaign or protest. Upon reflection, I realized that my work and example as a substitute high school teacher is probably already more influential toward shaping a more considerate world.

[@nigeladams8321]

What's more anarchist than free information for everyone? You're doing good work :)

[@watching7721]

Is your job and being an anarchist related? If so, how? Because most libraries are government or government-funded institutions. And even for those that aren't, this is a relatively leftwing channel when it comes to politics so I'd be surprised if a top comment was from a capitalist. Though in fairness, anarcho-capitalism exists

[@AsobiMedio]

@@watching7721 The concept of a library is to collect information and have it publicly available for all in the community who would like to learn. And these are almost exclusively run and funded on the local level, meaning that it's voted on a direct democratic basis, not through distant representatives. Such an institution requires maintenance, hence taxation, which is also decided by a vote. It's about as close to an anarchistic organization as possible, private libraries paid for via donations would also be fine, but they are typically less cost-efficient and reliable than public ones.

[@joshmorton6718]

​@Eowar while I agree that if one is working in a field that helps create community and educate, that is important, don't let the prevent you from involving yourself in activism. A better future is possible but it requires effort

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@ubik5453]

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

[@AndreH-fx1pr]

And this is how humanity is meant to live.

[@ubik5453]

@@AndreH-fx1pr Yep.

[@BioAbner]

No, anarchism just calls for the abolition of government. You're projecting your collectivism onto it.

[@drone1756]

@@AndreH-fx1prwhat exactly do you mean by meant?

[@lman318]

Then why have none lasted more than a few weeks?

[@BennyBoy962]

"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

[@Eowar]

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

[@MirorR3fl3ction]

Anarchy in this sense is really the same as local level self-organizing community, which is the bedrock of any healthy society. When state level governments try to disrupt, discredit, or depower these natural local community groups, thats when government becomes, at least in some degree, inherently violent and tyrannical.

[@EvelynNdenial]

states have always been parasitical to this low level every day solidarity and have always been threatened by its growth. even the most benevolent state will attempt to crush or corrupt this kind of organization when it gets big.

[@TheSci-fiAnarchist42]

No Gods, No Masters! Ⓐ🏴✊️

[@ubik5453]

Hell yeah 😎

[@Antoniontachion]

True freedom!

[@ursinewarrior5573]

I believe that the title should be changed to "A World Without Authority?" - Anarchism doesn't just oppose government authorities, but also religious and economic authorities as well.

[@Willy_Tepes]

The first thing that happens in Anarchism, is that someone takes the power you all rejected.

[@lman318]

@Willy_Tepes Yeah, power simply pools when it isn't claimed. It doesn't magically go away.

[@hypotheticalaxolotl]

@Willy_Tepes Political anarchy doesn't reject all authority, it rejects illegitimate authority. Legitimate (and usually temporary) authority, such as a team lead in a construction site, is perfectly in keeping with anarchic principles. The point is about the legitimacy, not about the authority per se. It's a useful tool, a means to an end, but it should not be allowed to become an end in its own right.

[@DavidJamesHenry]

It depends on your brand of anarchism. Christian anarchists would disagree.

[@DeathlyTired]

This is merely a semantic argument. It's all government. Political, religious and economic government.

[@abhig61]

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.

[@MrARock001]

"A society of warlords fighting for resources" is what we've got now.

[@lostsnail--1312]

we already live in a society of warlords fighting for resources dawg. and it's not like anarchists don't know about that criticism

[@TheDanEdwards]

@@MrARock001 Maybe that's the nature of humans.

[@thomaswillard6267]

​@@TheDanEdwardsWhoa there Hobbes, don't forget the immortal words of Paarthurnax "What is better, to be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?"

[@Carlos-bz5oo]

The defamation campaign the establishment does against anarchy is sadly successful

[@therongjr]

Anarchism was influenced by Marxism? You could just as easily claim that Marxism was influenced by Anarchism. Karl Marx was informed by the Paris commune.

[@SomasAcademy]

Marx was writing before the Paris Commune as well as after, but even before the Paris Commune was founded he was influenced by Proudhon!

[@Gelatinocyte2]

I'm not sure if I remember this correctly, but it was his _Communist Manifesto_ that was influenced by the Paris Commune, but he already had prior works before that.

[@zachb.6179]

"Marx stole all his good ideas from the anarchists."

[@AveragepoliticsEnjoyer]

No Karl Marx was influenced by proudhon

[@Edunomat]

Both are true. In the XIX century, anarchism and marxism was branches of the labour movement, they coexisted and influenced each other.

[@GioEs22]

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

[@kinda_chaotically_shey3945]

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 ❤

[@PianoDentist]

_"The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point, however, is to change it"._

[@davidalexallen]

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

[@MrKool2000]

Exactly !

[@BM-si2ei]

Respectfully, it was a bad example, because those local examples don't exist in a vacuum. They are protected and enabled by strong local and national governments.

[@lostvarius]

@@BM-si2eigovernments don’t exist in a vacuum either. Nothing does.

[@theskv21]

@@BM-si2eithe dandelion weed grows between the cracks of the inhospitable concrete and even thrives despite it

[@WampusWrangler]

​@@BM-si2eiwell as they stated in the video, there is essentially nowhere on earth that doesn't exist under the authority of a state or government, so imperfect examples like this one are all we have to point to. Also worth mentioning that all mutual aid programs are not enabled by the government, and many do the work they do in the face of government trying to shut them down. Pointing to what happens after natural disasters before the government shows up to help is probably one of the closest real world examples of anarchism in action. In it's absence people still come together to help one another, and those moments are usually some of the brightest beacons of humanity.

[@treymacaluso1364]

For anyone wondering what this looks like at a large scale, it's worth looking into the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES, also colloquially called Rojava). Their guiding principles are based off of the works of Obdulah Ocalan, who was heavily influenced by anarchist/communalist philosopher Murray Bookchin. They are a stateless governance representing several million people, they have a military, a justice system, and an economy. They were instrumental in defeating ISIS during the war there. They're not explicitly anarchist, they're self described as a democratic confederalist society, but a lot of what they do aligns closely with those principles.

[@connormc4050]

It's weird how the average American idealizes small government, but America as a whole votes for politicians who expand government on both sides of the aisle.

[@pacotaco1246]

Because what american politicians call "small government" is government power centralized around less and less people. They are good at selling it as less authority even though in practice its the opposite.

[@Seth9809]

It's a smaller bureaucracy, which is less regulation and experts. Also less representation.

[@moksound19]

the behavior is built into the american system, so what the average person wants versus what they get to vote for are terribly different things.

[@TheMntnG]

government is good! but not waste resources in the military

[@scaredyfish]

Part of it is because there’s no choice. We have option A or option B. No matter how much we might want option C, we can’t vote for it if it’s not on the ballot, and the very structure of the political system makes a third option functionally impossible.

[@pedrostormrage]

6:00 "Kroptkin thought '(to) each according to his need' " That strikes a chord; it really feels like an objective every society should naturally aim for. I think it's also important to realize that idea is not necessarily tied to anarchism (it's more a matter of having social safety nets that ensure basic needs are met for all citizens). We all should have the right to just...live.

[@otherperson]

"From each according to ability to each according to their need" is the foundational principle of communism (and anarchist communism). A society in which our needs are met without the need to contribute to society, while anathema to capitalism, is the ruling principle of communism. This is because communists and anarchists understand human beings to inherently desire to create and contribute in their own ways, and that there are far more people who will want to contribute to society, even if only to serve themselves creatively, than there are people who would genuinely want to do nothing. How much time in life is spent doing things we don't want to do that contributes nothing to anyone save a small class of capital owners?

[@donrb65]

@@otherperson If being an entrepreneur is so profitable for the few and bad for the many, then why don't more people create products or services that others are willing to pay for? The answer is that most people cannot envision a product or service worth buying and even less can handle the challenges with running a profitable business.

[@HotRatsAndTheStooges]

It's like that equality vs equity meme.

[@sethofthewildfire]

And how do you determine need? Socialism, communism, anarchy etc don't take into account basic human psychology. Someone will always rise to power because hierarchy is inevitable. The CHAZ in Seattle destroyed an area and several people were killed. Plus occupy Wallstreet caused millions in damage because of the encampment without restrooms or trash removal.

[@mrdeanvincent]

Yeah it's called empathy. But in capitalism, the endless pursuit of ever-increasing profits is prioritised above empathy.

[@mishapurser4439]

Please do communalism / municipalism / democratic confederalism. Murray Bookchin is the main thinker. Social ecology and intersectionality are also part of it.

[@davidcheater4239]

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.

[@Tazu1490]

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.

[@brettito]

I always associated Anarchism with Chaos. When it's really about being a bro without borders.

[@austinlagowski_8441]

Omg Emma Goldman my GOAT

[@CosmoShidan]

Lucy Parsons, the first black anarcha-feminist, is another good one to look up!

[@KrisRyanStallard]

Genuine question: when people organize to help one another after a natural disaster, don't we tend to create a common framework and understanding of how the group will function and who will be responsible for various resources and tasks to make sure resources and labor is divided in a way to provide the most help possible? And doesn't that sound like an adhoc form of governance?

[@LiterallyZeni]

a beautiful, empathetic, and based on consent world is possible!

[@koda_pop7849]

Wonderful video! It makes the heart proud. My request to anyone reading and interested - please look into the history of the Black Army in Ukraine during the Russian Civil War ("Makhnovshchina" search term). The whole thing was a Wartime experiment in trying to establish anarchist communism (1917-1921) in which folk rallied around anarchist ideology while also having to fight it out with the White and Red armies (nearly licking them both). It is an example of how a system using these ideas can compete in areas typically associated with states (i.e. market distribution, local governance and military operations while being actively at war).

[@Torbinsky]

I'm glad Ellie is back, it is always good to have a philosopher explaining sth.

[@1danwynn]

Awesome. Other good examples of anarchist societies are Spain around Barcelona in the 1930s and, more recently, Rojava. Just one wee constructive criticism; Marx thought that the state would 'wither away' under socialism. Communism would be a society of free association. So Anarchism could be described as a method for achieving true communism. The anarchists' critique of Marx was that, if the labour movement used the state it would become reliant on it and then the state would supplant the labour movement. Maybe that's what happened under so-called 'communism'. But it might just have been a necessary response to the invasion of Russia by the western imperialist powers....

[@Gelatinocyte2]

This! It needs more like, or be pinned.

[@mazagu-crow]

Rojava is not anarchist, it's communalist which is at best a type of minarchism. Some would argue they're barely a decentralized liberal (but obviously quite progressive) state. Anarchism is not a method for achieving communism - anarchist communist has a different meaning than marxist communism. The latter in it's "pure form" doesn't theorize about authority or lack of it in all forms the same way anarchism does. Anarchism isn't a method, it's prefigurative theory and praxis. "Orthodox" marxism wouldn't necessarily have an issue with worker controlled industrial administration of economy when for anarchists that would likely be just a different kind of (collective) authority instead of actual free association. Anarchist Catalonia is criticized by anarchists for those reasons. On top of that anarchism isn't universally communist despite individualist or pro-market flavors being in minority. Though if we define communism loosely enough some forms of markets could be described as communism or communism through market means but that's semantics. Anarchist theory differs from Marxist theory in many ways, starting with definitions of state an authority, not being inherently communist, free association instead of _any_ hierarchy, and probably quite a lot stronger individualism even among most "social" of "social anarchists"

[@Jesterswilde]

I almost made a near identical comment, the part about Catalonia and Rojava. Glad I scrolled first.

[@Salazatl]

The centralization of power to the state occurs really because of the scarcity of resources and lack of technology that automates bureaucracy. It's why the USSR stagnated

[@djadelaney]

I cannot begin to express my thanks for this video. people used to ask me about my politics and I couldn't tell them, because none of them read political theory, let alone Kropotkin. now I have a simple primer to send them 😭 I love y'all!!!!

[@connorwalters9223]

You missed a couple of really noteworthy examples of anarchism in practice. The Free Territory of Ukraine was an anarchist territory which fought against the Red Army, White Army, and Ukrainian nationalists (they also arguably invented the world’s first technical, by mounting a Gatling gun onto a horse drawn carriage). Revolutionary Catalonia was a period during the Spanish Civil War where an anarcho-syndicalist commune (cue Monty Python jokes) was created by a Catalan trade union called the CNT-FAI. The Autonomous Administration of Northeast Syria (also known as Rojava) is an anarchist rebel group which sprung up during the Syrian Civil War. Their specific ideology is called “Democratic Confederalism”, and can best be described as radical participatory municipal democracy.

[@parkerhahaha]

Anarchy is the best philosophy with the worst PR

[@divinelogoiemilio]

Best? Best assumes a standard an authority to determine value judgements which anarchism seeks to destroy

[@batatanna]

Blame the ressurectionists who thought propaganda of the deed was the end all of political action.

[@iruns1246]

Anarchy just can't happen in large population (because people will start distrusting each other), or thrive within a geography with neighboring large populations (it will get crushed by those other populations). Which is pretty much every livable spot on Earth nowadays.

[@ahmed_mo2nis]

What happened in Occupy Wall Street movement is exactly what happened in the Arab spring which happened slightly before it (and even inspired it). In Egypt for example, when the protestors took to the streets the security forces of Mubarak withdrew as an attempt to instill fear and chaos into the public and there were even thugs who were payed by government officials to attack protestors and turn the revolution into a civil war but it was the protestors who organized themselves and created a clinic in Tahrir square, doctors from upper and middle class helped treat the wounded while people with money bought medicine and food while poor drivers with motorcycles would quickly transport the wounded on their bikes to get treatment. There were artists painting the walls and singing in the sit-ins so it was truly an anarchist revolution. But also the problem on not having a clear political goal (other than overthrowing Mubarak) led to breaking the revolution since the ones who stepped up where the military and the Islamists who both were anti-revolution and only pretended to support the protests in the beginning till they reach power.

[@Toe_Guzzler]

the only thing that keeps me from saying I'm an anarchist is the question of what to do with the military, who is in charge if there's no state?

[@Yell-B]

Thanks

[@TheDanEdwards]

Sure, states and governments have only been around a tiny fraction of our species existence, but guess what: *you would not want to (or be able to) live in those 295K years without your modern state or government.* Really, you wouldn't. Even those allegedly "anarchist" examples in this video are just temporary pockets of people who are embedded in larger states that still interact with the supposed anarchists.

[@nothisispatrick6528]

No more gods no more masters

[@qwertyman1511]

in a world of anarchism, what prevents a neighbouring group from reestablishing a hierarchical society and potentially infrining on the freedoms of its neightbours?

[@Fr34d0m]

What a great start to the new year!

[@Jontman42]

The issue that comes to me is how will anarchist societies protect themselves against non-anarchist societies. Can self-organizing people work fast enough and unanimously enough to stop a hierarchically organized hostile nation state from exploiting them, or even conquering them?

[@ericjome7284]

The most powerful force in the world is the ability of humans to work together. It let's us dominate the world. Being the leader or controller of that force is therefore the ultimate.

[@parakeetriot]

I was pushed towards libertarian socialism/anarchism after reading Ursula K. Le Guin. The anarchic society she portrays in The Dispossessed is one that feels strangely realistic, even if it is flawed. It was mentioned in the video that all we can really do is imagine anarchy, so I guess that is what The Dispossessed allowed me to do.

[@michaelodonnell824]

My real issue with Anarchism is that I wonder how water would still come out of a tap (faucet if you are North American)? Whether we like it or not, we need some organizing authority to ensure that basic services are available. That means that infrastructure is built and maintained and the those who do the building and maintaining gain enough resources to enable them (and arguably those who depend on them) to survive.... Looking back into meta-history, the idea that there were no "Governments" does not mean that there were no organizers and no "rules/rulers". Whenever and wherever twentieth century anthropologists encountered "primitive" groupings, what they found was leaders, leadership groups and systems of control within those groupings. The "State" may be little more than 5,000 years old, but centralized leadership is far, far older...

[@crpCph]

8:00 I can see how this can be a critique, but it makes me think what would "successful" Occupy movement look like. I think we should be careful as not to define success in neoliberal terms, where the end point is some law being passed or a demand being met by the government. If you imagine that we can go back to "normal" once the goal is reached then you are not doing anarchism, right? Because anarchism is not just the means of political pressure but a way of being and a way of organizing. Many groups choose "free association" as their pillar, because no one can be forced to participate. So it is fairly common for such groups to ride the momentum, unite and break apart, change and transform over time. I see some ongoing discussions about embracing the fluidity and spontaneity of these movements, so to all comrades: if you get heavily discouraged by this, try to treat it as a feature, not a bug!

[@SaviourInBlack]

I feel like the main thing that stands in the way of anarchism is not property ownership, but rather the evil side of humanity. People who prefer to take advantage of others instead of cooperation. I’m not well versed on this topic, just my opinion.

[@jonathanknox5202]

I feel like the crash course video on anarchism should've just been 10 hours of black screen silence, and people could argue it out in the comments.

[@andre.as.kyriakou]

These crash courses are so well produced, thought out, and entertaining. Thanks y'all !

[@Vidit1xonexandxonly]

There is a whole field in Poli Sci IR that discusses and tries to understand what gets called "non-states". Which is an umbrella term to some degree but importantly it tries to separate our expectation of what "countries" are from things that don't neatly fit what we call "government". There is a heavy lean on looking at the world as people from the US present here, which was something that my professors tried to avoid. I get that this is a short serries and i can't fit 50 lectures i sat through in a youtube comment but there are societies that exist and persist without what we in the west call "a government", this is like the first big disagreement I have with this series lol. It's pretty good overall.

[@HotRatsAndTheStooges]

Do you have any examples of these societies? Are you talking present day?

[@JordanSullivanadventures]

Fantastic resource! Love that you centered the contributions of Emma Goldman and connections with modern-day movements and everyday anarchism. My journey to anarchism was very circuitous, so I am sometimes at a loss for a specific intro resource to recommend folks curious about it. This is a perfect starting point!

[@CosmoShidan]

Down with the state! All for free association!

[@alyssachey8417]

Not trying to bash anarchism, this is just a question to get more information. How does anarchism deal with crime such as violent crimes?

[@MrNeCr01]

Crash Course never disappoints

[@yeuxdessirenes]

I have been waiting for this!!! Thank you!!!

[@Muhammad_Syakir]

I am curious why American politics starts on 20 January, not 1 January or 30 January, not also on February. What preparations need to be done before properly taking Office of the United States of America Presidency?

[@LuisAFlorit]

Anarchism is an interesting idea indeed, specially in the small scale. However, I don't see how highly technical collaborative entities could thrive, like Universities and research.

[@AxleBolt-u9m]

How can you assume that people will co-operate in the absence of an authority figure or they'll not go "brutish" and act violently if there's no one to fear? What stops the strong from exploiting the weak?

[@daniellemoore6340]

It's called diversity of tactics. We need all the different versions of anarchism to make change. Unfortunately that means that we have to take some of the bad with the good. My way of doing things has always been to just move in the direction that feels right to me. To do as much good as I possibly can without burning myself out or making myself a liability.

[@Emika_Spade]

Very helpful video. I'll show this in my class to my students in the next month or so.

[@mattkuhn6634]

I think the most important thing to realize about anarchism is eliminating the state requires establishing new structures to replace it. Most people think anarchism is just about tearing things down, because that's how it gets dismissively treated in most public dialog. Once you've grokked that, we can discuss details, practicality, effectiveness etc, we can actually debate the merits of ideas.

[@nikolasrucker5400]

Yesss finally a realistic and humane definition to show people

[@leodashers]

Anarchism isn’t just about state authority though. It’s about hierarchies. But thank you for the much more humane than most video still.

[@ericniehans9787]

Thanks Crashcourse for making this video. Gave me some things to think about

[@JannaSlow]

Tammy 2 passionately supports your idea at 6:26 >:D Great video!

[@watching7721]

Just because it's an aspect of life the state is not directly involved in doesn't mean the state opposes it. Most everyday-anarchism are things the state is at least neutral to

[@watching7721]

I will admit I am biased as I'm speaking from a US perspective. North Korea for example is a different story

[@EvelynNdenial]

@@watching7721 the state isn't opposed so long as it stays small scale because the state benefits from the productivity and health of society, but has its power threatened when it grows. "if they keep managing things better on their own, how long until they figure out they don't need the state at all?"

[@LenaRoss-i9e]

That’s the thing capitalism is unstable as usual and it incentivizes more control from the cooperations and big companies in other to bring in more capital of course for the few turning it into a leader and a pedants situation work and survive on what’s rest and give others the profits,

[@otherperson]

@@watching7721of course. The state relies on "everyday anarchism" to not be utterly miserable for the majority of people. The state doesn't need to oppose it for it to be an example of "everyday anarchism" in action

[@julianpaxton5750]

Great video. Thank you and happy new year from steamy Queensland.

[@MoonshineNL]

We need public yachts. Like a library.

[@ubik5453]

Anarchism 🏴🚩✊️🏴🚩✊️🏴🚩✊️🏴🚩✊️🏴🚩🏴

[@hyperanemoia8842]

Hoping for a video on Syndicalism next, covering Sorel, Rocker, DeLeon, etc. Keep up the good work

[@HildeTheOkayish]

I believe some overarching organisation will always be necessary, but on more local levels anarchy may be preferred. It's not a one size fits all solution in my opinion but that does not mean it should be discarded entirely. Nor does the situation have to be black and white either. Even in places where anarchy is currently practiced you will find that there are people who become central points of interaction by default. Either due to their knowledge on a subject or their likability. But the major difference is that those central positions aren't enforced. To give an example, say there is one person who is currently "leading" by default. Because he seems to have a lot if knowledge on the project. But then that person turns out to be a terrible human being. In an anarchist system you can just turn your back on him and work it out with the rest of your group. But in a company as we have in most places today you are stuck with him as manager because of the power dynamic. And that is really the root problem here.

[@DerUnglaublicheFrank]

Anarchy is not a a form of society you can build and work for. Anarchy is a descriptive form of a temporary state of a society. Cope all you want but you are already describing forms of governments forming out of anarchy and are by definition not anarchy.

[@EvelynNdenial]

federations. part of anarchist theory is to join communes together in larger and larger nested organizations that can handle the big issues while still avoiding hierarchies and allowing a degree of free association of individuals and communes.

[@RationalAndFree]

Anarchism is like an ocean. It is full of fish, which are schools of thought of anarchism, which swim freely though it. Some schools of thought have much more developed theories when it comes to organization at large scales. Anarcho-syndicalism was tried in the 1930's in Spain, organizing over 2 million people into confederations of workers. Everything from healthcare to education was managed successfully, up until Spanish fascist forces of Franco ended up defeating it. Anarchism is capable of organization of large groups of people and can handle complex problems through direct democracy and cooperation. It's biggest weakness is that it requires the people under it to participate actively with it.

[@otherperson]

Anarchism does not do away with overarching organization. Anarchists support federations of municipal assemblies.

[@Herr_Vorragender]

An orverarching organisation will have the power to overrule the local anarchy. And the local anarchy will not accept the rules the overarching organisation imposes. The two exclude each other. Example: Famine in a local natural disaster where anarchists rule. The overarching organisation kicks in to help. But with what, if not with the resources of other lcoal anarchist groups? Those local anarchist groups will not accept the demand for resources, because they them self are running at a minimum. They are all running at an minimum, because they don't support overarching business mega corpos who trade with other local anarchist groups, becacuse that business would be structured in an internal hierarchy by nature and necessity. And even if there were big businesses trading with other local anarchist groups, those other groups would also have bid businesses. And now we'd have businesses cutting deals with other businesses. Consequentially we'll have the business dog eat dog world defined by greed. And since money buys power these business owners now declare them self to be kings. Which need to be toppled and replaced by overarching organisations possibly democracies which will provide freedom of speech and thus freedom to express the desire for anarchy.

[@gibberishname]

An-Caps aren't anarchists, they just want to be the head of the unethical authoritarian class. It It exacerbates economic inequality which encourages the formation of exploitative corporations leading to monopolies or oligopalies without a state to regulate them, prioritizes the rights of capital over vulnerable populations, privatizes agencies needed for the common good such as infrastructure like roads, or civic defense such as military or police, etc.

[@sigurjonor4817]

Nice, very timely.

[@AsiniusNaso]

We can organize ourselves without the state, without capitalism, without hierarchy. A better world is possible.

[@Willy_Tepes]

No, you can't.

[@techman2553]

Yep, for about 50 people. If we can get the world population down to about 50 people, we can all live in peace without the need for hierarchies, governments, or capitalism. More than that, and one of those people is going to want to power and control at any cost. Then you get division and tribes. Next you get kingdoms and empires. It's human nature, and that can't be wished away, especially over long time scales. You can get a city of thousands to self organize for a few weeks. Thousands of people won't self organize for years, let alone billions of people for decades or centuries.

[@otherperson]

@Willy_Tepespeople have been doing it for literally hundreds of thousands of years, goofy

[@otherperson]

@@techman2553the zapatistas are an easy counterexample

[@eduardoserpa1682]

​​@@otherperson The absence of central authority is the perfect situation for central authority to emerge uncontested. Or for an outside force to do so. Often violently.

[@Tacom4ster]

I was hoping for more of Peter Kropotkin

[@ammc248]

Right??? He’s amazing and deserves his own Crash Course.

[@WampusWrangler]

I was hoping for some Maletesta

[@themercer4972]

" , , , also how I describe myself before I have morning coffee." now that was funny.

[@lostgleammedia]

What we need are people, getting into politics, who want to create communities

[@DrustZapat]

Great video! Thanks for making it 😊

[@Bruno1802H]

thanks for the explanations

[@tuna831]

Awesome video!

[@lejitthewastelandprince8550]

It’s not freedom that causes chaos & greed it’s inequality oppression and lack of resources that brings out the worst in us

[@kafka9627]

Wow thank you so much for this video!! Super concise! I have to admit I cried a little at certain parts here. Imagining an anarchist future and people helping… I can’t recommend people to read Rebecca Solnits theories enough. A tough read, academic and such but worth checking out nonetheless

[@TheDoomWizard]

Thank you for this

[@user-ez3il1yy6i]

"The Purpose Of Any Government Is Take Public Money , And Put It Into Private Hands"... [Julian Assange] 💯%

[@Secret_Takodachi]

"Revolutionary Book Clubs for All" I call dibs on that album title 😂❤

[@mr.e2962]

David D. Friedman wrote a book about how to create an Anarchist society called, "The Machinery of freedom."

[@radplung]

Thank you PBS.

[@musicalchimp]

This is a pretty good 10min intro to anarchism, but I wish it had spent 15secs more to insert individualist anarchism into the timeline as essentially the American take on Proudhon that reconciled anarchism with free markets and grew into today's libertarianism. It better explains why Occupy Wall Street types and Bitcoin types sometimes overlap, which is NOT just about opposing authority.

[@fireant202]

It's a neat idea but as long as there are non-anarchist states I don't see how an anarchist one would survive. The centralized authority of the non-anarchist state feels like it would eventually give it the edge to take over the anarchist one. That's probably why we have so few examples of large scale, successful anarchist organizations: they get displaced or taken over by more structured groups.

[@jacobbass6437]

Not always. Alexander the Great was defeated by a commune.

[@JoshuaGrahm-e7i]

“People saying ‘you know I don’t think you should just shoot people because you feel like it’” usually do piss off people who think you should get to do that

[@tatianatub]

the kurds while struggling do keep democratic confedralism alive even with the pressure of nearby states on top of them

[@moksound19]

To a very limited extent I agree: authoritarian organizing and violence for power is a powerful hack. You can really build some pyramids that way. But there's a counterbalance: the 99% can increasingly become motivated by their own and neighbors' wellbeing, and fight to contain states from within and without. There's a long ways to go, but it's not inevitable that people would betray their common interests, despite all the propaganda to the contrary.

[@SomasAcademy]

That is generally the downfall of attempts at Anarchism, yes; larger states come in an crush them. That's what happened to Revolutionary Catalonia, The Free Territory of Ukraine, and the Korean People's Association in Manchuria, as a few examples. On the other hand, some Anarchist or Anarchist-adjacent projects have managed to maintain themselves into the present in spite of surrounding states, including the Zapatistas, The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES, aka Rojava), the Popular Indigenous Council of Oaxaca, and the city of Cherán.

[@ApollonianShy18]

1:47 - it depends on the humans tho 😢

[@justaname2422]

A better world is possible. No gods no masters!!

[@Movingtokatytexas]

Quite the prescient upload

[@OLBICHL]

I'm a bit of an anarchist also because power over others corrupts and blind followship restricts the self

[@LeeCarlson]

States exist to provide a framework for social aggregation to go beyond the level of the extended family or neighborhood/tribe.

[@Northwest360]

Great video! Could you make one on degrowth and solarpunk?

[@glorfon]

In an anarchist society nerd will spend prom night at their local infoshop printing zines. Also, the prom will be very queer.

[@shadowdagger2]

I'm 100% down for revolutionary book clubs

[@TheMKoussa]

THANK YOU!!! YES!!! This is incredible