National Liberation, Social Revolution and Organised Anarchism: The Case of French Anarchists and Algeria

A Critical Review of Eyes to the South: French Anarchists and Algeria, by David Porter

Author: Mya Violet Walmsley

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Almost sixty years ago in 1962, Algeria broke free from French state control, after a seven year long militarised campaign of bombing, armed resistance, and workers struggle, largely organised by the Algerian Front de Libération Nationale (FLN). The campaign for political independence had escalated from bombings to assassinations to full scale insurgency, with the French state resorting to torture, civilian bombings, and military occupation to protect its colonial holding. The victory of the independence movement saw a massive re-organisation of the political system by a socialist leaning president Ben Bella who was tasked with constituting the new independent Algerian state, as well as managing an explosion of autogestion, a movement of workers’ self-management of industries and communities by workers collectives.

This text was found at the Red & Black Notes site.
The author sends special thanks to Dan and Luke for editing drafts of this work.

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Anarchism and the National Liberation Struggle

Anarchism and the National Liberation Struggle - Alfredo Bonanno

Author: Alfredo Bonanno

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The anarchist programme concerning the national liberation struggle is very clear: it must not go towards constituting an ‘intermediate stage’ towards the social revolution through the formation of new national States. Anarchists refuse to participate in national liberation fronts; they participate in class fronts which may or may not be involved in national liberation struggles. The struggle must spread to establish economic, political and social structures in the liberated territories based on federalist and libertarian principles.”

Alfredo Bonanno,
1978.

This important pamphlet attempts to develop an anarchist internationalist position on the ever present reality of national liberation struggles and the national question. Wide ranging in the topics it covers – from internal colonialism to a critique of certain Marxist views – the pamphlet argues that anarchists should support national liberation struggles insofar as they are waged by and for the oppressed classes, and that the national question can only be resolved by the free association of peoples on a libertarian and federalist basis.

Humanity will never be free until we liberate ourselves by global social revolution

Third South African Edition, February 2019

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AgitProp #21 – National Self-Determination, Internationalism, and Libertarian Socialism: Once More on the Subject of National Liberation

AgitProp 21 - National Self-Determination, Internationalism, and Libertarian Socialism by Wayne Price

Author: Wayne Price

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There are few subjects of greater disagreement among libertarian socialists than “national liberation” and “national self-determination.” By “libertarian socialists” I include anarchists of all sorts, also libertarian-autonomous Marxists and others with similar politics. By “national liberation/self-determination,” I mean the idea that some nations are oppressed and deserve to be liberated from that oppression, and to be able to decide for themselves what social, economic, and political systems they wish to live under.

From anarkismo.net

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