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A review by kevin_shepherd
Proposed Roads to Freedom: Socialism, Anarchism and Syndicalism by Bertrand Russell
4.0
1918 - Bertrand Russell attempts to imaginatively conceive a better ordering of human society—and why not? To my mind, Russell was one of the greats. I’ve read five (now six) of his books so far but this is the first one I’ve come across that is purely political. Let’s get started…
INTRODUCTION
Many of the most influential pioneers of political movements experienced either prison terms and/or exile and yet still held on to their philosophies and their commitment to a “greater good.” From Russell’s perspective, the mark of an effective leader—regardless of their individual philosophy—is their ability to withstand persecution for the sake of a cause. All authentic proponents for political change have an aim in life other than personal advancement.
SOCIALISM
In simplest terms, Russell defines socialism as the communal ownership of land and property. His sentiments are distrustful of any state controlled socialist system which, historically, has shown to be prone to deception and corruption.
ANARCHISM
“In the popular mind, an anarchist is a person who throws bombs or commits other outrages either because he is more or less insane or because he uses the pretense of extreme political opinions as a cloak for criminal proclivities. This view is, of course, in every way inadequate.”
Surprisingly to me, Russell seems more in favor of anarchist philosophy than socialist philosophy, though he is somewhat critical of both. He asserts that violence is neither essential nor peculiar to anarchists and fairly quickly dismantles that side of the argument.
“Some anarchists believe in throwing bombs, many do not . . . Anarchists, like socialists, usually believe in the doctrine of the class war. If they use bombs it is as governments use bombs, for purposes of war . . . for every bomb manufactured by an anarchist many millions are manufactured by governments. And for every man killed by anarchist violence many millions are killed by the violence of states . . .”
Theoretically, anarchism is opposed to any form of government that is forced upon a population. Its practitioners object to institutions like the police where one part of a community forces its control over another part of the community. Liberty (again THEORETICALLY) is the supreme good in the anarchist creed.
SYNDICALISM
Syndicalism is a term that I was unfamiliar with and has apparently fallen into some disuse. It is a political philosophy that was founded by and tied closely with trade unions. It is a system that wields the powerful tools of the strike, the label, the boycott, and the sabotage.
GUILD SOCIALISM
“The best practical system to my mind is that of guild socialism.” -B.R., 1918
Guild socialism originated in the UK and was (is?) a movement advocating union control of industry through the medium of “guilds” that are in a contractual relationship with all workers. I can’t say much more than this without treading into the realm of spoilers. Suffice it to say that Russell’s bullet points were relevant 105 years ago and are now in need of amendment. Still, his predictions for an unchecked capitalist economy have turned out to be alarmingly and depressingly accurate.
INTRODUCTION
Many of the most influential pioneers of political movements experienced either prison terms and/or exile and yet still held on to their philosophies and their commitment to a “greater good.” From Russell’s perspective, the mark of an effective leader—regardless of their individual philosophy—is their ability to withstand persecution for the sake of a cause. All authentic proponents for political change have an aim in life other than personal advancement.
SOCIALISM
In simplest terms, Russell defines socialism as the communal ownership of land and property. His sentiments are distrustful of any state controlled socialist system which, historically, has shown to be prone to deception and corruption.
ANARCHISM
“In the popular mind, an anarchist is a person who throws bombs or commits other outrages either because he is more or less insane or because he uses the pretense of extreme political opinions as a cloak for criminal proclivities. This view is, of course, in every way inadequate.”
Surprisingly to me, Russell seems more in favor of anarchist philosophy than socialist philosophy, though he is somewhat critical of both. He asserts that violence is neither essential nor peculiar to anarchists and fairly quickly dismantles that side of the argument.
“Some anarchists believe in throwing bombs, many do not . . . Anarchists, like socialists, usually believe in the doctrine of the class war. If they use bombs it is as governments use bombs, for purposes of war . . . for every bomb manufactured by an anarchist many millions are manufactured by governments. And for every man killed by anarchist violence many millions are killed by the violence of states . . .”
Theoretically, anarchism is opposed to any form of government that is forced upon a population. Its practitioners object to institutions like the police where one part of a community forces its control over another part of the community. Liberty (again THEORETICALLY) is the supreme good in the anarchist creed.
SYNDICALISM
Syndicalism is a term that I was unfamiliar with and has apparently fallen into some disuse. It is a political philosophy that was founded by and tied closely with trade unions. It is a system that wields the powerful tools of the strike, the label, the boycott, and the sabotage.
GUILD SOCIALISM
“The best practical system to my mind is that of guild socialism.” -B.R., 1918
Guild socialism originated in the UK and was (is?) a movement advocating union control of industry through the medium of “guilds” that are in a contractual relationship with all workers. I can’t say much more than this without treading into the realm of spoilers. Suffice it to say that Russell’s bullet points were relevant 105 years ago and are now in need of amendment. Still, his predictions for an unchecked capitalist economy have turned out to be alarmingly and depressingly accurate.