L.Goldman

Emma Goldman (1869-1940) “Anarchism: What It Really Stands For” (Anarchism and Other Essays , 1910) 1869 Born in Lithuania 1885 Immi gr ates to US (R ochest er , NY; t he n NYC) Workers’ Rights Advocate 1886 Haymarket Squar e ( Chica go) Protest agai nst 8 hr work day. Bomb kills 7 polic e o ffice rs; 4 protester s l ater executed 1892 Homest ead Strik e ( Pittsb urg h, PA) . Pin ker ton Guards kill 9 steel wor ker strikers. Birth Control Advocate 1873 Comstock Law - prohi bite d dist ribut ion of birt h c ontrol lite ratu re. Goldman helpe d s muggle contrace ptiv es into US. Free Speech Advocate 1903 Go ldman co -f ounds Fr ee S peec h Le ague - infl ue nt ia l on late r AC LU. War Protester 1917 -18 Espi onage and Sedition Ac ts - proh ibite d prot ests a gain st US inv olve ment i n WWI. 1919 Goldman i s deported t o Rus si a f or anti -draft demons tr atio ns . Anarchist: I. Anarchism: “The philosophy of a new social order based on liberty unrestricted by man-made law; the theory that all forms of government rest on violence, and are therefore wrong and harmful, as well as unnecessary” (pg. 220). Two Popular Objections 1. Anarchism is unpractical. 2. Anarchism is violent and destructive. Goldman’s Response to (1) • Anarchism is only impractical r elative to curren t conditions. • Its goal is to change curr ent cond ition s. • With respect to th is goal, it is pra ctical. Goldman’s Response to (2) (a) The re are diff ere nt var ieties of vi ole nce. Government is violent; anarchism is just a response to t his. (Violence in response to violence.) Ignorance is the most violent element in society. (b) Distinction b etween c onstructive violence and destructive violence: Anarc hism is construc tive in so fa r as it destroys “unhealthy” parts of society. pg. 220 Anarchism must ad dress all phases of life. Compare with fascists. However: Basic assumption of anarchism: The individual is fundament al. “Anarchism is the only philosophy which brings to man the consciousness of himself; which maintains that God, the State, and society are non-existent, that their promises are null and void since they can be fulfilled only through man’s subordination.” pg. 221 1 Anarchism, however, is not anti-social:

L.Goldman

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