Anarchism in New Zealand

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The political philosophy of anarchism has had a small presence in New Zealand politics.

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Anarchists

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Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not necessarily limited to, governments, nation states, and capitalism. Anarchism advocates for the replacement of the state with stateless societies or other forms of free associations. As a historically left-wing movement, this reading of anarchism is placed on the farthest left of the political spectrum, it is usually described as the libertarian wing of the socialist movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anarcho-capitalism</span> Political philosophy and economic theory

Anarcho-capitalism is an anti-statist, libertarian, political philosophy and economic theory that seeks to abolish centralized states in favor of stateless societies with systems of private property enforced by private agencies, the non-aggression principle, free markets and the right-libertarian interpretation of self-ownership, which extends the concept to include control of private property as part of the self. In the absence of statute, anarcho-capitalists hold that society tends to contractually self-regulate and civilize through participation in the free market, which they describe as a voluntary society involving the voluntary exchange of services and goods. In a theoretical anarcho-capitalist society, the system of private property would still exist and be enforced by private defense agencies and/or insurance companies selected by customers, which would operate competitively in a market and fulfill the roles of courts and the police.

Libertarian socialism, also known as socialist libertarianism, is a left-wing, anti-authoritarian, anti-statist and libertarian political philosophy within the socialist movement which rejects the state's control of the economy under state socialism. Overlapping with anarchism and libertarianism, libertarian socialists criticize wage slavery relationships within the workplace, emphasizing workers' self-management and decentralized structures of political organization. As a broad socialist tradition and movement, libertarian socialism includes anarchist, Marxist, and anarchist- or Marxist-inspired thought and other left-libertarian tendencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Socialism in New Zealand</span> Political movement advocating socio-economic change in New Zealand

Socialism in New Zealand had little traction in early colonial New Zealand but developed as a political movement around the beginning of the 20th century. Much of socialism's early growth was found in the labour movement.

Anarchists have employed certain symbols for their cause, including most prominently the circle-A and the black flag. Anarchist cultural symbols have been prevalent in popular culture since around the turn of the 21st century, concurrent with the anti-globalization movement. The punk subculture has also had a close association with anarchist symbolism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Night-watchman state</span> Minimal state

A night-watchman state, or minarchy, whose proponents are known as minarchists, is a model of a state that is limited and minimal, whose functions depend on libertarian theory. Right-libertarians support it only as an enforcer of the non-aggression principle by providing citizens with the military, the police, and courts, thereby protecting them from aggression, theft, breach of contract, fraud, and enforcing property laws.

The nature of capitalism is criticized by left-wing anarchists, who reject hierarchy and advocate stateless societies based on non-hierarchical voluntary associations. Anarchism is generally defined as the libertarian philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary and harmful as well as opposing authoritarianism, illegitimate authority and hierarchical organization in the conduct of human relations. Capitalism is generally considered by scholars to be an economic system that includes private ownership of the means of production, creation of goods or services for profit or income, the accumulation of capital, competitive markets, voluntary exchange and wage labor which has generally been opposed by anarchists historically. Since capitalism is variously defined by sources and there is no general consensus among scholars on the definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category, the designation is applied to a variety of historical cases, varying in time, geography, politics and culture.

The following lists events that happened during 1948 in New Zealand.

Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary and harmful as well as opposing authority and hierarchical organization in the conduct of human relations. Proponents of anarchism, known as anarchists, advocate stateless societies based on non-hierarchical voluntary associations. While anarchism holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary and harmful, opposition to the state is not its central or sole definition. Anarchism can entail opposing authority or hierarchy in the conduct of all human relations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anarchism in Australia</span> Australian anarchism

Anarchism in Australia arrived within a few years of anarchism developing as a distinct tendency in the wake of the 1871 Paris Commune. Although a minor school of thought and politics, composed primarily of campaigners and intellectuals, Australian anarchism has formed a significant current throughout the history and literature of the colonies and nation. Anarchism's influence has been industrial and cultural, though its influence has waned from its high point in the early 20th century where anarchist techniques and ideas deeply influenced the official Australian union movement. In the mid 20th century anarchism's influence was primarily restricted to urban bohemian cultural movements. In the late 20th century and early 21st century Australian anarchism has been an element in Australia's social justice and protest movements.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to anarchism, generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority and hierarchical organization in the conduct of human relations. Proponents of anarchism, known as anarchists, advocate stateless societies or non-hierarchical voluntary associations.

Contemporary anarchism within the history of anarchism is the period of the anarchist movement continuing from the end of World War II and into the present. Since the last third of the 20th century, anarchists have been involved in anti-globalisation, peace, squatter and student protest movements. Anarchists have participated in armed revolutions such as in those that created the Makhnovshchina and Revolutionary Catalonia, and anarchist political organizations such as the International Workers' Association and the Industrial Workers of the World have existed since the 20th century. Within contemporary anarchism, the anti-capitalism of classical anarchism has remained prominent.

Bill 'Ubi' Dwyer or William Ubique Dwyer was an anarchist activist in New Zealand, Australia, England and his native Ireland and is best known as the originator and principal organiser of the Windsor Free Festival.

Philip Josephs was a Jewish anarchist, anti-militarist, radical bookseller and tailor active in the New Zealand labour movement. He was a member of the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Socialist Party, ran their economics class and contributed to their paper, the "Commonweal". He helped revive the Anti-Militarist League in Wellington in 1912, and was elected secretary. On 9 July 1913 he helped launch New Zealand's first anarchist collective, Freedom Group, which lasted for a year. He was arrested during a police raid for possessing banned literature in 1915.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rudolf Rocker</span> German anarchist writer and activist

Johann Rudolf Rocker was a German anarchist writer and activist. He was born in Mainz to a Roman Catholic artisan family.

The term classless society refers to a society in which no one is born into a social class. Distinctions of wealth, income, education, culture, or social network might arise and would only be determined by individual experience and achievement in such a society. Thus, the concept posits not the absence of a social hierarchy but the uninheritability of class status. Helen Codere defines social class as a segment of the community, the members of which show a common social position in a hierarchical ranking. Codere suggest that a true class-organized society is one in which the hierarchy of prestige and social status is divisible into groups. Each group with its own social, economic, attitudinal and cultural characteristics, and each having differential degrees of power in community decision.

Bruce Ronald Henderson, also known as Bruce Grenville and Martin Renwick, is a New Zealand anarchist, hoaxer and producer of artistamps. He is particularly known for the creation of the fictional Sultanate of Occussi-Ambeno.

Anarchism and libertarianism, as broad political ideologies with manifold historical and contemporary meanings, have contested definitions. Their adherents have a pluralistic and overlapping tradition that makes precise definition of the political ideology difficult or impossible, compounded by a lack of common features, differing priorities of subgroups, lack of academic acceptance, and contentious historical usage.

The 1995 New Year Honours in New Zealand were appointments by Elizabeth II in her right as Queen of New Zealand, on the advice of the New Zealand government, to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by New Zealanders, and to celebrate the passing of 1994 and the beginning of 1995. They were announced on 31 December 1994.

References

  1. Prebble 1995, p. 4.
  2. 1 2 Prebble 1995, p. 15.
  3. 1 2 Davidson, J. (2011). Remains to be Seen: Tracing Joe Hill's ashes in New Zealand, Wellington: Rebel Press.
  4. Prebble 1995, pp. 17–18.
  5. Boraman, Toby (2007) "Rabble rousers and merry pranksters: a history of anarchism in Aotearoa/New Zealand from the mid-1950s to the early 1980s" pp. 8–25 Archived 4 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  6. State Adversary, The (1996) Archived 9 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  7. "About Us". AWSM. 6 May 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  8. Prebble 1995, pp. 8–13.
  9. Lake, J. & Lee, K. A. (2002). Up the Punks! - an exhibition celebrating 20 years of Wellington punk culture, Wellington: Thistle Hall Gallery.

Works cited

Further reading

History

  • Buchanan, Sam (2010) "Anarchism in Aotearoa/New Zealand" Archived 4 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  • Davidson, Jared (2013) "Sewing Freedom: Philip Josephs, Transnationalism & Early New Zealand Anarchism" – AK Press
  • Fry, E.C. (1965) "Tom Barker & the I.W.W."
  • Nettlau, Max (Unknown) "Die Geschichte Des Anarchismus" ("the History of Anarchism") see Chapter 10 "Anarchist propaganda and Industrial Unionism in Australia and New Zealand."

Other

  • Anarchism and Feminism. Christchurch: Libertarian Press, 1995. A reprint of articles by Margaret Flaws and the Auckland Anarcho-Feminist Huddle from the 1970s.
  • Bolstad, Richard. An Anarchist Analysis of the Chinese Revolution. Christchurch: Christchurch Anarchy Group, 1976.
  • Bolstad, R. The Industrial Front: An Introduction to the Past Lessons, Present Tactics and Future Possibilities of the Struggle for Worker Self-Management . For Those Who Already Had a Suspicion There was Something Wrong With Work as it is. Christchurch: Christchurch Anarchy Group, c. 1977.
  • Boraman, Toby. "The New Left in New Zealand" in on the Left: Essays on Socialism in New Zealand, eds. Pat Moloney and Kerry Taylor. Dunedin: Otago University Press, 2002, pp. 117–32.
  • Boraman, T. "The New Left and Anarchism in New Zealand From the Mid-1950s to the Early 1980s: An Anarchist Communist Interpretation." PhD thesis, University of Otago, Dunedin, 2006.
  • Buchanan, Sam. Anarchy: The Transmogrification of Everyday Life. Wellington: Committee for the Establishment of Civilisation, * 1999.
  • Buis, Simon. The Brutus Festival. Auckland: Auckland Copy Centre, 1969.
  • Churton, Wade. "Have You Checked the Children?" Punk and Postpunk Music in New Zealand, 1977.1981. Christchurch: Put Your Foot Down Publishing, 1999.
  • Cumming, Allan. Understanding Nonviolence. Dunedin: Dunedin Nonviolent Action Resource Group, 1983.
  • Cumming, A. How Nonviolence Works. Dunedin: Nonviolent Action Network in Aotearoa, 1985.
  • Droescher, Werner. "The Little Black and Red Book of Anarchism." Unpublished manuscript, 1977.
  • Droescher, W. "Toward an Alternative Society." Unpublished manuscript, 1978. University of Auckland Library.
  • Dwyer, Bill. [writing under the pseudonym B. Langford]. "Anarchism in New Zealand." Red and Black. 1 (1965), pp. 33–35.
  • Gramaphone, Malcolm. Get Lushed on Your Own Grog: An Underground Brewer's Bible. Dunedin: Kropotkin Press, 1972.
  • Innes, Wayne. Don't Pay Taxes. Auckland: Social Analysis, 1978.
  • Innes, W. How to Survive in Suburbia. Auckland: Pupuke Press, 1981.
  • Prebble, F. "Jock Barnes and the Syndicalist Tradition in New Zealand." Thrall. 14 (July/August 2000), pp. 4–5.
  • Sargent, Lyman T. "Beeville: An Anarchist Commune in New Zealand, 1933–1973." Paper delivered at the Sixth International Communal Studies Association meeting, Amsterdam, 1998.
  • Sargent, L. and Lucy Sargisson. Living in Utopia: New Zealand's Intentional Communities. Aldershot and Burlington: Ashgate, 2004.
  • Suggate, Richard. "Anarchism in New Zealand 1900.1965 and Today." Archived 5 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine Freedom. 28 Aug. 1982, pp. 4–5.