Thank you @Wolfwood for this plethora of information and links, I was aware of some of these things but didn't know about all of them. I'm sure there is more that could be shared but I appreciate you taking time out of your day to post what you did.
No problem.
I got off work, was done working on some projects outside, came inside to warm up, and thought now would be a good time to do a little deeper diving.
Here's an example of anarchism working.
Here's my response to your statement about "communist" countries.
Doesn't it stink to have stuff you've written disappear? I've had that happen many times. Then there are those few moments where you try to go back and pray it's there, but it just isn't. Then you have to deal with the sadness of your work being gone and you quickly try to make up for it, but it's never as good as the original. I get ya.
Now on to the meat. It seems even in Catalonia there, which of course got consumed by Spain shortly after it's creation, was falling into chaos and... well... anarchy. In the very link you provided.
During the first weeks of the war, courts of law were replaced by revolutionary tribunals and extrajudicial killings by militants and vigilantes soon followed.
"
Everybody created his own justice and administered it himself...Some used to call this 'taking a person for a ride' [paseo] but I maintain that it was justice administered directly by the people in the complete absence of the regular judicial bodies."
— Juan García Oliver, Anarchist minister of justice, 1936.During the initial fighting several thousand individuals were executed by anarchist and socialist militants based on their assumed political allegiance and social class.
"We do not wish to deny that the nineteenth of July brought with it an overflowing of passions and abuses, a natural phenomenon of the transfer of power from the hands of privileged to the hands of the people. It is possible that our victory resulted in the death by violence of four or five thousand inhabitants of Catalonia who were listed as rightists and were linked to political or ecclesiastical reaction."
— Diego Abad de Santillán, editor of Solidaridad Obrera.Because of its role as a leading supporter of the Nationalist cause,[95] the Catholic Church came under attack throughout the region. Church buildings were burned or turned into warehouses and put to other secular uses. Thousands of members of the Catholic clergy were tortured and killed and many more fled the country or sought refuge in foreign embassies.
So anyone who didn't think the way of the anarchists who placed themselves in positions of power, were murdered and their voices silenced.
And reading through the history, just days following fierce fighting in Barcelona, the Communists and Anarchists fought against each other.
Nothing the anarchist-communist people in control (because they can't be a government, right?) didn't work and the people lived in poverty and feared for their lives due to rampart crime and suppression. There was widespread implementation of anarchist ideals and more broadly libertarian socialist organizational principles throughout the country for two to three years, primarily Catalonia, Aragon, Andalusia, and parts of the Levante. Much of Spain's economy was put under worker control.
Look up Alcora and how it was purely communist with no money. There was no property. It was quite the interesting experiment. People who couldn't afford things could simply take in the hope that someone else would provide. It's all idealistic thinking, but it soon began to show cracks even before the Spanish forces moved in to regain control. They started to have sectors of their communities who didn't work and simply consumed while others did all the work. What I also found interesting though is that certain regions began to move towards a Democratic process, away from their anarchy beginnings. Which means they had to place people in power.... and have people leave, which goes against the foundation of anarchy. It's weird how anarchist movements all have to have leaders lead them... Why is that?
There were also socialist sectors within the region as well, but none were able to survive for long. In small numbers, socialism might work, but in a large country sized population, even a big village, it will have it's bad actors and begin to crumble as we have seen countless times in history.
There is no perfect society, but there are societies that are better than others. If you like this though, that's all you. It would be nice to sit back all day and not have to do anything and have all my needs simply given to me. Sort of sounds like childhood.
A few shops opened up in Portland, Oregon with the belief of pay what you want, and if you don't want to pay, go ahead and take it. The goal was you would give back later. Those businesses of course quickly folded.
The closest example I could think of to an community run by anarchy in the current day is Freetown Christiania. Granted it is flooded with
drugs, open sex, homeless people just moving there because they could, and
people not wanting to work. There were several accounts of violent crimes taking place there that got media attention but most of it was hush hush. It is the city's biggest crime den with all sorts of vice and crime happening, often unreported. Oh wait...
apparently it was finally
removed? But back to Revolutionary Catalonia. That was a very interesting point and quite enjoyable to read about again. I actually have a book somewhere that talks about it. I remember reading it before. It also talked about other separatist type movements. I should try to find that again someday.
Nice conversation.
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