Anarchist Communists: A Question Of Class

international | anarchist movement | feature Friday September 23, 2005 14:45 by Federazione dei Comunisti Anarchici - FdCA internazionale at fdca dot it

Anarchist Communist theory

Anarkismo.net is publishing in installments the new theoretical pamphlet produced by the Italian Federazione dei Comunisti Anarchici. Each installment will be added as a separate article and linked from this page. Readers are invited to make their comments and observations under each installment.

The Theory of the FdCA represents the unique, united and characteristic identity of the Federation. It sets out the Federation's revolutionary role and its political function as historical memory and active minority, a role which has been indicated by the experience of the revolutionary proletariat throughout the history of the class struggle.

Anarchist Communism is not the pure fruit of some intellectual adventure. It is not the result, happy as it may be, of certain individuals who, sheltered from history, have meditated on humanity's destiny. It is not the (generous) answer of a few utopians to the ills of contemporary society and to its patent injustices. It is not the search for an ideal of perfection which can satisfy the need for harmony of minds requiring abstract ponderings....

Anarchist Communists: A Question of Class

Contents:

• Preface
• Section 1: Theoreticians
• Section 2: Events
• Section 3: Why Communist: what we have in common with the left
• Section 4: Why Anarchist: what divides us from the left
• Section 5: Why Anarchist Communist: what distinguishes us from anarchists
• Section 6.1: Historical materialism and dialectic materialism
• Section 6.2: Anarchist communism and libertarian communism

Preface to the English edition

The Federation of Anarchist Communists (FdCA) was founded in 1985 on the principle of the theoretical and strategic unity of its members, a principle which it still holds to and will continue to do so. This principle means that the FdCA is based on its positions which are shared by the entire federated membership.

These positions are set out in a number of original Theoretical Documents which represent the unity of the Federation and its policies. They also represent the unity of its militants, federated into a single political organization and individually and collectively responsible for the political life and the political decisions of the FdCA.

Our Theoretical Documents are divided into Theory, Basic Strategy, Political Strategy and General Tactics.

The documents which go to make up our Theory represent the unique, united and characteristic identity of the Federation. They set out the Federation's revolutionary role and its political function as historical memory and active minority, a role which has been indicated by the experience of the revolutionary proletariat throughout the history of the class struggle.

Our Theory currently consists of two documents: "Teoria dei Comunisti Anarchici" and "Comunisti Anarchici: Una questione di classe". This booklet is a translation of the latter of these documents which was first published in 2003.

Basic Strategy consists of those documents which set out the long-term strategic role of our class enemies the role of the mass organization and the political organization and the tasks of these organizations during the transition to communism. Political Strategy consists of documents which set out in the short term the social, political and economic context of the class struggle and the strategic role of the mass organizations and the political organization, while our General Tactics are concerned with the immediate role of these organizations within the current context of the class struggle.

This system of Theoretical Documents was conceived so that the FdCA would always be in a position to understand the nature of its role and its actions and so that it can engage in a continuing process of strategic reflection and analysis, learning always from the class struggle, promoting internal debate and thereby avoiding ideological rigidity.

On our website at www.fdca.it you can find most of our Theoretical Documents in Italian and several documents of Basic Strategy and General Tactics also available in English.

Federazione dei Comunisti Anarchici
International Relations Office

June 2005