6th Sept 25. vía thefreeonline at t.me/thefreeonline/4100
Malatesta 1853-1932 anarchist
Errico Malatesta was an Italian anarchist propagandist, theorist and revolutionary socialist. He edited several radical newspapers and spent much of his life exiled and imprisoned, having been jailed and expelled from Italy, Britain, France, and Switzerland. Wikipedia
Errico Malatesta’s anarchism can be described as “pragmatic” because he emphasized practical, realistic approaches to achieving anarchist goals, including working within existing labor organizations to transform them into tools for attack, agitating from outside and against government, and recognizing the long-term nature of societal transformation.
His focus was not just on an ultimate stateless society but on the continuous struggle to empower the people and reduce government’s harmful power, a commitment evident in his sustained activism and editing of anarchist publications.
Key Aspects of Malatesta’s Pragmatic Anarchism:
Engagement with Existing Organizations:
Malatesta advocated for anarchists to remain within organizations like trade unions, not to gain power, but to push them towards revolutionary goals and transform them from defensive to offensive tools.
Anti-Government Agitation:
He stressed that anarchists must always operate from outside and against government, using street agitation to pressure authorities and achieve demands, rather than seeking legislative positions.
Focus on the People:
A core tenet of his pragmatism was to always be with the people, encouraging them to demand more, to understand their own power, and to reject any form of government or authority.
Propaganda by the Deed
Errico was a leading advocate of “propaganda of the deed,” the doctrine urged largely by Italian anarchists that revolutionary ideas could best be spread by armed insurrection, and joined a successful farmers uprising when still a teenager.
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