Assassinated by anarchism: anarchism and legitimate violence

Abstract

Revolutionary processes in contemporary Western World provoked very violent clashes of different kind, while the new State was claiming the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force, the monopoly on violence. Anarchist opposed radically State, as the most essential and systematic expression of violence and oppression. In his fight against the state, they had no doubt in using violence to destroy it. At the same time they deeply mistrusted the adequacy of violence as an appropriate mean to move forward a social revolution. Propaganda of the deed, insurrection, direct action… were ways of violent action frequently espoused by anarchists that provoke the identification of anarchism with violence, an identification favored by the State to legitimize its strong repression of anarchist organizations. Violent action and the demand of a deep revolution without coercion have always been part of anarchism; for the last fifty years non-violent action has been the most frequent way of direct action.