Anarcho-Syndicalism

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</image> <label>Label</label> <label>Label</label> </infobox> Anarcho-Syndicalism or Revolutionary Syndicalism is a syndicalist strategy to create an anarchist society by the creation of anarchist trade unions followed by a wave of strikes and occupations to create a society based on workers' self-management.

History

See Also: Timeline of Anarcho-Syndicalism

Precursors

Some argue that Proudhon's writings contain the first hints of syndicalism. But Mikhail Bakunin lay much of the theoretical groundwork for anarcho-syndicalism. Arguing that workers forming trade unions and striking would be a necessity for the working class to realise its potential in running society in a directly democratic way.

Rise to Prominence

Throughout the 1910s and 1920s, anarcho-syndicalism became the dominant revolutionary ideology among much of the lower classes in Europe, the USA and South America.

Rapid Decline

Despite their many victories for the working class, anarcho-syndicalist organisations were rapidly destroyed with the rise of fascism.

Irrelevance

After the Spanish Civil War and destruction of the CNT, anarcho-syndicalism had little to no relevance anywhere. They organised no strikes and didn't really grow as a movement. The 1940s and 1950s saw the rise of suburbanisation and social democracy, meaning that the working class felt secure and the need for radical unionism ended. The remaning radical left began to support the USSR, as it remained the only functioning example of a society produced by leftist ideals, in comparison to the failure of the Spanish Revolution.

Resurgence

With the fall of the dictatorship of Spain and return of many CNT exiles to Spain and the reformation of the union. New groups all across the world formed in inspiration.

21st Century

Anarcho-Syndicalism has steadily grown in the 21st century, even if it remains relatively small in comparison to other ideologies.

Anarcho-Syndicalist Organisations

International

• Industrial Workers of the World
• International Confederation of Labor
• International Workers' Association

National

• Argentina: Argentine Regional Workers' Federation
• Australia: Anarcho-Syndicalist Federation
• Austria: Viennese Workers' Syndicate
• Bangladesh: Anarcho-Syndicalist Federation
• Belgium: Free Union
• Brazil: Brazilian Workers' Confederation and Federation of Brazilian Revolutionary Syndicalist Organizations
• Bulgaria: Autonomous Workers' Confederation and Autonomous Workers' Union
• Chile: Germinal
• Croatia: Anarcho-Syndicalists Network
• Colombia: Libertarian Union of Students and Workers
• France: National Confederation of Labour
• Germany: Free Women's and Workers' Union, National Prisoners Union Network
• Greece: Anarcho-Syndicalist Initiative-Rocinante and Libertarian Workers' Union
• India: Libertarian Front
• Indonesia: Anarcho-Syndicalist Workers' Brotherhood
• Italy: Italian Syndicalist Union
• Netherlands: Free Union
• Nigeria: Awareness League
• Norway: Norwegian Syndicalist Federation
• Poland: Association of Polish Syndicalists and Workers' Initiative
• Portugal: Portuguese Section of the IWA
• Romania: Anarcho-Syndicalist Initiative
• Russia: Confederation of Revolutionary Anarcho-Syndicalists
• Serbia: Anarcho-Syndicalist Initiative
• Slovakia: Direct Action
• Spain: General Confederation of Labor, National Confederation of Labour and Workers' Solidarity
• Sweden: Central Organisation of the Workers of Sweden, Örestad Local Organization
• Ukraine: Autonomous Workers' Union
• United Kingdom: Solidarity Federation and United Voices of the World
• United States of America: Workers' Solidarity Alliance

Defunct

• Confederation of Anarcho-Syndicalists (Russia)
• Free Association of German Trade Unions
• Free Workers' Union of Germany
• House of the World Worker (Mexico)
• General Confederation of Labour (France)
• General Confederation of Labour (Portugal)
• General Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions (France)
• National Labor Secretariat (Netherlands)
• National Libertarian Federation of Trade Unions (Japan)
• Portuguese Maximalist Federation
• Syndicalist Group Movement (Sweden)
• Union of Russian Workers (USA and Canada)