Once the anarchist organisation has committed itself to serious intervention in the class struggle and winning influence amongst the working class it must also recognise the enormity of the task ahead and structure itself accordingly.
While there remain different opinions regarding the form and principle of anarchist organisation, we maintain that the principles of the Platformist and Especifista traditions of theoretical unity, strategic unity, federalism, and collective responsibility are essential starting points for effective anarchist political organisation. It is through these principles that anarchist organisations can develop the unity, coherency, and dynamism to not just act as cheerleaders on the side of the working class, but as active and effective participants in the process of working-class emancipation.
Theoretical Unity
The foundation of any cohesive political organisation lies in its theoretical unity, which entails a shared framework for interpreting the world and guiding action. Without this unity, organisations risk becoming mere collections of individuals moving in conflicting directions, leading to disunity and ineffectiveness.
Political and mass organisations serve distinct purposes, with mass organisations like trade unions uniting members based on shared class interests while political organisations work towards specific politics and goals across mass-level struggles. Effective political work necessitates a minimum basis of theoretical unity to prevent conflicting ideas from undermining organisational coherence and effectiveness.
Further, without a shared analysis, organisations are forced to confront every new issue that occurs as something separate to what came before it. Responses become mired in reactivity to what is occurring as members maintain disparate and disconnected understandings of the problem being confronted. By maintaining a concrete level of theoretical unity, organisations can ensure that each question is analysed cohesively as part of the wider capitalist system, and in line with the ongoing development of the organisation's theory.
While some may argue that theoretical unity stifles discussion and the development of new ideas, we believe that it does the opposite. Without a foundation of theoretical unity, members with incredibly diverse positions are forced to attempt to co-exist. To maintain this peaceful co-existence, debate and the adoption of new ideas are stifled to ensure that all positions are respected. Through the foundation of theoretical unity, an organisation can confront and debate new questions and directions as they arise, with new theoretical positions formulated as a result.
Total theoretical unity is likely impossible and undesirable. Members should always maintain the right to argue for reasonable minority positions and attempt to make these positions the majority of the organisation. Theoretical unity always remains an ongoing process as the organisation and its militants develop through practice, study, and debate. The development of theory and engagement in practice exist symbiotically with each other and influence each other. Theoretical unity is not something that can be handed down, but must come from the collective efforts of the organisation’s militants.
In short, the tasks of the specific anarchist organisation require high levels of theoretical unity to be effectively undertaken. While a theoretically loose organisation may be effective in bringing in larger numbers to itself, the ability to act collectively is watered down. Understanding that the anarchist organisation does not exist to group within itself the majority of the working-class, we instead seek to prioritise quality over quantity in our membership and coherency over disunity.
Strategic Unity
From theoretical unity we inevitably move towards strategic unity. Theoretical unity provides a base for a shared understanding of capitalism, emerging political situations, and social struggles. From this basis, a shared programme of action for intervention can be developed. It is the agreement to abide by this shared programme of action which we term strategic unity.
By agreeing to act in a coordinated manner on agreed lines of work the social force of the anarchist organisation is amplified. What is possible for a group of militants working on a shared approach greatly outstrips that of an individual, or of a group acting with the same goal but differing approaches. Through strategic unity, we can overcome disunity and the use of multiple tactics that work against rather than for each other.
Strategic unity provides a means for the organisation to identify the most relevant sectors of struggle and to deploy its resources and capacities accordingly. Strategic unity provides a framework for the organisation's militants to intervene in the range of struggles in a unified manner. Strategic unity ensures that militants are aware of the tasks that are expected of them, that they are trained in the most effective way to complete them, and that all efforts contribute to the organisation's larger strategy and goals, even if the militants' political interventions are spread across several different trade unions, workplaces, and social movements.
As the organisation collectively develops its strategy and assigns expected work to its members, following through with this work is a basic requirement of federalism and collective responsibility. To prioritise individual preference or activity over the collective work of the organisation is to disregard the collective decisions of the organisation and its members.
Federalism
Both theoretical and strategic unity may be developed in either authoritarian (i.e., from the top down) or federalist (i.e., from the bottom up) manners. We reject any basis for unity that is imposed from the top down upon an organisation's members. Rather the basis for an organisation's theoretical and strategic unity should be developed from the bottom up, through the collective decisions of its militants.
Specific anarchist organisations should be structured based on federalism both to ensure that unity is the organic result of its collective whole, while also acting to safeguard against a ruling clique emerging with control over the wider membership.
The basis of federalism is summarised as free association, bottom-up control, and mandated and recallable delegates.
Free association
Members of an organisation freely consent to act in line with the ideas and practices of the organisation and remain free from domination or coercion regarding joining or maintaining membership.
This is not the same as arguing that members are not responsible or accountable to each other or the organisation. The basis of federation between individuals or organisations is a commitment to act in line with the agreed principles of the federation. Just as a member cannot be coerced or forced to join an organisation, free association also implies that an organisation's membership should not be forced to allow the membership of someone acting outside of its principles and collective agreements.
Free association then implies both the ability for a member to leave if they are no longer willing to abide by the federation principles, and the ability to dissociate from or remove a member who has failed to do so.
Bottom-up Control
The ultimate decision-making body of the organisation is the assembly of all members with the ability to dictate and alter the basis of the organisation's theoretical and strategic unity. Through such assemblies, the membership maintains control over all delegated positions and committees.
Mandated and Recallable Delegates
All organisations require some level of division of labour. Not all members will always be capable of focusing on the same area of work, nor will all work to be undertaken by the organisation require the activity of all members to be completed. Certain members or committees will be required to take on specific long or short term tasks such as acting as treasurer or coordinating a public newspaper.
For delegated roles or coordinating bodies such as committees, members should be elected by the membership to take on the role for a specific fixed term. These members should only have the authority to act in line with a specific mandate provided by the wider membership and would be expected to report back to the membership regularly per their activities. Importantly all roles should be instantly recallable by the membership between normal elections.
Federalism allows for anarchist organisations to ensure the following two factors. Firstly, it allows for theoretical and strategic unity to be developed based on the collective decisions of the organisation's membership. Secondly, it ensures that control of the organisation remains with the membership as a whole and combats the emergence of a clique with permanent control of the organisational apparatus.
Collective Responsibility
Effective and democratic organisation requires a balance between rights and responsibilities. We reject any notion that it is fair to expect rights within an organisation without maintaining the responsibilities expected. It is equally inappropriate to call for responsibilities without an equal share of rights.
Effective and democratic organisation then requires collective responsibility. Collective responsibility refers to the responsibility of each member to the collective and the expectation that the principles of the organisation and the tasks assigned will be completed. Each member is responsible to each other and from this, each member should support and nurture those around them. In practice, this means that members are held to account by the organisation for inappropriate behaviour or taking actions that undermine the organisation's agreed-upon course of action.
Responsibility however does not simply flow from individuals to the organisation. Firstly, the organisation is responsible to and for all members acting in line with its collective agreements. Secondly, the organisation maintains a responsibility to contribute to the growth, development, and participation of its members. Education, emotional and moral support, developing practical skills and ensuring for example that members with children are provided child-care at meetings are all ways in which the organisation's responsibilities can play out.
Through such practices, the anarchist organisation establishes itself as a site through which members are not just able to coordinate political action but can also co-develop as militants in a supportive, nurturing, and collective environment.
The Principles Together
The principles of theoretical and strategic unity, federalism and collective responsibility do not exist separately from each other. Rather they each reinforce and rely on the other. Strategic unity can only develop from a shared theoretical framework. Without a federalist model, such unity would be reliant on authoritarian practices, and without a commitment to collective responsibility any unity developed would be weak, with no expectation that it be carried out.
Taken together, however, these four principles provide a basis for an effective, democratic, and coherent anarchist organisation to develop which is capable of the enormous tasks that it has set upon itself.