Aspects of Anarchism

national | miscellaneous | news report

Sunday August 11, 2002 12:14

by Al S - Anarchist Federation Ireland

ireaf at yahoo dot ie

Militarism

OF ALL THE ‘ISMS’, militarism is the most poisonous, destructive and dangerous. When active it destroys people, cultures and rational thought. When relatively passive (though it is never truly passive), it enters the minds and value systems of society in a way that reinforces conformity and obedience. Military values require uniformity, not only of appearance but also of attitude and values. The armed forces expend considerable effort in ensuring that soldiers at al levels accept without question the inherent and unquestionable superiority of their methods, aims and ideology. In the heat of battle there is no scope for questioning the validity of the campaign or particular action. Robot-like acceptance is paramount. Militarism, the glorification of military values and methods, has a long history. In Europe, Asia and South America that undoubted symbol of militarism, the military uniform and with it social prestige, has existed for thousands of years, as witness Assyrian...

...carved reliefs looted from Iraq but now in the British Museum showing the disciplined ranks of the king’s army; these are well over 2,500 years old. Military values also accept without question the validity of hierarchy. Orders start at the top and are passed down to the ranks. Whilst there is scope for individual decision-making – no large organization can cope without some imaginations and initiative – this is only permitted within a strict and rigid chain of command. Despite skepticism within the ranks, orders are there to be obeyed. Obedience is an essential feature of the military approach and, in wartime, failure to obey can lead to severe punishments...

For more of this article, check out 'Aspects of Anarchism', a new collection of articles by the Anarchist Federation, now online at:
http://flag.blackened.net/af/ace/aspects.html

Other aspects include Anarchist Communism, Freedom, Organisation, Class Consciousness, Direct Action, Exploitation, Racism, Crime, Violence, Freedom and Solidarity.