Λεπτομέρειες

P. Pomonis

English

04 Δεκεμβρίου 2009

• anarchism
• Greece
• history
• radicalism
• utopianism

Written by P. Pomonis

 Part of the pamphlet “The early days of Greek Anarchism” published by KSL  (end of the 19th - begining of the 20th century)

Social radicalism, which grew in Europe during the 19th century, marking future history with movements, revolts and revolutions, had an important influence in Greece. According to M. Demetriou: «....The ideas of social radicalism were introduced in Greece from Europe, with its ideological radiance and revolutionary traditions, in the 1870’s. In Europe, that period was marked by the 70 days of popular revolutionary power of the Paris Commune (1871)... At the same time, important social processes and changes, hitherto unbeknown to Greek society, took place. Socialist groups and labour unions were created... debates over socialism emerged and the first references to Karl Marx as the leader of the First International were made...»

 In Europe, 19th century was marked by the rise and eventual dominance of the bourgeoisie; the rapid development of the productive forces; the development of the countryside; the big urban centers; the development of the proletariat and the emergence of socialist ideas. On the political level, absolutism fell and bourgeois democracy or constitutional monarchy were established. Of course, the victory of the bourgeois class had not been easy, but only came about as the result of hard fought struggles. In 1848 Europe was shaken by bourgeois democratic movements, social struggles and workers’ revolts. The supremacy of the bourgeoisie was consolidated, but at the same time the social radicalism of the working class and its allies was affirmed.

 Subsequently the bourgeois liberal regimes further entrenched their power, and the working class increased in numbers. However, its revolutionary ardour was dampened, as a result of the improvement of living conditions. Skilled workers found themselves in an advantageous position and among them sprung a syndicalist bureaucracy as well as social democratic tendencies and views. Still, the labour movement organized, assertive and imbued with class and intemationalistic consciousness increasingly acted in solidarity with the national aspirations of the workers of other countries. The conjunction of class and internationalist consciousness, led the labour movement to various forms of international solidarity which culminated in the formation of the Ist International, whose fast demise was brought about by violent internal strife. In the following years capitalism further developed, while noteworthy events were the Paris Commune, the foundation of the Second International and the growth of anarchosyndicalism.  

Contrarily to what went on in Europe, economic development in Greece proceeded at a very slow pace. In the second half of the 19th century, Greece witnessed a massive influx of the population into the big urban centers. This led to the hypertrophy of the services sector and the petit bourgeois strata, but it was not followed by a respective industrial growth: There were very few artisans and workers and too many professional small traders and brokers. In the countryside, there were small land owners, oppressed by the international division of agricultural production (single crop monoculture of raisin), as well as propertyless peasants...

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