The Antiauthoritarians of the First International

My latest for CounterPunch

In case you missed it, I had a new piece in CounterPunch at the end of last week, discussing the libertarians, federalists, and decentralists of the International Workingmen’s Association. As most of you know, some of the biggest influences on the way I think about political economy are the early American anarchists, many of whom were members of the First International, for example, Lysander Spooner, William B. Greene, and Ezra Heywood.

Even before the split I discuss in the piece, it was clear that there was a wide gulf in the broader socialist movement, and it is worth reconsidering today in light of ongoing conversations about ideas such as the plausibility of left unity, the importance of direct action, the role of revolution, and the viability of participation in practical politics. I hope folks in the anarchist movement, the libertarian movement, and in left-wing circles generally will reach out and comment on the piece.