Capitalism managed to rule the whole planet and now functions through a global market. Initially, it destroyed precapitalist social relations, and in order to do that it had to destroy the social fabric that gave rise to these relations - the community, the social organization that humanity used for thousands of years to satisfy its needs. We are now in a critical historical moment, where capitalism has destroyed the very notions of self-determination (autonomy), relative autarky, community solidarity, the direct link between production and consumption, but also the harmonic coexistence of human and nature. We are in a state where we live in grandiose condominia, yet there is no community. People work in order to get paid and spend their money at the supermarket, vote in order to let other more "experienced" than them manage the common problems, listen to the same music, get dressed in the same way, talk in the same language, etc.

Any hint at a radical social change is considered utopianism, not only because authority is reinforced through advanced technology, but also because the classical meaning of the term "revolution" has been forgotten. If by "revolution" we refer to the communalization of the means of production then how can we talk about that when there is no community in the first place? If we conceptualize revolution as class struggle, with particular social groups establishing self-organized socioeconomic infrastructure (like occupied buildings, libertarian schools, etc) within the confines of a city, then how could they finish their project without access to the agricultural means of production that provide the basic neccessities of life? And how will we be able to talk about self-organized rural production when after a few decades most natural seeds will have become extinct and all farmers will be dependent on transnational corporations?

Capitalism forces us to compete, only caring about our individual well-being, working to build our career. Irrespective to the nature of your profession, you are nothing more than a wage slave. Capitalism has destroyed any sense of communalism, any notion of the common interest.

In Greece the libertarian-antiauthoritarian groups that are formed have exclusively ideological or political orientation, and do not care about everyday life, such as raiding or educating your children. They postpone the implementation of their ideas to a distant future, without attemting to try them in practice.

The implementation of a new society can happen either in the city or in the rural regions, but in the latter there is (theoretically) a better chance of success.

Should we create or construct libertarian communities? Both can happen. The difference is that creations can evolve, while constructions are destined to die. But the creation of a libertarian community could, in the beginning, be based on particular political characteristics and on cooperatives that would allow libertarian ideas to flourish.

The development of libertarian municipalism should become a priority of the libertarian and anarchist current. In the development of libertarian forms of organization we can discern four basic planes of action: the social, the political, the economic, and the cultural.


The social plane

Within a libertarian community:

there is no division of time between "leisure" and "work", since the exploitation of human by human is abolished, together with any form of wage labour.

People cease experiencing alienation of labour and feel happy when they consume what they produce.

Taking care of children and the elderly becomes the responsibility of the whole community.

The know-how of any person is used for the common good. The mason can assist in building new homes, the architect can renovate old buildings, the farmer can pass their knowledge to the rest of the community, the teacher can teach at the local school, etc.

The superiority of human against nature is abolished and a new harmonical relation is built with our environment.


The political plane

At the political plane, the libertarian community:

Is based on direct democracy and the function of the general assembly and consensus decision making.

Can cooperate with other communities in order to form a network.

Can publish its ideas.

Can participate in syndicalist struggles.

Can organize events and happenings

Furthermore, it can participate in marches in the cities.


The economic plane

A libertarian community bases its economic function on:

An egalitarian cooperative organizational form and the common management of all means of production.

The cooperation of all members towards the communal well-being.

The capability to buy products not locally available at low high-volume prices.

The direct relation between producer and consumer and the abolishment of retail middlepersons.

The establishment of communal laboratories.

Moreover:

The dependence of the economy on money is reduced due to self-consumption.

The production cost is lowered because of the communal administration. The cost of purchasing non-local products is also reduced, because they will be purchased at lower high-volume prices.

Furthermore, linking two or more communities can enable the exchange of produced goods.

Cultural plane

No one can imagine exactly how such communities could incorporate the dying local culture, counterculture, the lives of its members, etc. The cultural expression pathways we walk on are the elements that will evolve in a long-term culture. And there are many such pathways: a communal library, a communal cafe [pub], the production og documentaries regarding the community traditions, the local history, teaching lessons for gratis, etc.

Finally, there are so many things we can do that we understand that we must sit down and discuss about how to do them.

Fotis Katevas (Φώτης Κατέβας)

Eutopia, issue number 1, March 1999

Abridged translation from Greek by Xenon7 (July 2009)

Original in Greek:  http://www.eutopia.gr/keimena/1/idees.htm

From Eutopia, a journal for libertarian municipalism,  http://www.eutopia.gr/

More English articles from Eutopia:  http://www.eutopia.gr/en/default.htm