6 differences between ANARCHISM and CAPITALISM

The differences between anarchism and capitalism refer to issues such as private property, political parties, social classes... At unProfesor we tell you.

Throughout the 19th century, various movements appeared that sought change the capitalist system existing until now, one of the main ones being known as anarchism. Capitalism and anarchism were opposing movements from the first moment, which is why it is very interesting to know their great differences. Therefore, in this lesson from a Teacher we must talk about the main differences between anarchism and capitalism.

Before getting to know the differences between anarchism and capitalism, it is important that we know well what each of these systems is. He anarchism It is a philosophical and political system characterized by seeking the complete absence of a government in the management of a territory.

Anarchism was born in the 19th century, its original author being the philosopher William Godwin, this being an author very critical of capitalism. Therefore we must understand that anarchism was born initially as a response to capitalism, looking for a system that can replace it.

Anarchists consider that the government is what disturbs the nature of man, causing him to stop being good and transform into a horrible being by living in a world with laws and restrictions. That is why they defend a world without government or laws, in which human beings are totally free.

Characteristics of anarchism

To fully understand anarchism we must list some of its main elements, this being key to understanding this system. We must understand that There are various forms of anarchismor, but all of them have a series of main characteristics that are what we are going to list. Therefore, the main characteristics of anarchism are the following:

• Believe in the total freedom and autonomy of people, which is why it rejects any system that could restrict their freedom.
• Look for the elimination of government and any control system, since each human being must control himself.
• Denies private property, since he considers that it entails great problems and disputes.
• The education It must have an important role, so that people must understand the anarchist world.
• Reject social classes, since it causes great inequalities to exist between people.

Here we discover the history of anarchism in Spain.

He capitalism It is a social and economic system whose center is the private property. Currently, it is considered the main economic system in the world, with few nations that do not have this system as the main one.

Capitalism began to be the main economic system during the Industrial Revolution, when this caused European countries to increase their production, and therefore, have a much larger market. Capitalism expanded with the liberal revolutions throughout Europe until, in a short time, it became the main economic system of most nations in the world.

Over the centuries, capitalism has been transformed, managing to overcome the numerous crises that have appeared. At the moment, capitalism is very different from what it was in its origins, but they still maintain many of their main original characteristics.

Characteristics of capitalism

Capitalism is a simple system to understand, since we all live in it, but it is still interesting to comment on its main elements. For all this, the main characteristics of capitalism are the following:

• People get money in exchange for work, this being the driving force of the capitalist world. Wealth can also be obtained in other ways, but for capitalism the majority of the population must obtain it through work.
• Property is private, that is, each person has their own individual property that they cannot lose. For this, states create protocols to punish anyone who takes away private property.
• There are social classes, these being divided depending on the economic level of each person. Even with this, people can change between social classes, this being possible if someone's economic level changes.
• The basis of the system is the economy and property, with all its elements based on these two factors.
• The entrepreneur is the central and most important figure, being the one who provides work and who obtains most of the benefits. Workers have a secondary role in the system, although they are essential for it to work.

Here we leave you a summary of the history of capitalism.

To continue this lesson from a Teacher on the differences between anarchism and capitalism, we must differentiate the different elements of each.

The main differences between capitalism and anarchism are the following:

1. Capitalism believes in private property, while anarchism considers that this is not necessary.
2. In capitalism there are social classes that divide the population depending on their economy, while anarchism does not have social classes, considering that all people are equal.
3. in capitalism the money It is the center of everything, while for anarchism it is not, since it considers that for human beings to be free they must get rid of the bondage of money.
4. In capitalism there are various political parties who seek to govern, while anarchism rejects the existence of any kind of control and government.
5. capitalism needs coexistence of the human being, since he needs them to negotiate with each other. On the other hand, anarchism considers that people can live individually without needing to live in society.
6. In capitalism there is a employer's superiority on the worker, while in anarchism the liberation of the workers is sought.

These are the main differences between anarchism and capitalism; As you can see, they are two systems that, because they are so different, They could be considered opposites.