Anarcho-pacifism

Anarcho-pacifism, also referred to as anarchist pacifism and pacifist anarchism, is an anarchist school of thought that advocates for the use of peaceful, non-violent forms of resistance in the struggle for social change.[1][2] Anarcho-pacifism rejects the principle of violence which is seen as a form of power and therefore as contradictory to key anarchist ideals such as the rejection of hierarchy and dominance.[2][3] Many anarcho-pacifists are also Christian anarchists, who reject war and the use of violence.[4]

Anarcho-pacifists do not reject the use of non-violent revolutionary action against capitalism and the state with the purpose of establishing a peaceful voluntarist society.[1][5] The main early influences were the philosophies of Henry David Thoreau and Leo Tolstoy while later the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi gained significance.[1][2] Anarcho-pacifist movements primarily emerged in the Netherlands, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States before and during World War II.[2]

  1. ^ a b c Ostergaard, Geoffrey (1982). Resisting the Nation State: The Pacifist and Anarchist Traditions. London: Peace Pledge Union. ISBN 978-0-902680-35-7.
  2. ^ a b c d Woodcock, George (1962). Anarchism: A History of Libertarian Ideas and Movements. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-016821-1.
  3. ^ Williams, Dana (24 August 2017). "Contemporary anarchist and anarchistic movements". Sociology Compass. 12 (6): e12582. doi:10.1111/soc4.12582.
  4. ^ Christoyannopoulos, Alexandre (2010). "A Christian Anarchist Critique of Violence: From Turning the Other Cheek to a Rejection of the State". In King, Stephen; Salzani, Carlo; Staley, Owen (eds.). Law, Morality and Politics: Global Perspectives on Violence and the State. Oxfordshire: Inter-Disciplinary Press. pp. 19–26. ISBN 978-1-84888-041-2.
  5. ^ Atack, Iain (2005). The Ethics of Peace and War. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-0-7486-2245-0.

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