WILL COMMUNIST ANARCHISM WORK? As we have seen in the preceding chapter, no life can be free and secure, harmonious and satisfactory unless it is built on principles of justice and fair play. The first requirement of justice is equal liberty and opportunity. · Under government and exploitation there can be neither equal liberty nor equal opportunity-hence all the evils and troubles of present-day sodety. Communist Anarchism is based on the understanding of this incontrovertible truth. It is founded on the principle of noninvasiveness and non-coercion ; in other words, on liberty and opportunity. Life on such a basis fully satisfies the demands of justice. You are to be entirely free, and everybody else is to enjoy equal liberty, which means that no one has a right lo compel or force another, for coercion of any kind is interference with your liberty. Similarly equal opportunity is the heritage of all. Monopoly and the private ownership of the means of ,existence are therefore eliminated as an abridgement of the equal opportunity of all. If we keep in mind this simple principle of equal liberty and opportunity, we shall be able to solv,e the questions involved in building a society of Communist Anarchism. Politically, then, man will recognise no authority which can force or coerce him. Government will be abolished. Economically he will permit no exclusive possession of the sources of lif.e in order to preserve his opportunity of free access. Monopoly of land, private ownership of the machinery of production, distribution, and communication can therefore not be tolerated under Anarchy. Opportunity to use· what every one needs in order to live must be free to all. In a nutshell, then, the ·meaning of Communist Anarchi.sm is this : the abolition of government, of coercive authority and all its agencies, and joint ownership-which means free and equal participation in the general work and welfare. "You said that Anarchy will secure economic equality," remarks your friend. "Does that mean equal pay for all·?" It does. Or, what amounts to the same, equal participation in the public welfare. Because, as we already know, labour is social. No man can create 28 BibllotecaG no Bianco
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