Freedom, Society, and State - Ludwig von Mises Institute

will become practically indistinguishable.
c. Anarcho-syndicalism.
Syndicalism is both an organizational structure and
a method of overthrowing the capitalist system. As a
method, syndicalism, as popularized by Georges
Sorei ( 29 ), i sarno v em en t pr em is ed on t he "my t h of the
general strike" and the use of force. Violence, it is
held, is necessary to overthrow both capitalism and the
capitalist state. But to galvanize the workers into
act ion, the y mu s t be 1 i eve inthe i nex 0 r a b 1e t r i urn ph 0 f
their cause. It is this function that the "myth" fulfills.
For by believing that the general strike will
produce the triumph of their cause, it brings into relief
the class antagonisms of the capitalist system. In
do i ng so it un it es the proletar iat, producing an "epic
state of mind" which rouses the proletariat to acts of
"heroism."(30) This triumph of the proletarian will
wi 11 eventually culminate in the overthrow of capitalism.
Bel ief in the myth of the i r inev i table vi ctory, in
other words, produces a will to action that does,
indeed, make their victory inevitable.(31) Such, briefly,
is the method of syndicalism.
We are most interested, however, in the organizational
{ramework that will prevail once syndicalism has
tr iumphed. There is an important difference between
synd i ca 1 ism and communism on the quest ion of the ownership
of the means of production. While both aim to expropriate
these from the capitalist, under communism, as
envisioned by Kropotkin, all workers would collectively
own all capital. Under syndicalism, however, only those
workers in a particular industry would own the means of
product i on wi thin that industry. This bears an obvious
resemblance to the collectivism of Bakunin, and Bakuninism
may actually be seen as a variant of syndicalism, as
can the mutualism of Proudhon.
The essential aspect of syndicalism is workers'
control according to industry. While these syndicates
o r i n d u s t ria lor g ani za t ion s are t 0 be aut 0 nom 0 us, they
are n eve r the 1 esst 0 bel00s ely con federa t ed, bot h ge0g
rap h i cal I y a s weI 1 a s fun c t ionall y • The wo r k e r sin
each locality, according to Rudolph Rocker, will join
the unions of their respective trades. All the unions
in a given region will then be combined into Labor
Chambers. It would be the responsibility of the Labor
Chambers "to determIne the needs of the inhabitants of
their districts and organize local consumption." On the
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