We, The Anarchists - An Interview with Stuart Christie
We, The Anarchists is an attempt to set the record straight about the true nature of what become one of the most vilified anarchist organizations of all time—the Federación Anarquista Ibérica, better known by its initials—the FAI. I also try to show, by using the historical example of the anarcho-syndicalist labor union, the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT) and the FAI, how anarchists and anarchist organizations are equally subject to the process of institutionalization and what the German sociologist Robert Michels described as “Iron law of oligarchy” as any other social groupings.
We, The Anarchists - An Interview with Stuart Christie
By Chuck Morse
February 2, 2009
Revolution by the Book (AK Press blog)
Anarchist participation in the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939 remains one of the most complicated, inspiring, and troubling moments in the history of anti-authoritarian activism. Even today, more than seven decades later, historians and militants continue to study and debate the events.
One such person is Stuart Christie, a longtime anarchist, whose recent book, We, The Anarchists! A Study of the Iberian Anarchist federation (FAI) 1927-1937, attempts to answer key questions about the fate of the anarchist movement, while also bringing alive some of the drama of the times.
I asked Christie to tell me a little about his book in January of this year. What follows is a transcript of our exchange. * * *
Please describe your book and its main thesis.
We, The Anarchists is an attempt to set the record straight about the true nature of what become one of the most vilified anarchist organizations of all time—the Federación Anarquista Ibérica, better known by its initials—the FAI. I also try to show, by using the historical example of the anarcho-syndicalist labor union, the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT) and the FAI, how anarchists and anarchist organizations are equally subject to the process of institutionalization and what the German sociologist Robert Michels described as “Iron law of oligarchy” as any other social groupings.
