The Hell is “Syndicalism”?

Syndicalism is a form of socialism. Depending on who you ask, it is either a proposed economic system, a method of achieving communism, or both. Thankfully, the first figures into the second, so we can talk about it more easily. Taken as an economic model, syndicalism proposes that all industries be controlled by revolutionary trade unions. These unions would form large industrial syndicates, organized by elected & instantly recallable delegates, and work together based on the principle of mutual aid to manage the economy.

…what?

OK, imagine that in a syndicalist economy, you work at a bakery, and your neighbor works at a power plant. You need power, your neighbor needs food. On this shared principle of “you scratch my back, I scratch yours”, you and your co-workers can collectively make it so that folks who need power get power, and folks who gotta eat get to eat.

OK, but what’s that have to do with communism?

When we use the word “communism”, we’re not referring to it in the sense of bureaucratic state monopolies, like the USSR or North Korea. We use the word “communism” to mean a stateless, classless, moneyless society where production is organized based on the common need, or the movement to establish such a state of affairs. For anarcho-syndicalists, syndicalist unions and organization is the best way to reach this.

How do syndicalists propose they set things up?

Syndicalism is a form of revolutionary socialism. While there have been parties that claimed syndicalism as their ideology, more often than not, syndicalists have been advocates of direct action, rather than electing politicians. We work directly on the shop floor and with working folks themselves, and believe socialism is not established from above. For us, revolution takes the form of a general strike, in which all the workers band together and strike long enough to bleed the capitalist system dry.

Has this idea ever been put into practice?

During the Spanish Civil War, the anarcho-syndicalist trade union, CNT-FAI (Confederacion Nacional de Trabajor – Federacion Anarquista Iberia; National Confederation of Labor – Iberian Anarchist Federation) gained territory in the northeast corner of the country. Under anarcho-syndicalist management, Catalonia, Aragon, and the Basque regions saw a rise in living standards, production, healthcare, and literacy, while seeing a drop in alcoholism and involuntary sex work (i.e. sex work done because of economic oppression).

“Anarcho” seems to indicate “Anarchist”. Are there non-anarchist interpretations of syndicalism?

You’d be correct on the prefix. This is because syndicalism and anarchism (when it was formalized as a political thought) more or less grew up around the same time, and so were influenced by each other. In the early 20th century, there was a lot of interest in syndicalist ideas from across the political spectrum. People like Daniel DeLeon and James Connolly created Marxist interpretations of syndicalist practice (we also have an ideological cousin of sorts with council communism), liberals like Herbert Croly began championing it as the way out of early 20th century despotism, and it was so popular even the fascists tried to co-opt it under the name “National Syndicalism” or “Fascist Syndicalism”. But in general, the main tendency is an anarchist one.

This all sounds neat! Where can I learn more?

Some basic texts:

Reading all of this would take a while, so it’s not all required. But if you wanna be a nerd about it, this would be the place to start. I also personally recommend Lorenzo Kom’boa Ervin’s Anarchism and the Black Revolution, which I hold as the most important text to contemporary syndicalism, and George Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia, which gives a first-hand account of his days in Revolutionary Catalonia.

OK, I’m on board! What can I do?

Find a revolutionary union! The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), aka the “Wobblies” have branches all over. You can also check out any of the member organizations of the International Confederation of Labor (Confederacion Internacional de Trabajor – CIL) or the International Worker’s Association. And don’t forget…