Talk:Syndicalism

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Is there a difference between syndicalism and anarcho-syndicalism? -- Sam

In the Oxford English Dictionary (full version, 2nd edition), the word "anarcho-syndicalism" is actually defined as "syndicalism". That is the entirety of the definition, the single word "syndicalism"! Of course, dictionaries are not always right, and never as good on politics as encyclopaedias. Nonethelessness, the short answer would be that many people probably see no distinction between "syndicalism" and "anarcho-syndicalism" and if there is a distinction, it's not yet clear from these articles what it is. In French, the word "syndicaliste" means ANY trade union member (from "syndicat", meaning trade union) - but this doesn't tell us anything about the meanings of the English words. --86.134.55.239 11:43, 10 September 2005 (UTC)

There is, yeah :) It's a strategy, more than anything. The anarcho- prefix is simply a variation of the strategy and, in some ways, a declaration of a different aim (although communism is probably the ultimate aim of most syndicalists, anarcho- or not). -- Sam

I don't know what I've gotten it from, but I have seen syndicalism as a method more than anything else. Wasn't the syndicalist movement from the beginning trade unions which had the goal to have unions for the whole working class, independent of political parties? Anarcho-syndicalism is a combination of the anarchistic ideals with the syndicalistic strategy. Davidw 09:14, 25 Aug 2004 (UTC)

The Encyclopedia Britannica lumps all three together, regular syndicalism, anarcho- and revolutionary. I am following their lead.WHEELER 16:07, 5 May 2004 (UTC)

There is a seperate Anarcho-syndicalism article, and I think the distinction must be made here as well. In 19th century Europe the distinction was indeed important; French syndicalists (trade unionists) had much more mild ideas than Spanish anarcho-syndicalists. --Tothebarricades.tk 20:46, 19 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Okay, I removed the anarcho-syndicalist stuff from this page and moved it to Anarcho-syndicalism (without repeat information, of course). This page needs to be fleshed out, though. I think listing syndicalists here is inappropriate for some reason but I don't know whether to create List of syndicalists... --Tothebarricades.tk 21:10, 19 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Trough what I've heard, anarcho-syndicalism is used in France, for able them to differentiate it from ordinary unionism. Anyone else heard this? 23:06, 18 May 2005 UTC

The French word syndicat means "union." If I were writing in French, I suppose I'd use some term like revolutionary syndicalism or anarcho-syndicalism to mean what we usually call "syndicalism" in English-speaking countries. Tribune 09:38, 14 August 2005 (UTC)

Syndicalism was/is an umbrella term for a number of movements inspired, but not similar, to each other. At one point there were 7 different (possibly more) varieties of syndicalism I've identified:

1) Classic syndicalism (pre-1920s) - a radical unionism as practiced by the pre-1920s CGT in France, [Tom Mann] his groups in the British Empire and [Wm Z. Foster]'s Syndicalist groups in Canada and the US. Almost all of these forces were absorbed into the Bolshevik 3rd International. Others went right and helped start the fascist (not nazi) movements in the Latin countries, egNational Syndicalists.

2) The Socialist Labor Party (Australia, Canada, NZ, South Africa, UK and US) under the theory of Daniel DeLeon, the american-carribian marxist. Sought syndicalist unions but under the watch of a political party.

3) The IWW (Argentina, Aus, Canada, Chile, Equador, Germany, Mexico, NZ, RSA, Scanda, UK, US) Which is international (rather than national like the classic syndicalists) and takes no stand regards to poltical/parlimentarian activity (as distinct from anarcho-syndicalists and SLP)

4) Revolutionary syndicalism is similiar to the IWW but is organized on national basis - eg. the SAC in Sweden.

5) Anarcho-syndicalism arose primarilly in Latin Countries especially when opposing bolshevikization of classic syndicalism and parlimentarian action. Organized on national basis.

6) The One Big Union (Aus, Canada and the US) Kind of a cross between the SLP syndicalism and the IWW. The OBU was international, and militant like the IWW but was loosely tied to a political party (Socialist Party of Canada) in Canada where the OBU originated. The OBU was libertarian socialist and opposed the bolshevization of the labor movement.

7) Red Feds in New Zealand, i don't have much info on them.

I'm sure there's also other variants, especially in the latin countries (eg Peronism in Argentina)

Tsiatko 19:05, 17 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] 1936 is bad enough! What's this about 1956?

I am removing the boldfaced citation here, because it seems to be the product of wishful thinking: "Instances of syndicalism in power, during the Spanish Revolution or the 1956 Hungarian Revolution rapidly approach the economic organisation of communism, often within weeks of syndicalists seizing control of social production." The claim about Spain presupposes knowledge of the "economic organization of communism" which, if true, would belong in the relevant articles (and totally rewrite the 20th Century history of Spain). The CNT's entry into the bourgeois/Communist/Popular Front government put them in power alongside Stalin's "Communist" Party, and to the same effect; the contrary myth doesn't belong in wikipedia. The claim about 1956 Hungary is just plain weird. Tribune 09:38, 14 August 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Syndicalism = Fascism

Mussolini was a syndicalist, and also a fascist. So isn't a syndicalist a fascist? See Socialism by Ludwig von Mises on this. (no, I'm not saying Hitler was a syndicalist or a fascist) - MSTCrow 21:17, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

A dog is a canine, and also a pet. But a pet isn't the same as a canine. There is an article on national syndicalism, which is the Mussolini variant of syndicalism. -82.203.170.148 11:53, 5 September 2006 (UTC)