Federalism (in anarchism) is a mode of organisation where different individuals and groups
form horizontal networks on the basis of offering solidarity and mutual aid in shared
endeavours. Rather than having a top-down leadership, council, or centralised committee, a
federation has a method of collective decision making that gives all parts of the
organisation fair and equal input on decisions that are being made. ---- Membership of a
federation is undertaken on the basis of free association. This means that potential
members would be fully informed of the organisations structure and direction in advance of
agreeing to join. Once part of the federation the new member could be involved in any
decision making. The structures for making decisions would utilise some form of
participatory direct democracy where each member has fair input.
When it isn't practical or necessary for every individual to attend a discussion, smaller
groups within a federation can select a delegate to carry their views on a particular
issue. Delegates do not have the power to make decision on their own, only relay the
position(s) as they have been advised and to make changes as their mandate allows. Any
points of deviation or debate have to be taken back to be ratified by the group as a
whole. The federation may also select officers to undertake certain tasks, however these
again fall within a set mandate as provided by the federation.
These roles are subject to rotation so as to share workload and responsibility. If an
officer/delegate is felt to have gone out-with their mandate or acted in bad faith then
mechanisms are in place to recall their position and review any actions undertaken.
The aims, principles, activity and structure of a federation are collectively developed
and voluntarily accepted by it's members. At the same time a federal structure allows for
members to act as they want and remain part of the federation as long as are not
undermining its collectively agreed activities.
While decisions won't always go someone's way, that is part of being around other people.
The big difference when compared with hierarchal structures is that each member would have
fair input into decisions being made.
If a member has a fundamental conflict with the federation then free association allows
for them leave. Due to the level of collective agreement in the decision making this is
unlikely to take place on a whim. Members would also have accepted the mechanisms by which
the federation could come to a decision to disassociate (as in removing membership) from a
person or group.
Federalism and free association are important in all areas of class struggle. Without them
our struggles will be isolated and unable to overcome capitalism and lead to a free
communist society. If our struggles take on a hierarchal form then a class system will be
part of any outcome. Class society can not be ended, or communism reached, by putting a
different group in charge.
There are two examples of anarchist federations in the UK; ourselves in the aptly named
Anarchist Federation (with our pamphlets 'The Role of the Revolutionary Organisation' and
'Basic Bakunin' both touching on this subject), and the Solidarity Federation (a
revolutionary union initiative). Both federation's websites have great about sections that
detail how they organise.
https://afed.org.uk/introducing-federalism-free-association/
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