animal liberation; animal rights; communism; anarchism; anarcho-punk; UK; history
The development and maintenance of capitalism as a system that
exploits humans is dependent upon the abuse of animals. Furthermore the movement that
abolishes capitalism by changing the relations between humans - communism - also involves
a fundamental transformation of the relations between humans and animals.
Published by Antagonism and Practical History, October 1999
please send comments or criticisms by email to practicalhistory@hotmail.com
or to:
Antagonism Press
c/o BM Makhno
London WC1N 3XX
Illustration: working class rebels have often been caricatured as animals. This example
from Punch
(1881) depicts an Irishman with ape like features at the time of the Irish Land League,
when the eviction of tenants was met with mass resistance including the assassination of
landlords (Information on Ireland).
Introduction
Capitalism and class society
Communism
PostScript: Anarcho-punk, the ALF and the miners' strike - a
cautionary tale from the 1980s
Sources
For word, zipped word or pdf versions of this document, go to Antagonism
This is a text which, we hope, faces in two directions. On the one hand we hope that it will be read by people interested in animal liberation who want to consider why animal exploitation exists, as well as how. On the other hand, by those who define themselves as anarchists or communists who either dismiss animal liberation altogether or personally sympathise with it but don't see how it relates to their broader political stance.
While there have always been groups and individuals with feet in both camps, for the most part discussion between those involved in animal liberation and communists has been at a derisory level. 'Debate,' in so far as it exists, consists mainly of abuse and rarely moves beyond the level of comments like 'wasn't Hitler a vegetarian' (actually not - he injected 'bulls blood' into his testicles, and does this mean you can't be a communist and a house painter or an Austrian?).
We hope to prompt the beginnings of a real debate about the relationship between the 'animal question' and the 'social question'. This text does not claim to have all the answers or to be the 'communist manifesto' for animals, but we think that it does pose some of the key questions. Over to you…