Anarchism in the Czech Republic is a political movement in theCzech Republic, with its roots in theBohemian Reformation, which peaked in the early 20th century. It later dissolved into the nascent Czech communist movement, before seeing a resurgence after the fall of theFourth Czechoslovak Republic in theVelvet Revolution.
Traces of anarchism can be seen at the beginning of theHussite movement. The Hussites, inspired by the teachings ofJan Hus, held that all authority (includingthe Church) was unjustifiable because it did not follow God's laws. Hence they supported the rights of ordinary subjects to rebel and establish a "society of equals." Although the revolutionaryTábor did establish consumercommunism in its beginnings,[1] the authorities were not suppressed (on the contrary,Jan Žižka imposed an authoritative military order).
A radical faction, the so-calledAdamites, separated from the Hussites. They believed thatthe kingdom of God had already come to pass, but that it would be established by men. They denied all authority, such as marriage, and instead exercised absolute freedom, includingfree love. Adamites and other followers of folk radicalism (historian Vladimír Liška refers to them as the "far left" of the movement[2]) were gradually eliminated by the Hussites.
Side the Hussite movement, there was a religious thinkerPetr Chelčický, who sympathized with the Hussite socially critical views, but rejected violence and armed struggle. He opposed the socialhierarchy (the so-called "triple people"),[3] criticized the Catholic and Hussitenobility and opposed the existence of states. As an early pacifist, Chelčický is considered to be a forerunner ofChristian anarchism andanarcho-pacifism, his teachings were an influence onLeo Tolstoy.[3]
Modern anarchists espouse the Hussites and Czech brothers as their predecessors, judging that "the ideas of the Czech revolutionaries of the fifteenth century were anarchist and communist in nature."[1]
The emergence of the anarchist movement inBohemia andMoravia was closely connected with the split in theCzech Social Democratic Party. The moderate wing promotedparliamentarism andreformism as a peaceful path tosocialism. The radicals, inspired by the ideas ofJohann Most, instead called for an economic, collective and individual struggle. It was from this radical wing that the modern Czech anarchist movement emerged. On the pages of radical magazines and newspapers, "propaganda by deed" was promoted as a tactic. However, the issue of the using violence, which also provided a justification for state repression against the workers' movement, became the subject of debate in the anarchist movement over time.
During the 1890s, a form of so-called "independent socialism" prevailed in the movement. It built on absolute individual freedom and achieved a response in the student progressive movement. In 1896, the half-censored "Manifesto of Czech Anarchists" was published. In 1904, the "Czech Anarchist Federation" (CAF) was formed, which demanded the spread of anarchism between the working class and the intelligentsia.[4] In the same year, the "Czech Federation of Trade Unions" (CFVO) was founded,[4] based on the principles ofanarcho-syndicalism and the political neutrality of trade unions. The CFVO was officially banned in 1908.[4] In 1914, the creation of a "Czech Anarchist Communist Party" was discussed among anarchists, but this idea was largely rejected. Instead, the Czech Anarchist Federation was transformed into the Federation of Czech Anarchist Communists (FČAK).[5]
Many anarchists took part in resistance activities againstAustria-Hungary, which in turn led to the creation of theFirst Czechoslovak Republic. But experiences during theFirst World War and subsequent political developments led most of the anarchist movement in the Czech Republic to revise their political views and practices. They adopted a vision of joining a revolutionary-based political party. Many anarchists, especiallyBohuslav Vrbenský and the union leaders of North Bohemian miners, established closer cooperation with representatives of theCzech National Social Party (ČSNS). In February 1919, the liquidation congress of the Federation of Czech Communist Anarchists (FČAK) took place, which agreed to merge with the ČSNS.
By the mid-1920s, Czech anarchism had lost its momentum, owing to the increased influence ofMarxism-Leninism over the Czech social movement.[6] The group that formed aroundStanislav Kostka Neumann established contacts with theCommunist International and participated in the founding of theCommunist Party of Czechoslovakia. However, after the 5th Congress of the Communist Party in 1929, Neumann and his companions were expelled for releasing theManifesto of the Seven, in which they protested against theBolshevization of the party.
The Czechoslovak Anarchist Association was established in the 1980s, even before theVelvet Revolution. After the revolution and the fall of theFourth Czechoslovak Republic, other organizations began to appear. During the 1990s, the Federation of Social Anarchists, Federation of Anarchist Groups and Czechoslovak Anarchist Federation were formed.[7]Ladronka wassquatted by anarchists in 1993 and became aself-managed social centre.[8] Other squats which followed in the tradition of Ladronka includedMilada andKlinika.[9]
By the 2010s, there were several other anarchist organizations and groups in the Czech Republic, including those operating internationally, such asAntifa,Anarchist Black Cross, Anarcho-Communist alternative,Food Not Bombs,Animal Liberation Front and Voice of Anarchopacifism.[7]
