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To understand the world of politics and change it for the better, it’s paramount that people begin to study political theory and the ways in which it has manifest throughout history up into the present day. By bringing light to the origins of political and philosophical thought, the present day becomes all the more explainable because one is now able to see the logical progression of such manifestations.

With this urge to better understand the root of many of the common political ideologies present in the world, The Last American Vagabond has decided to team up with Keith Preston in a new podcast series in which the who, what, where, when and how of different political theories will be explored.

INTRODUCTION

For those unaware, Keith Preston was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, United States. He received a B.A. in Religious Studies and an M.A. in History from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, with additional graduate study in Sociology and Criminology. Keith is a former instructor of Sociology at John Tyler Community College. He is a former regional delegate for the Industrial Workers of the World and a former member of the National Committee of the Workers Solidarity Alliance, the U.S. section of the International Workers Association. He is the founder and director of American Revolutionary Vanguard and the chief editor of AttacktheSystem.com. Keith has been a contributor to LewRockwell.com, Antiwar.com, Anti-State.com, Taki’s Magazine, and AlternativeRight.com. He was awarded the 2008 Chris R. Tame Memorial Prize by the United Kingdom’s Libertarian Alliance for his essay, “Free Enterprise: The Antidote to Corporate Plutocracy.” Keith has been a featured speaker at conferences of the National Policy Institute and the H. L. Mencken Club. He has been interviewed on numerous internet podcast and radio programs and appeared as a guest analyst on Russia Today and BBC Persian. He is also host of the ongoing “Attack the System” online podcast series.

Episode 4: Anarchism

In episode 4, Keith and Tim examine the increasingly popular idea of anarchism, which doesn’t necessarily have an agreed upon definition since it means many things to many people, but the general idea is a society free of centralized control, mostly through the abolition of the state. The common feeling of most who see themselves as anarchists is that a tiny elite class of people have gained far too much power in society through the utilization of government, which they have infiltrated and corrupted in order to give themselves an artificial monopolization of power. As a result, most anarchists see the elimination of government as the best solution to centralized control.

However, unbeknownst to many is the understanding that the left and right have very different perceptions when it comes to the definition and goals of anarchism. The left has adopted a more historical approach, seeing it as a vehicle to fight capitalism and the elite rulers within the state that enable this crony form of economics. In the eyes of the left, capitalism and statism are one in the same, in that laborers of the world are getting royally screwed over by the owners of capital, who have gained this privilege through its control over the positions of power within the state. In essence, the largest owners of capital took over the state and now utilize it for their own gains.

On the other end, the right has adopted a newer approach when it comes to anarchism, seeing it as the best vehicle to fight against the state, which is the biggest hindrance in society to free markets. In the eyes of the right, free markets are a thing of beauty and have the greatest ability of all economic systems to bring tangible freedom and peace within the world. With this goal in mind, the state is seen as the greatest threat to free markets, as they usually create monopolies for those most connected to the state, as opposed to those who offer the best product or service. In essence, the state was always corrupt and is the original source of crony-capitalism.

No matter which foundations brought one to the idea of anarchism, both ideologies have the same goal; abolish the current power structure in world.

To better understand the nuances of anarchism, and what a world could look like without the current form of statism, Keith and Tim look at the historical roots of anarchism, the varying ideologies that fall under the umbrella term of anarchism, as well as where the current movement should go from here. With so many problems going on in the world, anarchism has the capability to change the world for the better, but none of that will happen unless those who are anti-establishment can unite under one banner. The goal of this podcast is to ask the tough questions so that the conversation evolves rather than runs around in circles going nowhere as it far too often does. An anarchist community divided will stagnate and go no where fast; but a united one can truly change the world if it continues to mature. Knowledge and understanding is always the first step in the process of evolution.

Previous Episode: What Is Neoconservatism?