Keith Preston
Encyclopedia
Keith Preston is a Third Position
anarchist
and self-described "pan-secessionist" writer and activist. He is the founder and director of American Revolutionary Vanguard, which promotes an "alternative political vision that is anti-authoritarian, non-militarist, non-Marxist and decentralist," which de-emphasizes "left-wing cultural politics, countercultural lifestyle matters, and liberal pet causes," in favor of "a synthesis of the currently scattered anarchist tendencies" prominently including alliances with tendencies "from the Right," including "anarcho-capitalism, anarcho-monarchism, anarcho-feudalism, national-anarchism
, tribal-anarchism, paleo-anarchism and Christian anarchism."
, and was heavily influenced by the left-wing
radicals Noam Chomsky
, Howard Zinn
, Alexander Cockburn
and Michael Parenti
. Preston is staunchly anti-communist
, and originally joined the anarchist movement because of the anti-state and anti-Marxist ideals of the anarchism. Having arrived at anarchism through the works of Mikhail Bakunin
, Peter Kropotkin
and Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
, Preston joined the Industrial Workers of the World
, served on the national board of the Workers Solidarity Alliance
, and participated in the Love and Rage Network in the late 1980s. In 2002, Preston described himself as a "socialist-anarchist in the classical Bakuninist
tradition."
In the 1990s, he discovered the works of Ludwig von Mises
and Murray Rothbard
, which led him to be influenced by the Austrian School
of economics, particularly Mises' critique of planned economies, Rothbard's legal theory and critique of plutocracy, Friedrich von Hayek's social theory, and Hans Hermann Hoppe's critique of liberal democracy. He incorporated those ideas into a wider syndicalist-mutualist
framework that maintains the emphasis of classical anarchism towards producer-oriented economic arrangements, such as cooperatives, land trusts, mutual banks, barter and exchange networks, partnerships, works councils, agrarian communes, militant industrial unions, family enterprises, small farms and small businesses.
During the 2008 US presidential election
, Preston supported Republican
candidate Ron Paul
and wrote a series of articles defending Paul for LewRockwell.com
. In October 2008, he was awarded the Chris R. Tame Memorial Prize by the United Kingdom's Libertarian Alliance for his anti-capitalist essay, "Free Enterprise: The Antidote to Corporate Plutocracy".
refer to American Revolutionary Guard as national anarchist or neo-Nazi
, saying "Be aware that there are efforts underway to fuse nationalist, white supremacist and neo-nazi ideology with anarchism."
Third Position
Third Position is a revolutionary nationalist political ideology that emphasizes its opposition to both communism and capitalism. Advocates of Third Position politics typically present themselves as "beyond left and right", instead claiming to syncretize radical ideas from both ends of the...
anarchist
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
and self-described "pan-secessionist" writer and activist. He is the founder and director of American Revolutionary Vanguard, which promotes an "alternative political vision that is anti-authoritarian, non-militarist, non-Marxist and decentralist," which de-emphasizes "left-wing cultural politics, countercultural lifestyle matters, and liberal pet causes," in favor of "a synthesis of the currently scattered anarchist tendencies" prominently including alliances with tendencies "from the Right," including "anarcho-capitalism, anarcho-monarchism, anarcho-feudalism, national-anarchism
National-Anarchism
National-Anarchism is a radical, anti-capitalist, anti-statist, right-wing political and cultural ideology which emphasizes ethnic tribalism. As a prelude to an anticipated racial civil war and a collapse of the capitalist system, National-Anarchists seek to establish autonomous villages for...
, tribal-anarchism, paleo-anarchism and Christian anarchism."
Biography
In the 1980s, Preston became strongly opposed to American foreign policy in the Third WorldThird World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
, and was heavily influenced by the left-wing
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
radicals Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
, Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn was an American historian, academic, author, playwright, and social activist. Before and during his tenure as a political science professor at Boston University from 1964-88 he wrote more than 20 books, which included his best-selling and influential A People's History of the United...
, Alexander Cockburn
Alexander Cockburn
Alexander Claud Cockburn is an American political journalist. Cockburn was brought up in Ireland but has lived and worked in the United States since 1972. Together with Jeffrey St. Clair, he edits the political newsletter CounterPunch...
and Michael Parenti
Michael Parenti
Michael Parenti is an award-winning, internationally known American political scientist, historian, and culture critic who has been writing on a wide range of both scholarly and popular subjects for over forty years. He has taught at several universities and colleges and has been a frequent guest...
. Preston is staunchly anti-communist
Anti-communism
Anti-communism is opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed in reaction to the rise of communism, especially after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia and the beginning of the Cold War in 1947.-Objections to communist theory:...
, and originally joined the anarchist movement because of the anti-state and anti-Marxist ideals of the anarchism. Having arrived at anarchism through the works of Mikhail Bakunin
Mikhail Bakunin
Mikhail Alexandrovich Bakunin was a well-known Russian revolutionary and theorist of collectivist anarchism. He has also often been called the father of anarchist theory in general. Bakunin grew up near Moscow, where he moved to study philosophy and began to read the French Encyclopedists,...
, Peter Kropotkin
Peter Kropotkin
Prince Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin was a Russian zoologist, evolutionary theorist, philosopher, economist, geographer, author and one of the world's foremost anarcho-communists. Kropotkin advocated a communist society free from central government and based on voluntary associations between...
and Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon was a French politician, mutualist philosopher and socialist. He was a member of the French Parliament, and he was the first person to call himself an "anarchist". He is considered among the most influential theorists and organisers of anarchism...
, Preston joined the Industrial Workers of the World
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
, served on the national board of the Workers Solidarity Alliance
Workers Solidarity Alliance
Workers Solidarity Alliance is a United States political activist group whose politics are rooted in anarcho-syndicalism and class struggle. WSA is not a trade union or proto-union....
, and participated in the Love and Rage Network in the late 1980s. In 2002, Preston described himself as a "socialist-anarchist in the classical Bakuninist
Mikhail Bakunin
Mikhail Alexandrovich Bakunin was a well-known Russian revolutionary and theorist of collectivist anarchism. He has also often been called the father of anarchist theory in general. Bakunin grew up near Moscow, where he moved to study philosophy and began to read the French Encyclopedists,...
tradition."
In the 1990s, he discovered the works of Ludwig von Mises
Ludwig von Mises
Ludwig Heinrich Edler von Mises was an Austrian economist, philosopher, and classical liberal who had a significant influence on the modern Libertarian movement and the "Austrian School" of economic thought.-Biography:-Early life:...
and Murray Rothbard
Murray Rothbard
Murray Newton Rothbard was an American author and economist of the Austrian School who helped define capitalist libertarianism and popularized a form of free-market anarchism he termed "anarcho-capitalism." Rothbard wrote over twenty books and is considered a centrally important figure in the...
, which led him to be influenced by the Austrian School
Austrian School
The Austrian School of economics is a heterodox school of economic thought. It advocates methodological individualism in interpreting economic developments , the theory that money is non-neutral, the theory that the capital structure of economies consists of heterogeneous goods that have...
of economics, particularly Mises' critique of planned economies, Rothbard's legal theory and critique of plutocracy, Friedrich von Hayek's social theory, and Hans Hermann Hoppe's critique of liberal democracy. He incorporated those ideas into a wider syndicalist-mutualist
Mutualism (economic theory)
Mutualism is an anarchist school of thought that originates in the writings of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, who envisioned a society where each person might possess a means of production, either individually or collectively, with trade representing equivalent amounts of labor in the free market...
framework that maintains the emphasis of classical anarchism towards producer-oriented economic arrangements, such as cooperatives, land trusts, mutual banks, barter and exchange networks, partnerships, works councils, agrarian communes, militant industrial unions, family enterprises, small farms and small businesses.
During the 2008 US presidential election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
, Preston supported Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidate Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul is an American physician, author and United States Congressman who is seeking to be the Republican Party candidate in the 2012 presidential election. Paul represents Texas's 14th congressional district, which covers an area south and southwest of Houston that includes...
and wrote a series of articles defending Paul for LewRockwell.com
LewRockwell.com
LewRockwell.com is a 501 libertarian web magazine operated by Burton Blumert , Lew Rockwell , Eric Garris , and others associated with the Center for Libertarian Studies ; its motto is "anti-state, anti-war, pro-market"...
. In October 2008, he was awarded the Chris R. Tame Memorial Prize by the United Kingdom's Libertarian Alliance for his anti-capitalist essay, "Free Enterprise: The Antidote to Corporate Plutocracy".
Criticism
Infoshop.orgInfoshop.org
- History :Infoshop was founded in January 1995 as the Mid-Atlantic Infoshop by Chuck Munson. Having previously co-founded an online archive of anarchist texts, the Spunk Library, in 1992, Munson established Infoshop as a general resource on anarchism, moving to the domain name Infoshop.org in 1998...
refer to American Revolutionary Guard as national anarchist or neo-Nazi
Neo-Nazism
Neo-Nazism consists of post-World War II social or political movements seeking to revive Nazism or some variant thereof.The term neo-Nazism can also refer to the ideology of these movements....
, saying "Be aware that there are efforts underway to fuse nationalist, white supremacist and neo-nazi ideology with anarchism."
External links
- Attack the System, Keith Preston's political website