The Young Socialists

Albert Jensen was a Swedish "libertarian socialist" and leading member of the syndicalist dual union SAC (which still exists). He started out as a radical, anarchistic firebrand, but gradually moved towards more pragmatic positions. In 1917, when he penned this pamphlet, he was still (mostly) a firebrand. The little work is only available in Swedish.

Jensen's text is a defense of the "Young Socialists" against the Social Democrats. The Young Socialists (Ungsocialisterna) were an anarchistic split from Social Democracy. Their main principles were anti-militarism, opposition to all religions, and anti-parliamentarianism in the form of "direct action" and the general strike. Ungsocialisterna supported the SAC. All "young socialists" were expected to join the syndicalist dual union, rather than the Social Democratic labor federation, the LO.

The Young Socialists promoted both conscientious objection to military conscription, anti-militarist agitation within the military, and outright mutiny. In the event of war, workers were supposed to sabotage the military machine of all warring nations, thereby creating a revolutionary situation. This sounds super-radical. However, Jensen makes an intriguing concession in his pamphlet: in the event of a democratic but non-socialist revolution, workers might defend their country arms in hand. His concrete examples are revealing: Mexico in 1916 and pre-Bolshevik Russia in 1917. This, of course, was the position of the Social Democrats, not the Bolsheviks or revolutionary anarchists. In 1917, Kerensky's Russia still fought in World War I on the side of the Allies! That's "anti-militarism"?!

In typical anarchist fashion, Jensen makes the fight against "religion", principally Christianity, central to the socialist cause. By contrast, the Social Democrats attempted to win over Christians to the cause of labor, something Jensen rejects. He quotes Bakunin and Nietzsche (sic) to prove the sheer nastiness of religion, which supposedly always preaches "pie in the sky", subservience to the establishment, superstition, etc. Ironically, given his rejection of God and religion, Jensen still believes in a morality common to all men! Where does it come from, especially in a class-divided society marked by class struggle?

Jensen rejects the idea that workers should elect pro-labor politicians, since these will inevitably become part of the establishment and sell out. Instead, the author calls on the workers to directly seize the means of production and turn them into common property. The method of doing so is the general strike, really a prelude to actual revolution. What's less clear is how the society of the future will look like, since Jensen wants to abolish the state and its bureaucracy along with private property. But if the state doesn't own the means of production, who does? Jensen talks vaguely of "free associations", but are they locally organized co-ops, nation-wide industrial federation, or what? And what does it mean that the individual can "freely" enter (and leave?) these associations, especially since Ungsocialisterna explicitly rejected individualist anarchism?

Of course, Ungsocialisterna had little chance of success. The SAC, while influential in some industries, was nevertheless much smaller than the LO. By joining the SAC, the Young Socialists cut themselves off from the majority of the workers they supposedly wanted to reach. By rejecting all forms of parliamentary activity and (at least by implication) politically decided reforms, they isolated themselves even more. And by admitting that anti-militarism is impractical if true democratic gains are under attack by a foreign invader, Jensen showed that his anti-militarism was so much hot air.

In the end, it was Social Democracy that turned Sweden into a livable society, while the SAC and their Young Socialist doubles were left behind...

Jensen's "Ungsocialism - Socialdemokrati" is a good introduction to the basic ideas of Swedish anarchists or anarcho-syndicalists circa 1917, but it's probably not for the general reader. Certainly not in the United States, since the booklet is in the Swedish language! As a Social Democratic compromise, I'll give it three stars.