Mutualism (economic theory)

The mutualism (Latin mutuus: " mutually, reciprocally" to double mutuellisme of mutuel ) refers to a social reform movement that saw the principal means of protecting their interests in the mutual economic support of the workers.

Origin

The name goes back to the union of workers and craftsmen who in the twenties of the 19th century in France numerous formed and assumptions usually name and character of societies for mutual support ( Sociétés de secours mutuel ), as these are the only legally tolerated form of workers' organizations were. The best known was the association founded in Lyon in 1827 the weavers, the mutualists ( mutuellistes ) called themselves.

This severely disadvantaged, proletarianised from publishing system Kleinmeister founded an association for solidarity in defense of their interests. They committed by statute to provide material support through no fault of distressed members from a cash register, which means most einkamen by fines, for release of free looms to professional colleagues and to exchange production experience; In addition, they also led the law did not allow the fight against the increase in commodity prices and the reduction of the item wages for their work products.

As a modern replacement for resolution gilds the mutualism also had significantly conservative traits. He tried to compensate for the loss of privileges, self-determination and solidarity of the craftsmen by self-determined division of labor since industrialization.

History

The mutualists played a special role in the first revolt of the silk weavers in Lyon in 1831, when the Weber " live by working or die fighting " with the slogan raised. Thereafter the number of mutualistic organizations rose in Lyon and in other cities of France by leaps and bounds, many of which began to organize the illegal trade union struggle. The impending ban on their activities by the new Law on Associations of April 1834, the impetus for the second Lyons uprising that took on a political character.

In other countries, the mutualism originated as an early form of proletarian solidarity and mutual aid against the " capitalist exploitation ". In France, the highlight of mutualism was exceeded after the second Lyons uprising. As far as he persisted, he lived on as a reform movement that was confined to cooperative efforts. One reason for this was that polemic against private property found in the medium term is no consensus among those affected.

Sociological Theory

Building on the Lyon tradition, which he personally met 1843 - mutuelle and probably inspired by his own experiences at the School, a private school where the children of each other, ie, the older the younger, taught - took over Pierre -Joseph Proudhon, the principle of mutualism as the theoretical basis of his conception socialism.

According to Proudhon, who recognized no central management of socialist society, but idealized the spontaneity of simple commodity production, all social relations should be governed solely by the principle of voluntary reciprocity. By this he meant the exchange of the products according to the simple law of value, the assurance of "equality " and "justice" of this exchange through an interest-free credit for all producers for the procurement of the required of them means of production and the voluntary, based on mutual agreement formation of cooperatives and collective agreements at all.

Thus Proudhon reduced his conception of socialism on a base of small-scale producers. Then he called his system mutualism, were called his followers in the French working-class movement mutualists. As far as they left Proudhonists the First International belonged, the statute forbade them in 1871 as all other sections of the leadership of such names.

The sociologist Emile Durkheim took as his reflections on solidarity among others the phenomenon of mutualism.

Further Reading

• Peter Decker, Konrad Hecker: the proletariat. Emancipated politically, socially disciplined, exploited globally, spoiled nationalistic. Object point Verlag, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-929211-05- X
• Peter A. Kropotkin: Mutual Aid in the animal and human world. Nevertheless Verlag, Grafenau 1993, ISBN 3-922209-32-7
• Hector zoccoli, Anarchy: Your Herald - your ideas - your deeds. Attempt at a systematic and critical overview, as well as an ethical assessment. ( See: The economic critique PJ Proudhon: The theoretical standpoint of Proudhon, page 73 / The current antagonism of capitalist civilization, page 89 / Organizing by industrial agreements, S. 102 / class differences and class domination, S. 211 / Political and economic organization, p 220 / the elimination of wage labor, p 244 / the economic freedom: the freedom of production and sales of goods, p 274 / the money monopoly, p 274 / the bottom monopoly, p 276. / the tariff monopoly, p 276 / the patent monopoly, p 277 / the trusts, S. 278 / the dependency principle of capitalist society, p 297 ). Authorized Translation from the Italian by Siegfried night (pseudonym for: Arnold Roller). 1st edition, published by Maas & van Suchtelen, Leipzig and Amsterdam, 1909.

Further meaning

Mutualism referred Next financially scientific hypothesis that at relatively the same tax burden every taxpayer money even those victims would take upon himself, of which others have a benefit.