# Anarchists — Essays character guide > Anarchists in Essays by Errico Malatesta. **Role:** major **Also known as:** the Anarchists **First appearance:** 0000-anarchy ## Snapshot The restless collective at the book's heart — organizers, union agitators, and theorists who insist they are the truest Socialists, and demand a seat at any congress that claims to speak for workers. ## Who they are They are not avengers or dispensers of justice but would-be deliverers, arguing that land, tools, and accumulated wealth must become the common property of all mankind. Their quarrel with parliamentary Socialists is tactical and temperamental: they trust organized workers over government concessions, direct agreement over decrees from a central body, and fear that representation will breed a new class of professional politicians. Their insistence on taking part in the International Congress — and their refusal to be quietly excluded — frames the book's early argument about who owns the word socialism. ## Relationships ### [Socialists](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/essays_se/characters/socialists) _rivalry_ Frequent ideological clashes over revolutionary methods and goals, with anarchists opposing socialist state-building. ### [the masters](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/essays_se/characters/the_masters) _rivalry_ Anarchists fundamentally oppose the authority and power of the masters, viewing them as enemies of freedom. ## In the story ### [Anarchy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/essays_se/chapters/anarchy) The authorial voice represents the anarchist perspective, critiquing government and authority throughout the chapter. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/essays_se/chapters/i) Implied as the proponents of the free, voluntary society described; the chapter outlines the anarchist vision of a society without government or private property. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/essays_se/chapters/ii) Referenced as those whose principles are misconstrued by critics. ### [A Bit of Theory](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/essays_se/chapters/a-bit-of-theory) The chapter presents the anarchist perspective on revolution, distinguishing their goals and means from authoritarian parties. ### [The Duties of the Present Hour](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/essays_se/chapters/the-duties-of-the-present-hour) The primary audience; criticized for isolation and urged to participate in popular movements. ### [Anarchy and Violence](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/essays_se/chapters/anarchy-and-violence) Discussed as a diverse group with differing views on violence, from those rejecting all force to those embracing any act in the name of anarchy. ### [Should Anarchists Be Admitted to the Coming International Congress?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/essays_se/chapters/should-anarchists-be-admitted-to-the-coming-international-congress) The author identifies as an anarchist-communist or collectivist, defending anarchists as true socialists who advocate for expropriation, solidarity, and direct action. ### [Anarchism and Syndicalism](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/essays_se/chapters/anarchism-and-syndicalism) Anarchists are urged to participate in the Labour movement to provide revolutionary impulse and criticism, but to avoid identifying Syndicalism as equivalent to Anarchism. ### [Anarchists and the Situation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/essays_se/chapters/anarchists-and-the-situation) Positioned as the vanguard minority whose ideas have infiltrated the broader movement, despite persecution. ### [Capitalists and Thieves](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/essays_se/chapters/capitalists-and-thieves) Defended against false accusations by the capitalist press linking them to the thieves; their position on theft is clarified as opposition to all forms of exploitation. ### [The General Strike and the Insurrection in Italy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/essays_se/chapters/the-general-strike-and-the-insurrection-in-italy) Implied as part of the revolutionary and Labour organisations agitating against military despotism and participating in the general strike. ### [Anarchists Have Forgotten Their Principles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/essays_se/chapters/anarchists-have-forgotten-their-principles) Criticized for forgetting their principles and supporting the war alongside governments and bourgeoisie. ### [Anti-Militarism](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/essays_se/chapters/anti-militarism) Implied as the community Malatesta addresses; he distinguishes true anarchist anti-militarism from Kropotkin's position. ### [Italy Also!](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/essays_se/chapters/italy-also) Remain loyal to their anti-war flag, are imprisoned by the Italian government, and are feared for their influence on the masses. ### [Pro-Government Anarchists](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/essays_se/chapters/pro-government-anarchists) Majority remain faithful to anarchist convictions, protesting the manifesto's implication of anarchism in supporting the war. ### [The Dictatorship of the Proletariat and Anarchy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/essays_se/chapters/the-dictatorship-of-the-proletariat-and-anarchy) Malatesta speaks as an anarchist, reaffirming the anarchist rejection of dictatorship. ### [The Two Roads](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/essays_se/chapters/the-two-roads) Advocated for immediate expropriation and decentralized self-organization after insurrection. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/essays_se/characters/anarchists - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/essays_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/essays_se/characters