Definition of Anarchy by Andrew Oforma Eze
ANARCHY
Anarchy literally, means “one without rulers”. It is a state of lawlessness, chaos and disorder. It can be defined as a situation in which there are no formal rules and regulations or legitimate institutions that are capable of guiding the conduct of individuals. It is a state of lawlessness in the highest order.
Under the state of anarchy citizens are free to behave the way they like with impunity. The question of fundamental human rights, justice, equity and fairness is often being denied or not pronounced.
Our questions are:
1. What causes anarchy in a state?
2. Can war lead to the state of anarchy?
The above two questions will be addressed in this section. What may cause anarchy in a state can be divided into two viz: Primary and Secondary Causes. The primary causes of state of anarchy can be attributed to the personal idiosyncrasy or unconventional behaviour of leaders and followers. Leaders are either elected or appointed to serve, make and maintain laws and orders in a given state. But in a situation in which leaders metamorphose from law arbiter or law abider or lawman to a tyrant or law breaker, the society in question may definitely degenerate into a state of lawlessness (anarchy) if left unchecked.
On the other hand, followers or subjects are also expected to abide by the law made by an authoritative body (legitimate one) for the stability and effective running of a state. But in a situation in which the reverse is the case (that is when followers become deviants and repudiate the established rules of conduct and revolt against their rulers), there will be anarchical tendency that such a state may degenerate into a state of anarchy if their unconventional and uncultivated mannerisms are left unchecked by the constituted authority. The secondary causes of anarchy in a state can be attributed to the forms of government. Hence, right from time immemorial when Aristotle did a systematic comparative analysis of over 150 constitutions, he was able to identify different forms of government which he divided into two: good and bad. He named monarchy or kingship, Aristocracy and polity as good forms of government; while tyranny, oligarchy and democracy were conceived as bad forms of government.
Despite the Aristotelian division of forms of government into two; good and bad, both of them have tendency to degenerate into anarchy. The question is how can good forms of government in respect to Aristotelian perspective degenerate into anarchy? It is germane for us to note that any power left unchecked will definitely get out of control. Therefore, there is a saying that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Using Democracy and Aristocracy as examples; Democracy is a government that is based on the consent of the majority (i.e. based on the consent of the people). In other words, it is a system of government based on the majority rule or people’s consent. The word “freedom or liberty” is the hallmark or plate mark of democracy. Therefore absolute freedom leads to mobocracy, while mobocracy leads to anarchy if left unchecked.
On the other hand, Aristocracy is government by the few privileged noblemen in society that rule for the interest of all. Hence, Aristocracy is rooted in nobility not in the majority (i.e. in quality not quantity) which goes a long way to justify the public dictum of the late communist and revolutionary leader, Vladimir Lenin of Russia that “fewer the better”. Therefore it is certain that there may be oligarchical tendency that the selected few – Aristocrats may metamorphose from oligarchy to tyranny and finally to anarchy in a quest to consolidate and institutionalize their nobility in a state.
The answer to the second question is that war may not necessarily lead to state of anarchy. This is because there is an international parameter for engagement in war, contrary to an old saying that everything goes in the name of war. Even if the metropolitan or national laws are suspended or ineffective the international law will take its full weight in due time.
Anarchy literally, means “one without rulers”. It is a state of lawlessness, chaos and disorder. It can be defined as a situation in which there are no formal rules and regulations or legitimate institutions that are capable of guiding the conduct of individuals. It is a state of lawlessness in the highest order.
Under the state of anarchy citizens are free to behave the way they like with impunity. The question of fundamental human rights, justice, equity and fairness is often being denied or not pronounced.
Our questions are:
1. What causes anarchy in a state?
2. Can war lead to the state of anarchy?
The above two questions will be addressed in this section. What may cause anarchy in a state can be divided into two viz: Primary and Secondary Causes. The primary causes of state of anarchy can be attributed to the personal idiosyncrasy or unconventional behaviour of leaders and followers. Leaders are either elected or appointed to serve, make and maintain laws and orders in a given state. But in a situation in which leaders metamorphose from law arbiter or law abider or lawman to a tyrant or law breaker, the society in question may definitely degenerate into a state of lawlessness (anarchy) if left unchecked.
On the other hand, followers or subjects are also expected to abide by the law made by an authoritative body (legitimate one) for the stability and effective running of a state. But in a situation in which the reverse is the case (that is when followers become deviants and repudiate the established rules of conduct and revolt against their rulers), there will be anarchical tendency that such a state may degenerate into a state of anarchy if their unconventional and uncultivated mannerisms are left unchecked by the constituted authority. The secondary causes of anarchy in a state can be attributed to the forms of government. Hence, right from time immemorial when Aristotle did a systematic comparative analysis of over 150 constitutions, he was able to identify different forms of government which he divided into two: good and bad. He named monarchy or kingship, Aristocracy and polity as good forms of government; while tyranny, oligarchy and democracy were conceived as bad forms of government.
Despite the Aristotelian division of forms of government into two; good and bad, both of them have tendency to degenerate into anarchy. The question is how can good forms of government in respect to Aristotelian perspective degenerate into anarchy? It is germane for us to note that any power left unchecked will definitely get out of control. Therefore, there is a saying that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Using Democracy and Aristocracy as examples; Democracy is a government that is based on the consent of the majority (i.e. based on the consent of the people). In other words, it is a system of government based on the majority rule or people’s consent. The word “freedom or liberty” is the hallmark or plate mark of democracy. Therefore absolute freedom leads to mobocracy, while mobocracy leads to anarchy if left unchecked.
On the other hand, Aristocracy is government by the few privileged noblemen in society that rule for the interest of all. Hence, Aristocracy is rooted in nobility not in the majority (i.e. in quality not quantity) which goes a long way to justify the public dictum of the late communist and revolutionary leader, Vladimir Lenin of Russia that “fewer the better”. Therefore it is certain that there may be oligarchical tendency that the selected few – Aristocrats may metamorphose from oligarchy to tyranny and finally to anarchy in a quest to consolidate and institutionalize their nobility in a state.
The answer to the second question is that war may not necessarily lead to state of anarchy. This is because there is an international parameter for engagement in war, contrary to an old saying that everything goes in the name of war. Even if the metropolitan or national laws are suspended or ineffective the international law will take its full weight in due time.
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