69.5k views
1 vote
Following the shooting, Leon Czolgosz said, "I killed the president because he was the enemy of the good people- the working people." Using context clues, what can you infer is an anarchist? What do you think is the goal of an anarchist?

User Phat Tran
by
7.8k points

1 Answer

2 votes

Final answer:

An anarchist is an individual who seeks to abolish all government and authority, aiming to establish a society based on voluntary cooperation and free association. The goal of an anarchist is often to dismantle what they perceive as oppressive systems that harm the working classes, though their methods for achieving this can vary from peaceful to violent actions.

Step-by-step explanation:

Based on the context clues provided, an anarchist is someone who believes that the existing governmental system and authorities are oppressive to the ordinary people and thus must be overthrown. Leon Czolgosz's statement illustrating his motive for assassinating President McKinley as an act against 'the enemy of the good people- the working people' underscores the anarchist's view that government is inherently exploitative of the working class. The ultimate goal of an anarchist, therefore, is to dismantle all forms of government and organized authority to create a society based on voluntary cooperation and the absence of hierarchy or coercive institutions.

In the historical examples given, such as the Haymarket Riot and the Russian revolutionaries, anarchists were often associated with radical actions aimed at toppling existing power structures. Their methods sometimes included acts of violence, as exemplified by the assassination of Tsar Alexander II or the planning by The People's Will, indicating that some factions of anarchism are willing to employ direct action to achieve their ends. However, not all who identify as anarchists support violent means; many advocate for peaceful means to bring about social and political change.

User TwinPrimesAreEz
by
8.9k points