Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not my beliefs, but trying to accurately represent the ideas: Having a state is only necessary during the socialist phase. When society is perfected and true communism is achieved, the state is unnecessary. What Mao refers to as socialism seems to be equivalent to Marx's "dictatorship of the proletariat" phase, which involves the gradual abolishment of the capitalist elements of society (including people). When capit…
> When society is perfected and true communism is achieved, the state is unnecessary. I mean, "the public" still has to make decisions on the allocation of resources, goods, etc. Is the idea that every little decision is put before the whole community to vote on? Everyone spends all day voting on everything? Even assuming the Magic Wand of Communism absolves us of our selfish tendencies, is it also going to make us a…
> Punishment for violation of agreements is balanced by the inalienable right to secede. The right of groups and individuals to choose their own forms of association is, according to Bakunin, the most important of all political rights. The abrogation of this right leads to the reintroduction of tyranny. You cannot secede from a jail. Secession will not paralyze the association. People with strong, overriding common interests will cooperate. Those who stand more to lose by seceding will compromise their differences. Those who have little or nothing in common with the collectivity will not hurt the association by seceding, but will, on the contrary, eliminate a source of friction, thereby promoting general harmony.
This the most reasonable-sounding explanation of the concept of "free association" in anarchism and communism. It definitely glosses over the lessons of much of human history. https://web.archive.org/web/19980206141952/http://flag.black...