Freedom and Authoritarianism

Freedom and Authoritarianism

Freedom and equality are intertwined with one another. Freedom is defined as the custom of being free, political independence, and the possession of civil rights. When reflecting upon the history of the twentieth century many people all over the world were not afforded the luxury of being born with freedom or born with equal rights. In most cases, those people were often oppressed or subjugated by various forms of systematic state sponsored authoritarianism and terror. In order to receive the freedom necessary to survive and the equality required to live a happy and successful life the oppressed people had to take action. Often times the action took on various forms such as, revolts or nonviolent campaigns. Because the governments reliance on authoritarianism and terror to control their citizens, often times revolts and/or nonviolent campaigns were the consequence. Therefore, any advances towards gaining freedom and equality cannot happen without some form of systematic state-sponsored authoritarianism and terror taking place first. It is no coincidence because the two phenomena are linked.

As mentioned before, any gains toward freedom and equality coexist with authoritarianism and terror maintained by the government. Emma Goldman, an anarchist, speaks of freedom, in "Victims of Morality", but believes that religion is the main factor hindering the growth of that freedom. Goldman uses the term "morality" when referencing religion. Goldman believes that "morality" is "paralyzing to the minds and hearts of the people." She also believes that morality forces people to become conformists during the process of reasoning and the completion of daily tasks, by ignoring their true inner thoughts and feelings. Therefore, Goldman believes that morality restricts people's happiness and freedom by "shutting out love, light, and joy from the lives of innumerable victims." As a result, Goldman does not believe that morality will help eradicate the ills of society. Goldman's views involving religion and freedom differ from those of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s views involving that same topic.

In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail", his belief was that any gains toward freedom and equality could not happen without the use of God's will and the influence of Christian values. Dr. King Jr. believed that Christianity and his faith in God would help eradicate the many injustices in society. A guiding force in Dr. King Jr.'s nonviolent protest were the "principles dear to the Christian faith", in which, the need to fight injustices against people was on of them. He also believed that the rights denied to the oppressed were "God-given rights" and necessary to live a prosperous life. Dr. King's faith in the church and religion to help maintain his crusade against injustices was tested but the involvement of the "white church and its leadership." He yearned for the acknowledgement from the white religious leaders of the community to "see the justice" of the nonviolent campaign and "serve as the channel" to enable the "passionate yearnings of the oppressed race" to reach the "power structure." Because the majority of the white ministers stood by idly watching the fight for justice, Dr. King felt that they were being controlled by their "fear of being nonconformists" and that the white church had a "weak" and "ineffectual voice; which allowed the "power structure" to be "consoled" by the church's silence.

Dr. King's nonviolent approach to achieving freedom and equality is on the opposite end of the spectrum when compared to the views of Franz Fanon, Malcolm X, and V. I. Lenin. All three authors; Fanon, Malcolm X, and Lenin condoned the use of violence. Their views on violence, although not the same, are very similar. Franz Fanon, in his "The Wretched of the Earth", believes that freedom cannot be obtained without the use of violence. He believed that the United States, following in the footsteps if Europe, "became a monster" and "has justified her crimes and legitimized slavery." Fanon believes that more would be accomplished if the U.S. did not attempt to emulate the ways of Europe. He wants every person to work collectively as a whole, "combine our muscles and our brains in a new direction" in order to receive freedom.

In Malcolm X's "The Ballot or the Bullet" he speaks about the "political oppressionÐ'...economic exploitationÐ'... and social degradation" that many blacks have experienced "at the hands of the white man." He believes that in order to obtain freedom and equality a choice must be made, either "ballot or the bullet." Malcolm X advocates the use of violence is necessary but first provides alternatives unlike Lenin and Fanon. Malcolm X realizes the power of voting and the necessity of the Blackman to become "politically mature" in order to end the political oppression. He says, "when white people are evenly dividedÐ'... it is left up to them [black people] to determine who's going to sit in the White House." In addition,