Because anarchism and liberalism share a philosophical root: individualism. Their individualist world outlook makes them highly receptive to liberal critiques of political and social projects built on collectivism.

The cornerstone of anarchism is the individual, whose emancipation, according to its tenets, is the principal condition for the emancipation of the masses, the collective body. According to the tenets of anarchism, the emancipation of the masses is impossible until the individual is emancipated. Accordingly, its slogan is: “Everything for the individual.” The cornerstone of Marxism, however, is the masses, whose emancipation, according to its tenets, is the principal condition for the emancipation of the individual. That is to say, according to the tenets of Marxism, the emancipation of the individual is impossible until the masses are emancipated. Accordingly, its slogan is: “Everything for the masses.”

• “Anarchism or Socialism?”

Whether those critiques are based on fact or fiction unfortunately doesn’t always matter very much because the mere accusation serves to confirm preconceived notions about socialist states as they have been portrayed for over a century by western anti-communist propaganda.

When your world view is centered around an opposition to any kind of authority, you are inclined to believe anything that validates your negative opinion of anyone or anything that exercises authority, without regard to where the accusations come from or how valid they are.

Since the main source of anti-communist propaganda is western liberal media that is where anarchists take their talking points from. These resonate especially with western anarchists whose world outlook is still rooted in the liberal values that permeate western societies.