Errico Malatesta discussed the strategy of what we would call the united front. ("Against the Monarchy: Appeal to All Men of Progress" in Vol. IV of his Complete Works, titled "Towards Anarchy," and the essay "We Need Our 'Kindred'", in Vol. V titled, "The Armed Strike.") Considering the possibility of a revolution against the monarchist/capitalist state which ruled Italy at the time, he called for an alliance of the revolutionary anarchist-socialists with the "democratic socialists" and with the "republicans" (anti-monarchist democrats). They would each keep their organizations and raise their own politics, but they should coordinate their activities to fight the established monarchy--since each alone was not strong enough to overthrow the monarchist state. Of course, Malatesta hoped that an anti-monarchist revolution would go further than the allies wanted, toward anarchist-socialism.
By the time of the second essay, he still supported the idea in principle, but said that it had not worked. The Social Democrats and the Republicans had refused to join such an alliance. (This does not mean that it was wrong to raise it. Their refusal may be used to expose them to working people as not really willing to fight the monarchy and capitalism.)
This was the strategy which the Italian anarcho-syndicalists tried to use during the rise of the fascists. They sought a fighting alliance against the fascists with the Socialists, the Communists, and radical republicans. At times it worked to drive the fascists from the streets. But the Socialists signed a non-aggression pact with the fascists (!), and the Communists refused to participate unless they ruled. (Young, militant, republicans were cooperating.)
Pro-vote anarchs keep appealing to kith and kin - while expecting different results each time. This is one dysfunctional political family. Why I appeal to strong AI to help us all cross-over into post-left-anarchy ( Cryptoanarchy )
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