School of thought

Anarchism

Movement

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Classification

Period
c. 1840 CE onward
Regions
europe
Domains
Political Philosophy

Overview

Anarchism names diverse historical traditions of anti-authoritarian political thought and practice that emerged in the nineteenth century. These traditions criticize centralized, hierarchical power and explore forms of social organization based on freedom and cooperation, but they disagree about whether every state is necessarily illegitimate, whether any authority or coercion can be justified, and whether change should come through reform, direct action, or revolution. Proudhon, Bakunin, Kropotkin, and Goldman developed distinct rather than interchangeable versions of this critique.

Key ideas

  • State and Authority: Some anarchists argue that no state can possess legitimate authority; others make a contingent case against existing states or allow that limited authority could meet a demanding burden of justification.
  • Hierarchy and Domination: Anarchist traditions extend criticism beyond government to different forms of domination and oppressive hierarchy, but they do not all draw the boundary of justified authority in the same place.
  • Mutual Aid: Kropotkin argued that cooperation is an important factor in evolution and social flourishing, offering it as an alternative to accounts that make competition the sole driver.
  • Political Practice: Voluntary association, direct action, and prefigurative organization are important anarchist approaches, while anarchists continue to disagree about nonviolence, revolutionary force, and gradual reform.

Key figures

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon · Mikhail Bakunin · Peter Kropotkin · Emma Goldman

Influenced by

Reacts to

  • Marxism

    The Bakunin–Marx split at the First International crystallized a lasting opposition between libertarian and authoritarian socialism, anarchism rejecting the transitional state Marx accepted.

References