Anarchism - A Classic Study of Anarchist Thinkers, Ideas, and Political Theory
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Book Overview
A systematic and influential study of anarchist political thought, Anarchism examines the ideas of the major theorists who shaped one of the most controversial movements in modern political philosophy.
Paul Eltzbacher approaches anarchism not as a slogan or a single doctrine, but as a family of related theories about law, the state, property, society, and individual freedom. He studies the writings of leading anarchist thinkers, including William Godwin, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Max Stirner, Mikhail Bakunin, Peter Kropotkin, Benjamin Tucker, and Leo Tolstoy, comparing their arguments and identifying both their shared principles and their sharp differences. The result is a clear, organized account of a political tradition often misunderstood by both its critics and its admirers.
First published in 1900, Anarchism remains valuable because of its disciplined structure and historical importance. Rather than reducing anarchism to chaos or rebellion, Eltzbacher treats it as a serious body of social and political theory, concerned with authority, coercion, justice, voluntary association, and the limits of government. For readers interested in political philosophy, radical thought, socialism, libertarian theory, and the history of modern revolutionary movements, this work offers a useful and compact introduction to the thinkers who defined anarchism as an intellectual tradition.
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