The First Anarchist: A discussion of the ideas of Pierre-Josef Proudhon

Anomie: Anarchy in the 21st Century

In this episode we go back to the 19th century origins of European Anarchism with the ideas of the first thinker to describe himself as an Anarchist, Proudhon. He is remembered today for such soundbites as "Property is theft" and "Anarchy is order" but few know that he first expressed so many of the views the Libertarian Left hold dear today. His writings on Mutualist Federation, a fair division of land according to need and labour, and the importance of the working class as the engine of revolution started the conversations many of us still have today. He also had a dark side which included racism, anti-Semitism and misogyny which we will not shy away from.

Please find below some links to our sources for this podcast:

https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/peter-h-marshall-demanding-the-impossible#toc70 (Chapter on Proudhon)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ws_-J4UuwP0&ab_channel=Then%26Now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43Y4Nd0AJcE&ab_channel=Then%26Now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyFySXwVvUM&ab_channel=GreatAnarchists

https://www.libertarianism.org/columns/man-paradox-pierre-joseph-proudhon

https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/robert-graham-the-general-idea-of-proudhon-s-revolution