The General Idea of the Revolution in the Nineteenth Century
Encyclopedia
The General Idea of the Revolution in the Nineteenth Century was an influential manifesto written in 1851 by the anarchist philosopher Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
. The book portrays a vision of an ideal society where frontiers are taken down, nation states abolished, and where there is no central authority
or law of government, except for power residing in commune
s, and local associations, governed by contractual law. The ideas of the book later became the basis of libertarian
and anarchist theory, and the work is now considered a classic of anarchist philosophy.
It was published in July 1851, its first edition
of 3,000 copies soon selling out, with a second edition following in August. At the time, Proudhon was still serving the last year of a prison sentence begun in 1851, for attacking Louis Napoleon Bonaparte as a reactionary.
The central theme of the book is the historical necessity of revolution, and the impossibility of preventing it. Even the forces of reaction produce revolution by making the revolution more conscious of itself, as the reactionaries resort to ever more brutal methods to suppress the inevitable. Proudhon stresses that that it is the exploitative nature of capitalism
that creates the need for government, and that revolutionaries must change society by changing its economic basis. Then the authoritarian form of government will become superfluous.
He proposes that the Bank of France be turned into a 'Bank of Exchange', an autonomous democratic institution rather than a state-controlled monopoly
. Railways and large industry should be given to the workers themselves. His vision of a future is a society made up of self-governing, democratic organizations, with no central authority controlling them.
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon was a French politician, mutualist philosopher and socialist. He was a member of the French Parliament, and he was the first person to call himself an "anarchist". He is considered among the most influential theorists and organisers of anarchism...
. The book portrays a vision of an ideal society where frontiers are taken down, nation states abolished, and where there is no central authority
Centralized government
A centralized or centralised government is one in which power or legal authority is exerted or coordinated by a de facto political executive to which federal states, local authorities, and smaller units are considered subject...
or law of government, except for power residing in commune
Commune
Commune may refer to:In society:* Commune, a human community in which resources are shared* Commune , a township or municipality* One of the Communes of France* An Italian Comune...
s, and local associations, governed by contractual law. The ideas of the book later became the basis of libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
and anarchist theory, and the work is now considered a classic of anarchist philosophy.
It was published in July 1851, its first edition
First edition
The bibliographical definition of an edition includes all copies of a book printed “from substantially the same setting of type,” including all minor typographical variants.- First edition :...
of 3,000 copies soon selling out, with a second edition following in August. At the time, Proudhon was still serving the last year of a prison sentence begun in 1851, for attacking Louis Napoleon Bonaparte as a reactionary.
The central theme of the book is the historical necessity of revolution, and the impossibility of preventing it. Even the forces of reaction produce revolution by making the revolution more conscious of itself, as the reactionaries resort to ever more brutal methods to suppress the inevitable. Proudhon stresses that that it is the exploitative nature of capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
that creates the need for government, and that revolutionaries must change society by changing its economic basis. Then the authoritarian form of government will become superfluous.
He proposes that the Bank of France be turned into a 'Bank of Exchange', an autonomous democratic institution rather than a state-controlled monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
. Railways and large industry should be given to the workers themselves. His vision of a future is a society made up of self-governing, democratic organizations, with no central authority controlling them.
External links
- General Idea of the Revolution in the Nineteenth Century 1923 English translation by John Beverly RobinsonJohn Beverley Robinson (anarchist)John Beverley Robinson , was an American anarchist author, publisher, translator, and architect.He was for a time publisher of the Free Soiler the newsletter of the Georgist American Free Soil Society...
at the Fair Use Repository