The texts featured here include some particularly useful and historically significant individual statements anarchy and anarchism, along with a variety of lesser-known essays. A collection drawn from this material is being prepared for publication under the title ANARCHIST BEGINNINGS: Declarations and Professions of Faith, 1840-1920.
A second phase of the project will begin to collection organizational statements and manifestos. Texts can also be accessed by tendency: anarchist individualism, anarchist communism, etc.
You will also find research on the development of the anarchist vocabulary, destined for a monograph-in-progress, “A Good Word:” Anarchy in All its Senses, linked below.
PRECURSORS AND RELATED TENDENCIES: pre-1840
- Adin Ballou, “Non-Resistance in Relation to Human Governments” (1839)
THE ERA OF ANARCHY: 1840—1880
- P.-J. Proudhon, “Determination of the Third Social Form” [from What is Property?] — 1840
- Josiah Warren, “Manifesto” — 1841
- Max Stirner, from “The Unique and Its Property” —
- Mikhail Bakunin, “I believe neither in constitutions, nor in laws” — 1848
- Anselme Bellegarrigue, “Anarchy is Order” [from Anarchy, a Journal of Order no. 1] — 1850
- Elisée Reclus, “The Development of Liberty in the World” — 1850
- Félix Pignal, The Philosophy of Defiance — 1854
- Ernest Coeurderoy, “Demolish Authority!” [excerpt from Days of Exile] — 1850
- Joseph Déjacque, from “The Revolutionary Question” —
- Eliphalet Kimball, “Law, Commerce, and Religion” — 1862
- César de Paepe, “Anarchy” — 1863
- Calvin Blanchard, “A Crisis Chapter on Government” — 1865
- Arthur Ranc, “Anarchy” — 1869
- Mikhail Bakunin, “What is Authority?” [from “God and the State”] — 1870
THE ERA OF ANARCHISM: 1881—1920
- Peter Kropotkin, “On Order” — 1881
- Emile Digeon, “Rights and Duties in Rational Anarchy” — 1882
- Elisée Reclus, “An Anarchist on Anarchy” — 1884
- Albert R. Parsons, “Parsons’ Plea for Anarchy” — 1886
- C. L. James, “Anarchism Defined by an Anarchist” — 1886
- Albert R. Parsons on Anarchy — 1887
- Lucy Parsons on Anarchy — 1887
- Dyer D. Lum, “On Anarchy” — 1887
- Joseph Lane, “An Anti-Statist Communist Manifesto” — 1887
- John Henry Mackay, “Anarchy” (poem) — 1888
- David Andrade, “Anarchy“— 1889
- Hugh O. Pentecost, “Anarchy” — 1889
- Victor Yarros, “Anarchistic Socialism” — 1889
- Robert Harding, “ABC of Anarchism” — 1889
- Joseph Labadie, “Anarchism: What it Is and What it Is Not” — 1890s
- Louise Michel, “Why we are Anarchists” — 1891
- Errico Malatesta, “Anarchy” — 1891
- Johann Most, “Why I Am a Communist” — 1892
- Ravachol, “My Principles” — 1892
- Benjamin R. Tucker, “Why I Am an Anarchist” — 1892
- Louisa Sarah Bevington, “Wanted: Order” — 1893
- Victor Yarros, “Anarchism: What it Is and What it Is Not” — 1893
- Emile Henry, “Letter to the Director of the Conciergerie” — 1894
- J.A. Andrews, “A Handbook of Anarchy” — 1894
- Henry Seymour, “The Two Anarchisms” — 1895
- Ross Winn, “A Vision of Anarchy” — 1895
- Brother, “What Anarchism Is” — 1895
- Henry Addis, “Why I Am an Anarchist” — 1896
- Emma Goldman & Johann Most, “Anarchy Defended by Anarchists” — 1896
- Peter Kropotkin, “Anarchy: Its Philosophy and Ideal” — 1896
- Louise Michel, “Why I am an Anarchist” — 1896
- Voltairine de Cleyre, “Why I am an Anarchist” — 1897
- William Henry van Ornum, “What is Anarchy?” — 1897
- Elbert Hubbard, “I Am an Anarkist (The Better Part)” — 1899
- Voltairine de Cleyre, “Anarchism” — 1901
- Ross Winn, “The Archic (A Fairy Tale)” — 1903
- Albert Libertad, “Liberty” — 1908
- Emma Goldman, “A Beautiful Ideal” — 1908
- Emma Goldman, “Anarchism: What it Really Stands For” — 1911
- Emile Armand, “A Little Manual for the Anarchist Individualist” — 1911
- Edward Carpenter, “Non-Governmental Society” — 1911
- Lucy Parsons, “I Am an Anarchist” — 1913
- Max Nettlau, “Anarchism: Communist or Individualist? Both” — 1914
- Sara Bard Field, “My Debt to Anarchism” — 1915
- Renzo Novatore, “Anarchist Individualism in the Social Revolution” — 1919
- Joseph Labadie, “The Aims of Anarchism” — 1920
- Walter Everette Hawkins, “Credo” [poem] — 1920
- Sébastien Faure, “Anarchy” (Anarchist Encyclopedia) [excerpt] — 1934
MILE-MARKERS & PROGRESS REPORTS
- Harry Kelly, “Anarchism—A Plea For The Impersonal” — 1908
A GOOD WORD: ANARCHY IN ALL ITS SENSES
- Anarchy, understood in all its senses—I (Proudhon, introduction)
- Anarchy, understood in all its senses—II (Proudhon, 1839-1841)
- Joseph Déjacque and the First Emergence of “Anarchism”
- Libertarian socialist historiography (Gaston Leval, René Berthier)
Related texts:
- Gaston Leval, “Libertarian Socialist! Why?” (1956)