War and Peace: On the Principle and the Constitution of the Rights of Peoples

by Pierre-Joseph Proudhon

Of Proudhon’s best books, War and Peace is the least well known in the English-speaking world. This first English translation will open up both our understanding of Proudhon’s mature works as well as a window on mid-nineteenth century international relations and the history of international thought. Sharkey’s rich and faithful translation, and Prichard’s scholarly introduction and annotations, bring this book to life for a new, (post)modern audience. This is still one of the only extended accounts of anarchist international theory in history and is one of the earliest in the history of socialist thought. Prichard’s introduction describes both its specificity and the multiple lines of influence it had, on writers as diverse as Tolstoy, Sorel, French sociology more broadly, and post-1945 Anglo-American International Relations theory.

Genres: Politics

625 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1861

About the author

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (15 January 1809 – 19 January 1865) was a French socialist, politician, philosopher, economist, and the founder of mutualist philosophy. He was the first person to declare himself an anarchist, using that term and is widely regarded as one of anarchism's most influential theorists. Proudhon is considered by many to be the "father of anarchism". Proudhon became a member of the French Parliament after the Revolution of 1848, whereafter he referred to himself as a federalist. Proudhon described the liberty he pursued as "the synthesis of communism and property". Some consider his mutualism to be part of individualist anarchism while others regard it to be part of social anarchism.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre-...

Reviews

[Jack Ainsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read if you want world peace

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent work of Anarchist political philosophy. This book offers a compelling argument that the "right of force" belongs solely in the People and not the State. It calls for decentralization of government and military to significantly reduce the severity and harmful consequences of war and demands international law completely based on Natural Law Theory to be established between all Peoples. What I loved is that Proudhon spends the first half of the book by erecting an idol glorifying war from the traditional perspective, but suddenly knocks the stool from underneath the idol and it comes crashing down to reveal the reality of the situation. Very anti war book that heavily influenced Leo Tolstoy's thinking and christian anarchism.