Pierre-Joseph Proudhon: a brief biography and the foundations of ideology

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon is a famous French philosopher, politician and sociologist. Many know him as the founder of anarchism. It is he who is credited with the idea of the first "free" society, at least known to historians. But what kind of person was Pierre Proudhon? What peaks could I achieve in my life? And what are the features of his worldview?

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon: biography of the early years

The future politician was born on January 15, 1809 in the family of simple peasants. Naturally, this class meant that the youth spent all his childhood in hard work. And yet it did not ruin his talent and prudence. At the age of twenty he manifests an unprecedented determination and gets a job in a small printing house.

Initially, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon was a simple compositor, who printed tons of newspaper material day and night. Due to his internal qualities, he quickly attracts the favor of management. Soon Proudhon begins to move rapidly on the career ladder. In addition, the young man's innovative ideas brought the company a good profit, eventually becoming a co-owner of this printing house.

But the most striking thing is that in 1838 Pierre-Joseph Proudhon manages to successfully pass the examinations for a bachelor's degree. And this is with the fact that he acquired all the knowledge himself, working hard in his spare time. Such a social leap allowed him to quickly increase his capital.

Political activity

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon spent his money wisely. Moreover, he persistently saved them to move to Paris. And in 1847 his dream comes true, though with a certain defect. After a year in the capital, the revolution flares up, and it turns out to be at its very epicenter. It is clear that the nature of Proudhon does not allow him to stand aside, and he takes an active part in the revolutionary movement of the country.

In particular, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon becomes a deputy of the National Assembly. With carelessness, he openly criticizes the policies of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte. Such tricks strongly depress the government, and therefore they bring a case against him. As a result, the freedom-loving philosopher is imprisoned for three years, which gives him time to reflect on his actions well. In the future, he will be more affable to meet those events that came after the Bonapartist coup in 1851.

Coming to freedom, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon tried to shield himself from politics. But his book "On Justice in the Revolution and in the Church" (1858) once again stirred the minds of the government. Afraid of being imprisoned, the philosopher immigrates to Belgium, where he lives for the next four years. Only feeling the approach of death, he returns home.

And on January 19, 1865, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon dies for unknown reasons. The only pleasant thing is that it is near Paris. The city where the great philosopher dreamed of spending his life.

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon: ideology

Proudhon was the first anarchist. By this word the philosopher meant the destruction of all state laws working for the benefit of the ruling elite. He believed that they should be replaced by a "social constitution", which will be based on universal justice.

To achieve such a utopia could be in several stages. But the most important of them was the overthrow of the modern economy, because it fully supported inequality among the people. In his opinion, an equivalent exchange of goods or services is more correct. For example, with such a system, the shoemaker will be able to safely settle in the store with shoes, and the farmer with food.