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 you achieve in your life? And what are the features of his worldview?
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon: a biography of the early years
The future politician was born on January 15, 1809 in a family of simple peasants. Naturally, such an estate meant that the young man spent all his childhood in hard work. Nevertheless, this did not ruin his talent and prudence. At the age of twenty, he shows unprecedented determination and gets a job in a small printing house.
Initially, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon was a simple typesetter, typing tons of newspaper material day and night. Due to his inner qualities, he quickly attracts the favor of the leadership. Soon Proudhon begins to rapidly move up the career ladder. In addition, the young man's innovative ideas brought the company a good profit, in the end he becomes a co-owner of this printing house.
Butthe most striking thing is that in 1838, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon manages to successfully pass the exams for a bachelor's degree. And this is despite the fact that he acquired all the knowledge himself, stubbornly studying in his spare time. Such a social leap allowed him to quickly increase his capital.
Political activities
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon spent his money wisely. Moreover, he stubbornly saved them in order to move to live in Paris. And in 1847, his dream comes true, though with a certain flaw. After all, a year later, a revolution flares up in the capital, and he finds himself in its very epicenter. Of course, Proudhon's character does not allow him to stand aside, and he takes an active part in the country's revolutionary movement.
In particular, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon becomes a member of the National Assembly. Having imprudence, he openly criticizes the policies of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte. Such antics greatly depress the government, and therefore they bring proceedings against it. As a result, the freedom-loving philosopher is imprisoned for three years, which gives him time to think carefully about his actions. In the future, he will more affably meet the events that came after the Bonapartist coup of 1851.
On his release, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon tried to shield himself from politics. But his book "On Justice in the Revolution and in the Church" (1858) stirred up the minds of the government again. Fearing to end up in prison, the philosopher immigrates to Belgium, where he lives for the next four years. Only sensing the approach of death, he returnshome.
And on January 19, 1865, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon dies of unknown causes. The only pleasant thing is that it happens not far from 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 that work for the benefit of the ruling elite. He believed that they should be replaced by a "social constitution" based on universal justice.
It was possible to achieve such a utopia in several stages. But the most important of them was the overthrow of the modern economy, because it fully supported the inequality among the people. In his opinion, an equivalent exchange of goods or services is more correct. For example, with such a system, a shoemaker can safely pay in the store with shoes, and a farmer with food.
