Anarchism A History Of Libertarian Ideas And Movements.pdf
It is when we come to the use of the three words in a social-political context that we encounter important shifts of meaning. "Anarchy" and "anarchist" were first used freely in the political sense during the French Revolution. Then they were terms of negative criticism, and sometimes of abuse, employed by various parties to damn their opponents, and usually those to the Left. The Girondin Brissot, for example, demanding the suppression of the Enragés, whom he called anarchists, declared in 1793, "it is necessary to define this anarchy." He went on to do so: Laws that are not carried into effect, authorities without force and despised, crime unpunished, property -10- attacked, the safety of the individual violated, the morality of the people corrupted, no constitution, no government, no justice, these are the features of anarchy. Brissot at least attempted a definition. A few years later, turning upon the Jacobins it had destroyed, the Direc...
