Anarchism
Topic: Political Theory: Freedom and Rights · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Anarchism is the view that the state is unnecessary and harmful. Anarchists want it replaced by voluntary cooperation, meaning people working together freely without force or rulers. Its main thinkers are Proudhon (who wrote "property is theft" in 1840), Bakunin and Kropotkin (Mutual Aid, 1902). It matters because it questions the basic claim that some government is needed at all.
Example
Gandhi's ideal of "enlightened anarchy" imagined people so able to rule themselves that the state would hardly be needed. He saw the state as a "necessary evil". India's Constitution instead chose democratic government. NCERT's view is that some government may be unavoidable, but democracy lets people keep control over their rulers.
Don't confuse with
- Anarchy (chaos): in everyday speech, "anarchy" means disorder. Anarchism as a theory hopes for order based on voluntary cooperation rather than on force from the state.