Pierre-Joseph Proudhon was a French socialist, politician, philosopher, and economist who founded mutualist philosophy and is considered by many to be the "father of anarchism". 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 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 community and property". Some consider his mutualism to be part of individualist anarchism while others regard it to be part of social anarchism.
Portrait by Gustave Courbet, 1865
The house in Besançon in which Proudhon was born
Proudhon and His Children by Gustave Courbet, 1865
Proudhon's grave in Paris
Socialism is an economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes the economic, political, and social theories and movements associated with the implementation of such systems. Social ownership can take various forms, including public, community, collective, cooperative, or employee. Traditionally, socialism is on the left wing of the political spectrum. Types of socialism vary based on the role of markets and planning in resource allocation, and the structure of management in organizations.
Charles Fourier, influential early French socialist thinker
The celebration of the election of the Commune on 28 March 1871—the Paris Commune was a major early implementation of socialist ideas.
Karl Marx in 1875
Vladimir Lenin, founder of the Soviet Union and the leader of the Bolshevik party.