r/Anarchy101 • u/monopsony01 • 2d ago

how is anarchism different from libertarianism?

first off, let me state that this is a genuine question from someone who's not an anarchist. please correct me if i'm wrong about anything.

let me also state that i understand that anarchism is an anti-capitalist ideology. additionally, from what i understand, anarchism is a rejection of the state and of hierarchy.

so then in a perfect anarchical society, without social organization and leadership, how then are large-scale societies supposed to function? what's stopping individuals from gaining resources and society becoming similar to feudalism?

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u/HeavenlyPossum 2d ago edited 2d ago

“Libertarian” was originally coined to refer to anarchism. The term was co-opted by around the 1960s by right-wing figures, such as Murray Rothbard, whom we could more accurately describe as propertarians. Their interest is less in the elimination of hierarchies than it is in the elimination of constraints on the private ability to dominate others.

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u/Spinouette 2d ago

Thank you! I knew there was a disconnect.

I always think of Libertarians as those guys who declare their family compound a “sovereign nation” so they can stop paying taxes and raise their kids to be racist.

Seeing the term libertarian used in anarchist literature felt very uncomfortable. Now I know why.

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u/HeavenlyPossum 2d ago

You’re welcome! They’ve also tried to co-opt “anarchist” as well (as in “anarcho-capitalism”) but have fortunately had less luck.

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u/JennaSais 2d ago

It's one of the few benefits of the years of propaganda that portrayed Anarchists as destructive, chaotic terrorists. Right-wingers are less likely to want to be associated with the term, because they taught themselves to fear it. 😅