History of anarchism

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The history of anarchism represents humanity's ongoing struggle against hierarchy, oppression and centralised power. While some scholars narrowly define anarchism as a 19th century political movement, anarchist principles of mutual aid, voluntary association, and opposition to domination have existed throughout human history. From prehistoric egalitarian societies to modern social movements, people have repeatedly organised themselves according to anarchist ideals, demonstrating that a world without rulers is not only possible, but has often been the norm.

Background

Anarchism, at its core, is the belief that hierarchical authority is harmful and unnecessary, and that human beings are capable of organising themselves cooperatively without rulers or states. While the term "anarchism" emerged in the 19th century, the basic principles have deep roots in human society and thought.

Anarchist scholar Peter Kropotkin argued that mutual aid and voluntary cooperation were key factors in human evolution and the development of human societies. He pointed to examples from nature and early human history to demonstrate that competition and hierarchical structures were not inevitable, but rather that solidarity and horizontality were essential for survival and flourishing.

The 19th century saw anarchism develop into a coherent political philosophy and social movement. Thinkers like Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Mikhail Bakunin, and Peter Kropotkin expanded on anarchist ideas, critiquing the state, capitalism, and other forms of oppression while envisioning alternative forms of social organisation based on freedom and equality.

Certainly. Here's the rest of the adapted text up to and including the "Renaissance and early modern era" section, using British English and including wikilinks:

Precursors

Prehistoric and ancient era

For the vast majority of human existence, people lived in stateless societies characterised by egalitarian social relations and the absence of coercive authority. Anthropologist Harold Barclay noted that for thousands of years, humans organised themselves through tribal assemblies, consensus decision-making, and other anarchistic forms of social organisation. These examples demonstrate that hierarchical structures and state authority are not inherent to human society, but relatively recent developments in our species' history.

In ancient China, philosophical Taoism developed ideas that resonated strongly with later anarchist thought. Taoists like Lao Tzu criticised government, hierarchy, and the accumulation of wealth and power. The Tao Te Ching asks, "Why are the people starving? Because the rulers eat up the money in taxes. Therefore the people are starving. Why are the people rebellious? Because the rulers interfere too much. Therefore they are rebellious." Such critiques of state power and advocacy for natural, spontaneous order align closely with anarchist principles.

Ancient Greece saw the emergence of several schools of thought that contained anarchistic elements. The Cynics, particularly Diogenes of Sinope, rejected social conventions, lived simply, and critiqued the wealthy and powerful. Zeno of Citium, founder of Stoicism, described an ideal society without government, private property, or need for law courts. These ideas challenged the assumed necessity of state structures and laid important groundwork for later anarchist philosophy.

Middle Ages

While the Middle Ages are often characterised as a time of rigid hierarchy and feudalism, this period also saw the development of ideas and movements that challenged centralised power and prefigured anarchist thought. Heretical religious movements like the Brethren of the Free Spirit and radical offshoots of the Hussite movement promoted egalitarian ideas and, at times, established communities based on the sharing of goods and rejection of traditional authority.

In the Islamic world, some theological movements developed proto-anarchist ideas. The Najdiyya Kharijites and certain Mu'tazilite thinkers argued that the state was harmful, illegitimate, and unnecessary from a religious perspective. While these movements did not fully align with modern anarchism, they demonstrate a long history of anti-state thought across cultures.

The peasant rebellions that swept across Europe in the late Middle Ages, such as the English Peasants' Revolt of 1381, contained strongly anarchistic elements in their rejection of feudal hierarchies and demands for social equality. Although these uprisings were ultimately defeated, they represented important moments of popular resistance against entrenched power structures.

Renaissance and early modern era

The Renaissance and Enlightenment periods saw a resurgence of ideas challenging traditional authority and envisioning alternative forms of social organisation. Writers like François Rabelais used the genre of utopian literature to explore radically different societies, often incorporating proto-anarchist ideas.

Gerrard Winstanley, a leader of the Diggers movement during the English Civil War, articulated a vision of a society without private property, wage labour, or state coercion. His pamphlet "The New Law of Righteousness" called for a communist system based on small, self-governing agrarian communities. While religious in nature, Winstanley's ideas prefigured many later anarchist concepts.

In the Americas, some European observers noted the absence of state structures among many indigenous societies. Louis-Armand de Lom d'Arce de Lahontan's writings on North American indigenous peoples described societies functioning without formal government, laws, prisons, or private property - an early recognition of actually existing stateless societies that would later influence anarchist thought.

These precursors demonstrate that challenges to state authority and visions of stateless societies have a long and diverse history across cultures. While not always fully developed anarchist philosophies, these ideas and movements laid important groundwork for the emergence of anarchism as a coherent political ideology in the 19th century.