Anarchocapitalismo: history, principles and authors

He anarchocapitalism or anarchism of the free market is an individualistic political philosophy that perceives the State as an unnecessary entity and that must be abolished in order to enact the freedom of individuals. This would be done through an economic system that promotes private property and the free market as morally admissible elements.

This term is born as a political philosophy that is adding more and more adepts due to the giant steps it presents in its development.

Bearing in mind that the new masses are hungry for innovation in all aspects of their lives, this movement is emerging as a potential solution to the economic, social and political problems that humanity is experiencing.

To understand the term a little more, it is necessary to delve into the meaning of the word; anarchocapitalismo is born as a product of two seemingly contradictory doctrines, but in reality they have aspects in common.

The first is economic liberalism, whose principle is the protection of private property. The second is anarchism, a position that seeks to provide an alternative to the organizational parameters of the State, promoting a freer social organization.

History of anarchocapitalism

Before the term"anarcho-capitalism"was coined for the first time, many societies had already demonstrated, little or much, the efficiency of an organizational model without the State and that practiced free trade.

Bearing in mind that the roots of anarcho-capitalism are merely theories proper to social Sciences (anarchism, capitalism, liberalism), it is not prudent to decree that the historical examples of anarcho-capitalism that will be explained below are 100% anarcho-capitalist.

Despite this, it should be noted that its foundations are intrinsically related to the concept of anarcho-capitalism, and therefore are part of its history.

Celtic Ireland

This society, which took place between 650 and 1650, is the first precedent of anarcho-capitalism of which one is aware.

In it there was no state of its own that created the laws or a court that imposed them; This characteristic makes them compatible with the current model of anarcho-capitalism that seeks to use the law in a more libertarian and equitable way.

That model of current anarcho-capitalist law would be encouraged by the privatization of public services such as the courts, the police, among others. As individuals pay for this service, it is considered that the processes will be more transparent and effective.

Murray Rothbard (who will be discussed later) delves into this topic and the Celtic Ireland in his book"For a new liberty."

Rhode Island

Between 1636 and 1648 this area of ​​the United States was the birthplace of societies, which at the time were classified as anarchists. Among the latent similarities that exist with current anarcho-capitalism, is the lack of a State that regulates citizens.

Also the creation of a model of free social organization where the representatives of each family met every 15 days to discuss, and decide through mutual consensus, questions about peace, abundance and vigilance.

All that as described by Roger Williams, founder of Providence in Rhode Island.

The North American West

While there are other older examples that credit the effectiveness of a potentially anarcho-capitalist society; it appears to the American West, between 1830 and 1900, as the last historical precedent of this term within the article. This due to the successful social model they managed, far from being wild as many believe.

In the American West there were civilian settlements long before the US government arrived. They also defined the right to property according to local customs, and the mining and livestock societies of the area established their own concessions.

The direct precedent of anarcho-capitalism is undoubtedly classical liberalism, from which it subtracts the basic principles of free trade and the defense of private property; this on the part of the capitalist economic model.

But referring to the anarchist position of social organization, the principles of anarchocapitalism are prefigured since the North American nineteenth century where political philosophers such as Lysander Spooner and Bejamin Tucker appear, promulgating anarchist individualism.

Gustave de Molinari, with his various essays, helped to reinforce the idea of ​​a society in which the State had limited actions, undoubtedly a prelude to the abolition of the State proposed by the anarcho-capitalists.

The Austrian School of Economics also obtains the methodology by which anarcho-capitalism emerges as a political philosophy.

Works by Murray Rothbard

The term"anarchocapitalism"was not coined until the appearance of the works of Murray Rothbard (1926-1995), an American economist who, combining the influences of classical liberalism, the individualist anarchists, and the Austrian school, was able to delimit the principles of this philosophy politics.

So many -and so important- were his contributions, which is considered today as the father of modern anarcho-capitalism.

Principles of anarchocapitalism

Law and order

Among the fundamental principles of anarcho-capitalism as a political philosophy is the idea of ​​providing protection services to citizens in a more libertarian way.

This would allow, in theory, that people could opt for companies that offer private police or defense services, which would compete within the market to provide a better service and attract more customers.

Contractual society

This principle reveals that within a society that adopts anarcho-capitalism as a political model, there will be no relationships that are not based on voluntary actions.

Voluntary contracts will serve as a legal framework for operations and these will avoid conflicts or acts of violence.

Non-aggression policy

For anarcho-capitalists, non-aggression is a principle applied on two sides; the first is the personnel, where the use of violence is not allowed to harm another, and the second is the material, where the actions against the material goods are vetoed.

Property rights

In anarcho-capitalism there is the right to private property that is understood not only as the property of oneself, that is, freedom, but also of all resources or assets without previous owner that an individual has worked.

There is also the common property, typical of the anarchist feeling, but this is practiced only under the principle of contractual society.

Authors of anarchocapitalism and their points of view

Murray Rothbard

Undoubtedly the most prominent author with works like The Ethics of Liberty or For a New Liberty . His point of view is based on a more peaceful anarcho-capitalism and voluntary exchange, far from the state capitalism that distorts the free market.

David Friedman

For his part, this author disagrees with Rothbard's point of view and does not conceive a morally ethical anarcho-capitalism, but rather a pragmatic one.

So most people would benefit without paying attention to moral issues because there will be no legal code as proposed by Rothbard, but the market itself will raise the laws.

Hans-Hermann Hoppe

This other famous author of anarchocapitalism shares similarities in his point of view with that of Rothbard. For him it is necessary to use a series of ethical arguments that give way to the creation of private anarchist property.

Morris and Linda Tannehill

In The Market for Liberty This pair of authors reveal their support for the anarcho-capitalist idea of ​​a private judicial system. Revealing in his work a series of feasible examples that reinforce his thesis.

References

1. Classical Liberalism versus Anarchocapitalism by Jesús Huerta de Soto (02/03/2014). Recovered from jesushuertadesoto.com
2. Anarcho-Capitalism by Andrew Morris (August 15, 2008). Retrieved from Libertarianism.org
3. Really Free Culture. Anarchist Communities, Radical Movements and Public Practices. Editor: Lee Tusman (2008). Retrieved from Google.books.co.ve
4. Anarcho-Capitalism FAQ. (April 13, 2015) Recovered from ozarkia.net
5. Common Property in Anarcho-Capitalism by Randall G. Holcombe. THE JOURNAL OF LIBERTARIAN STUDIES (07/30/2014). Mises Institute. Retrieved from mises.org