PROUDHON, PIERRE irosEmt (1809-65). A noted French socialist and polit ical writer, born at Besancon, July 15, 1809. lle was educated at the College of Besancon, where he proved him4elf an able stu dent ; but on account of the poverty of his par ents he was compelled to leave before receiving his degree. In 1828 he obtained employment in a large printing establishment in his native city, and after eight years he set up one of his own, which was not successful. In 1838 he.pub lished his Essai de graminaire generale, which seemed him a triennial pension of 1500 francs from the Academy of Besancon. In the same year he removed to Paris. Here in 1840 he pub lished Qu'est-ce que la proprii.te? (translated by Tucker, Philadelphia, 1888, in which he sums up his doctrines in the celebrated dictum, La propriOe rot). At the moment of cation the work attracted little uotiee, and the sole results to its author were the withdrawal Of his pension by the Academy, on the score of his noxious opinions, and the threat of prosecu tion. In 1842, for a repetition of the offense in his A rertisscmcnt aux proprietaircs, he was prosecuted before the Con• d'Assises of Besancon, but succeeded in obtaining an acquittal. From 1S44 to 1847 Prondhon was employed at Lyons in the superintendence of a scheme of water transport on the rivers Sa6ne and 11h6ne, pub lishing during this time at Paris the two works entitled Dc la creation dc l'ordrc duns l'huninnite and Hysteme des contradiet ions ('conoiniques. On the outbreak of the Revolution of Febru ary, 1S4S, Proudhon repaired to Paris, and on April 1st came before the public as editor of the reeprr'sentant du People. By his vigorous vocacy of extreme democratic and socialistic opinions, he became one of the leading figures of the hour. His paper was suppressed in Au gust; hut meantime, on June 4th, he had been elected to the Constituent Assembly as represen tative of the Department of the Seine. In that body he had comparatively little influence; he attached hithself to no political party, hut at tacked the radical Left and the reactionary Right with equal bitterness. His importance as a writer was much greater, and as editor of three daily journals in succession be had great influ ence upon the political mo•emnents. All three papers were in turn suppressed as anarchis tic and obnoxious—Le People (November 23.. 1848-April, 1849), I,a loix do People (October, 1849-Xlay. 1850). Le People de 1850 (June 15th October 13t11). During their continuance Prou dhon was repeatedly subjected to fines, which were defrayed for him by popular subscription. In January. 1849, he attempted to put his theories into practice by the institution of a People's Bank. The bank was closed by the thorities, and its originator fled to Geneva to escape threatened imprisonment. In June. how ever, be returned, and his next three years were passed in the prison of Sainte P6lagie. While confined there he married. In .Tune. 1852, he
was set at liberty, and, quitting Paris. went to Belgium, where he continued to publish from time to time on his favorite subjects. TIe re turned to Paris after the amnesty of 1860 and died at Passy, January 16, 1865.
Proudhon's theories are best set forth in his works Qu'rst-cc (pre in propria(1 and Nystu'nue des contradictions economiques. Property, he declared, is unjustifiable either on the ground of occupation, which can entitle the possessor only to the usufruct, or on the ground of labor, which presupposes occupation. The individual has a right only to the integral prodnet of his labor. One service can only be duly repaid by rendering another; but the owners of land and capital exact many services 'while rendering none. Society should suppress interest and rent, to which there can be no just claim.
political programme was equally revo lutionary. He was the founder of a school of individualistic or philosophical anarchy. lie de clared that the State, representing unintelligent conservatism or brutal reaction, must be sup pressed. The revolution for the betterment of humanity must come, not from above, through the Government, but from below, through the individual. The indispensable condition of re form is the suppression of government.
In the history of French thought and social ism Proudhon occupies an important position. His destructive criticism was of value; but lie also elaborated numerous propositions which are regarded as positive acquisitions by economists and socialists. Be gave to federalism and an archy a doctrine; lie conceived of a democratic organization of credit; he outlined the socialis tic theories of value, of rent, and of the right of the laborer to the whole product of his labor. His theories were of great influence upon three important movements—the Revolution of 1848, the Commune of 1871 (many of the principal actors in which held his opinions), and the In ternational Workingmen's Association. !More over, many organizations of workimpien. espe cially in France, still look for their intellectual leadership to Proudhon. Among his works, in addition to those already mentioned, are: Ex idiration.s pru'sent&s au ministi're public stir Iry droit (le propriO(' (1842) ; 8'o/ution rla problCmc social (1848) : Banque du pruple (18-19); de la iy'rolution: (1849) Les eonles SiOaS d'un n'rolutionnoire ( 1849 ) cl capital : Lrlre geio'ralr de In tYrolatioit out sirrle (1S51): Philosophic du pro gre's (1853) ; La yurrrc el la /mix (1861) : na la rapaeitti politique des classes outrriu'res (1863), Brimmonnerty. Desjardins. P. J. Proudhon, sa rir, ses et so dortrinr (2 vols., Paris, ISM) ; Diehl, P. J. Proudhon, seine 'Adore und srin Lrlmn (3 vols., Jena. 1888-99) ; berger, P. J. Proudhon, Lebyn Werke (Stuttgart, 1899) ; Putlitz, 1'. .1. Proudhon, Rein, Lchrn and seine positiren 1dr e 77 18811.