War and Peace: On the Principle and the Constitution of the Rights of Peoples

Proudhon's anarchist theory of international relations, a 19th-century vision of what might have been and could still be.

War and Peace by Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, originally published in 1861, is still one of the only extended accounts of anarchist international theory and is one of the earliest in the history of socialist thought. It is a profound contribution to the traditions of jus gentium and just war theory, that puts force and power at the centre of analysis. Alex Prichard’s introduction describes both its specificity and the multiple lines of influence War and Peace had on thinkers as diverse as Tolstoy, Sorel, French sociology more broadly, and post-1945 Anglo-American International Relations theory.

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (1809–1865) was one of Europe’s most well-known socialists during his lifetime. His complete works span over sixty volumes. From his opening salvo on the social origins of the Sabbath, to the claim that “all property is theft!,” to his final writings on international relations, federalism, and the political capacity of the working class, his works shaped European socialism for a generation, and continue to act as the intellectual spine of modern anarchism. 

Paul Sharkey is one of the most well-known and highly respected translators of anarchist writings of the past thirty years. He has translated works by Kropotkin, Malatesta, Proudhon, and many more. He lives in Ireland.

Alex Prichard is Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Exeter. He has written widely on Proudhon’s thought and on the political theory of anarchy. His most recent project is Anarchic Agreements: How to Build Groups and Coalitions with PM Press. He resides in England.