IS PROUDHON A PETTY BOURGEOIS SOCIALIST?

In the history of political philosophy, the debate between anarchism and marxism has an important place. What sets the tone of this debate, which finds its expression especially from the second half of the 19th century, is the one-on-one debates between Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, the “first” thinker who declared himself an anarchist, and his contemporary Karl Marx. On the one hand, both Proudhon and Marx formed the conceptual framework and methodology of their own theories, on the other hand campaigned to carry the banner for the working class, which began to make its presence thoroughly in the public space through the various revolts it brought out in Europe. Therefore, among the aims of this study; as well as introducing anarchist and marxist theories, focusing on the “personal” debate between Marx and Proudhon by way of the distinction between scientific socialism and utopian socialism. In connection with this, there is an also effort to find out what Marx’s “petty bourgeois socialist” definition means and whether or not this definition aimed at disgracing Proudhon and anarchist thought.