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'''Libertarianism''' (from {{lang-fr|libertaire}}, itself from the {{lang-la|libertas|lit=freedom}}) is a [[political philosophy]] that upholds [[liberty]] as a core value.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wolff |first1=Jonathan |title=Libertarianism |journal=[[Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy]] |date=2016 |doi=10.4324/9780415249126-S036-1 |isbn=9780415250696 |doi-access=}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Vossen |first1=Bas Van Der |title=Libertarianism |journal=Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics |date=2017 |doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.86 |isbn=978-0-19-022863-7 |doi-access=}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mack |first1=Eric |editor-first1=George |editor-last1=Klosko |title=Libertarianism |journal=The Oxford Handbook of the History of Political Philosophy |date=2011 |pages=673–688 |doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199238804.003.0041}}</ref><ref name="Boaz">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Libertarianism|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/339321/libertarianism|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|author=Boaz, David|author-link=David Boaz|date=30 January 2009|access-date=21 February 2017|quote=[L]ibertarianism, political philosophy that takes individual liberty to be the primary political value.|archive-date=4 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504222253/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/339321/libertarianism|url-status=live}}</ref> Libertarians seek to maximize [[autonomy]] and [[political freedom]], emphasizing [[equality before the law]] and [[civil rights]] to [[freedom of association]], [[freedom of speech]], [[freedom of thought]] and [[freedom of choice]].<ref name="Boaz" /><ref>{{cite book|last=Woodcock|first=George|title=Anarchism: A History of Libertarian Ideas and Movements|orig-date=1962|year=2004|publisher=Broadview Press|location=Peterborough|isbn=978-1551116297|page=16|quote=[F]or the very nature of the libertarian attitude—its rejection of dogma, its deliberate avoidance of rigidly systematic theory, and, above all, its stress on extreme freedom of choice and on the primacy of the individual judgement {{sic}}.|title-link=Anarchism (Woodcock book)}}</ref> Libertarians are often skeptical of or opposed to [[Political authority|authority]], [[State (polity)|state]] power, [[war]]fare, [[militarism]] and [[nationalism]], but some libertarians diverge on the scope of their opposition to existing [[Economic system|economic]] and [[political system]]s. Various schools of libertarian thought offer a range of views regarding the legitimate functions of state and private [[Power (social and political)|power]]. Different categorizations have been used to distinguish various forms of Libertarianism.<ref name="Long1">Long, Joseph. W (1996). "Toward a Libertarian Theory of Class". ''Social Philosophy and Policy''. '''15''' (2): 310. "When I speak of 'libertarianism' [...] I mean all three of these very different movements. It might be protested that LibCap [libertarian capitalism], LibSoc [libertarian socialism] and LibPop [libertarian populism] are too different from one another to be treated as aspects of a single point of view. But they do share a common—or at least an overlapping—intellectual ancestry."</ref><ref name="Carlson1">Carlson, Jennifer D. (2012). "Libertarianism". In Miller, Wilburn R., ed. ''The Social History of Crime and Punishment in America''. London: SAGE Publications. [https://books.google.com/books?id=tYME6Z35nyAC&q=There+exist+three+major+camps+in+libertarian+thought%3A+right-libertarianism%2C+socialist+libertarianism%2C+and+left-libertarianism%3B+the+extent+to+which+these+represent+distinct+ideologies+as+opposed+to+variations+on+a+theme+is+contested+by+scholars.&pg=PA1006 p. 1006] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930075224/https://books.google.com/books?id=tYME6Z35nyAC&pg=PA1006&dq=right-libertarianism&hl=it&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjVoNT9_uvlAhWN6aQKHWZ6AUUQ6AEINjAB#v=onepage&q=There%20exist%20three%20major%20camps%20in%20libertarian%20thought%3A%20right-libertarianism%2C%20socialist%20libertarianism%2C%20and%20left-libertarianism%3B%20the%20extent%20to%20which%20these%20represent%20distinct%20ideologies%20as%20opposed%20to%20variations%20on%20a%20theme%20is%20contested%20by%20scholars.&f=false |date=30 September 2020 }}. {{ISBN|1412988764}}. "There exist three major camps in libertarian thought: right-libertarianism, socialist libertarianism, and left-libertarianism; the extent to which these represent distinct ideologies as opposed to variations on a theme is contested by scholars."</ref> Scholars distinguish libertarian views on the nature of [[Property rights (economics)|property]] and [[Capital (economics)|capital]], usually along [[Left–right political spectrum|left–right]] or [[Socialism|socialist]]–[[Capitalism|capitalist]] lines.<ref name="Francis">{{cite journal|last1=Francis|first1=Mark|title=Human Rights and Libertarians|journal=[[Australian Journal of Politics & History]]|volume=29|issue=3|pages=462–472|date=December 1983|doi=10.1111/j.1467-8497.1983.tb00212.x|issn=0004-9522}}</ref> Libertarians of various schools were influenced by [[Liberalism|liberal]] ideas.<ref name=":0" />
 
In the mid-19th century,<ref name="Dejacque" /> libertarianism originated as a form of [[left-wing politics]] such as [[Anti-authoritarianism|anti-authoritarian]] and [[Anti-statism|anti-state]] [[Socialism|socialists]] like [[Anarchism|anarchists]],<ref>Long, Roderick T. (2012). "The Rise of Social Anarchism". In Gaus, Gerald F.; D'Agostino, Fred, eds. ''The Routledge Companion to Social and Political Philosophy''. [https://books.google.com/books?id=advfCgAAQBAJ&dq=In+the+meantime%2C+anarchist+theories+of+a+more+communist+or+collectivist+character+had+bee+developing+as+well.+One+important+pioneer+is+French+anarcho-communists+Joseph+D%C3%A9jacque+%281821%E2%80%931864%29%2C&pg=PA223 p. 223] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930075228/https://books.google.com/books?id=advfCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA223&dq=In+the+meantime%2C+anarchist+theories+of+a+more+communist+or+collectivist+character+had+bee+developing+as+well.+One+important+pioneer+is+French+anarcho-communists+Joseph+D%C3%A9jacque+%281821%E2%80%931864%29%2C&hl=it&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiZ3vmnxsrmAhWTbsAKHQHXA5AQ6AEIKjAA#v=onepage&q=In%20the%20meantime%2C%20anarchist%20theories%20of%20a%20more%20communist%20or%20collectivist%20character%20had%20bee%20developing%20as%20well.%20One%20important%20pioneer%20is%20French%20anarcho-communists%20Joseph%20D%C3%A9jacque%20(1821%E2%80%931864)%2C&f=false |date=30 September 2020 }}. "In the meantime, anarchist theories of a more communist or collectivist character had been developing as well. One important pioneer is French anarcho-communist Joseph Déjacque (1821–1864), who [...] appears to have been the first thinker to adopt the term 'libertarian' for this position; hence 'libertarianism' initially denoted a communist rather than a free-market ideology."</ref> especially [[Social anarchism|social anarchists]],<ref>Long, Roderick T. (2012). "Anarchism". In Gaus, Gerald F.; D'Agostino, Fred, eds. ''The Routledge Companion to Social and Political Philosophy''. [https://books.google.com/books?id=advfCgAAQBAJ&q=In+its+oldest+sense%2C+it+is+a+synonym+either+for+anarchism+in+general+or+social+anarchism+in+particular&pg=PA223 p. 227] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930075228/https://books.google.com/books?id=advfCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA223&dq=In+the+meantime%2C+anarchist+theories+of+a+more+communist+or+collectivist+character+had+bee+developing+as+well.+One+important+pioneer+is+French+anarcho-communists+Joseph+D%C3%A9jacque+%281821%E2%80%931864%29%2C&hl=it&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiZ3vmnxsrmAhWTbsAKHQHXA5AQ6AEIKjAA#v=snippet&q=In%20its%20oldest%20sense%2C%20it%20is%20a%20synonym%20either%20for%20anarchism%20in%20general%20or%20social%20anarchism%20in%20particular&f=false |date=30 September 2020 }}. "In its oldest sense, it is a synonym either for anarchism in general or social anarchism in particular."</ref> but more generally [[Anarcho-communism|libertarian communists]]/[[Libertarian socialism#Marxist|Marxists]] and [[Libertarian socialism|libertarian socialists]].<ref name="RothbardBetrayal">{{cite book|last1=Rothbard|first1=Murray|url=https://cdn.mises.org/The%20Betrayal%20of%20the%20American%20Right_2.pdf|title=The Betrayal of the American Right|orig-date=2007|year=2009|publisher=Mises Institute|isbn=978-1610165013|page=83|quote=One gratifying aspect of our rise to some prominence is that, for the first time in my memory, we, 'our side,' had captured a crucial word from the enemy. 'Libertarians' had long been simply a polite word for left-wing anarchists, that is for anti-private property anarchists, either of the communist or syndicalist variety. But now we had taken it over.|access-date=10 November 2019|archive-date=21 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221173352/https://cdn.mises.org/The%20Betrayal%20of%20the%20American%20Right_2.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Marshall"/> These libertarians sought to [[abolish capitalism]] and [[private ownership]] of the [[means of production]], or else to restrict their purview or effects to [[usufruct]] property norms, in favor of [[Common ownership|common]] or [[Worker cooperative|cooperative ownership]] and [[Workers' self-management|management]], viewing private property in the means of production as a barrier to freedom and liberty.{{refn|<ref name="Kropotkin">{{cite book|title=Anarchism: A Collection of Revolutionary Writings|last=Kropotkin|first=Peter|publisher=Courier Dover Publications|year=1927|isbn=978-0486119861|page=150|quote=It attacks not only capital, but also the main sources of the power of capitalism: law, authority, and the State.}}</ref><ref name="Otero">{{cite book|title=Radical Priorities|last=Otero|first=Carlos Peregrin|publisher=[[AK Press]]|others=Chomsky, Noam Chomsky|year=2003|isbn=1902593693|editor-last=Otero|editor-first=Carlos Peregrin|edition=3rd|location=Oakland, California|page=26|chapter=Introduction to Chomsky's Social Theory}}</ref><ref name="Chomsky 2003">{{cite book|title=Radical Priorities|last=Chomsky|first=Noam|publisher=[[AK Press]]|year=2003|isbn=1902593693|editor=Carlos Peregrin Otero|edition=3rd|location=Oakland, California|pages=227–228}}<!-- Verified 22 November 2011. --></ref><ref name="Carlson p. 1006">Carlson, Jennifer D. (2012). "Libertarianism". In Miller, Wilbur R. ''The Social History of Crime and Punishment in America: An Encyclopedia''. SAGE Publications. [https://books.google.com/books?id=tYME6Z35nyAC&dq=right-libertarianism&pg=PA1006 p. 1006] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221173347/https://books.google.it/books?id=tYME6Z35nyAC&pg=PA1006&dq=right-libertarianism&hl=it&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjVoNT9_uvlAhWN6aQKHWZ6AUUQ6AEINjAB |date=21 December 2019 }}. "[S]ocialist libertarians view any concentration of power into the hands of a few (whether politically or economically) as antithetical to freedom and thus advocate for the simultaneous abolition of both government and capitalism".</ref>}} While all libertarians support some level of [[individual rights]], [[Left-libertarianism|left-libertarians]] differ by supporting an [[Egalitarianism|egalitarian]] [[Redistribution of wealth|redistribution]] of natural resources.<ref name=":6" /> Left-libertarian{{refn|<ref name="Kymlicka" /><ref name="Goodway" /><ref name="Marshall p. 641" /><ref name="Spitz" /><ref name="Newman" />}} ideologies include [[Anarchism#Schools of thought|anarchist schools of thought]], alongside many other anti-[[Paternalism|paternalist]] and [[New Left]] [[schools of thought]] centered around [[economic egalitarianism]] as well as [[geolibertarianism]], [[green politics]], [[market-oriented left-libertarianism]] and the [[Steiner–Vallentyne school]].{{refn|<ref name="Kymlicka" /><ref name="Spitz" /><ref name="Routledge p. 227">"Anarchism". In Gaus, Gerald F.; D'Agostino, Fred, eds. (2012). ''The Routledge Companion to Social and Political Philosophy''. p. 227. "The term 'left-libertarianism' has at least three meanings. In its oldest sense, it is a synonym either for anarchism in general or social anarchism in particular. Later it became a term for the left or Konkinite wing of the free-market libertarian movement, and has since come to cover a range of pro-market but anti-capitalist positions, mostly individualist anarchist, including agorism and mutualism, often with an implication of sympathies (such as for radical feminism or the labor movement) not usually shared by anarcho-capitalists. In a third sense it has recently come to be applied to a position combining individual self-ownership with an egalitarian approach to natural resources; most proponents of this position are not anarchists."</ref><ref name="Vallentyne" /><ref name="Carson">Carson, Kevin (15 June 2014). [https://c4ss.org/content/28216 "What is Left-Libertarianism?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190903175118/http://c4ss.org/content/28216 |date=3 September 2019 }}. Center for a Stateless Society. Retrieved 28 November 2019.</ref> }} After the [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|fall of the Soviet Union]], libertarian socialism grew in popularity and influence as part of [[Anti-war movement|anti-war]], [[Anti-capitalism|anti-capitalist]] and [[Anti-globalization movement|anti-]] and [[Alter-globalization|alter-globalisation]] movements.<ref name="rupert" />{{Sfn|Hahnel|2005|pp=138–139}}
 
In the mid-20th century, American [[right-libertarian]]{{refn|<ref name="Goodway"/><ref name="Newman"/><ref name="Marshall p. 565"/><ref name="Carlson"/>}} proponents of [[anarcho-capitalism]] and [[Night watchman state|minarchism]] co-opted<ref name="RothbardBetrayal"/> the term ''libertarian'' to advocate ''[[laissez-faire]]'' [[capitalism]] and strong [[private property rights]] such as in land, infrastructure and natural resources.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hussain|first=Syed B.|title=Encyclopedia of Capitalism, Volume 2|year=2004|publisher=Facts on File Inc|location=New York|isbn=0816052247|page=492|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FbVZAAAAYAAJ|quote=In the modern world, political ideologies are largely defined by their attitude towards capitalism. Marxists want to overthrow it, liberals to curtail it extensively, conservatives to curtail it moderately. Those who maintain that capitalism is an excellent economic system, unfairly maligned, with little or no need for corrective government policy, are generally known as libertarians.|access-date=31 October 2015|archive-date=30 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930075322/https://books.google.com/books?id=FbVZAAAAYAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> The latter is the dominant form of [[libertarianism in the United States]].<ref name="Carlson"/> This new form of libertarianism was, a revival of [[classical liberalism in the United States]],<ref name="Adams 2001">{{cite book |last=Adams |first=Ian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=apstK1qIvvMC5wDQFBFM0FMC&pg=PA32PA4 | title=PoliticalLibertarianism: IdeologyFor Todayand Against |publisher isbn=Manchester978-0-7425-4259-4 University| Presslast1=Duncan |year first1=2001Craig |isbn last2=9780719060205Machan |edition first2=reprinted,Tibor revisedR. |location date=Manchester2 June 2024 | publisher=Rowman & Littlefield }}</ref>{{page needed|date=July 2022}} which occurred due to [[Modern liberalism in the United States|American liberals']] embracing [[Progressivism in the United States|progressivism]] and [[economic interventionism]] in the early 20th century after the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]] and with the [[New Deal]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fee.org/articles/who-is-a-libertarian/|title=Who is a libertarian?|last=Russell|first=Dean|year=1955|website=[[Foundation for Economic Education]]|quote=Many of us call ourselves 'liberals.' And it is true that the word 'liberal' once described persons who respected the individual and feared the use of mass compulsions. But the leftists have now corrupted that once-proud term to identify themselves and their program of more government ownership of property and more controls over persons. As a result, those of us who believe in freedom must explain that when we call ourselves liberals, we mean liberals in the uncorrupted classical sense. At best, this is awkward and subject to misunderstanding. Here is a suggestion: Let those of us who love liberty trade-mark and reserve for our own use the good and honorable word 'libertarian'.}}</ref> Since the 1970s, right-libertarianism has spread beyond the United States,<ref name="Teles & Kenney 2007">Teles, Steven; Kenney, Daniel A. "Spreading the Word: The Diffusion of American Conservatism in Europe and Beyond". In Kopsten, Jeffrey; Steinmo, Sven, eds. (2007). [https://books.google.com/books?id=Mfy3k0BWBNAC ''Growing Apart?: America and Europe in the Twenty-First Century'']. [[Cambridge University Press]]. pp. 136–169.</ref> with [[List of libertarian political parties|right-libertarian parties]] being established in the [[United Kingdom]],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Singleton |first=Alex |date=30 May 2008 |title=How Libertarians undermine liberty |work=Daily Telegraph |url=http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/alexsingleton/4341751/How_Libertarians_undermine_liberty/ |url-status=dead |access-date=10 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090625210549/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/alexsingleton/4341751/How_Libertarians_undermine_liberty/ |archive-date=25 June 2009}}</ref> [[Israel]],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Staff writer |author-link=Staff writer |date=24 March 2019 |title=Feiglin: Palestinians in Gaza had more rights under Israel |work=[[Israel Hayom]] |url=https://www.israelhayom.com/2019/03/24/today-on-the-israelections-program-moshe-feiglin/ |access-date=26 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Harkov |first=Lahav |date=17 March 2019 |title=The Feiglin phenomenon |url=https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/The-Feiglin-phenomenon-583567 |access-date=17 March 2019 |website=[[The Jerusalem Post]] |quote=The leader of the rising Zehut Party is attracting more than just young potheads to his libertarian platform.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Zehut |url=https://en.idi.org.il/israeli-elections-and-parties/parties/zehut/ |access-date=21 February 2019 |website=[[Israel Democracy Institute]] |quote=[...] and personal liberty. Its platform includes libertarian economic positions [...].}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Eglash |first=Ruth |date=4 April 2019 |title=A pro-pot party could tip the scales in Israel's upcoming election |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/a-pro-pot-party-could-tip-the-scales-in-israels-upcoming-election/2019/04/04/01060ec4-5617-11e9-aa83-504f086bf5d6_story.html |access-date=7 April 2019 |quote=Now you have two special-interest groups. What pulls them together is the strong libertarian, anti-state agenda that works well for both.}}</ref> [[South Africa]]<ref>Staden, Martin (2 December 2015). [http://rationalstandard.com/remembering-the-founder-of-sa-libertarianism-dr-marc-swanepoel "Remembering the Founder of SA Libertarianism, Dr. Marc Swanepoel"]. ''Rational Standard''. Retrieved 20 September 2020.</ref> and [[Argentina]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/10/07/javier-milei-a-libertarian-may-be-elected-to-argentinas-congress|title=Javier Milei, a libertarian, may be elected to Argentina's congress|publisher=[[The Economist]]|date=7 October 2021|access-date=21 November 2023}}</ref> Minarchists advocate for [[night-watchman state]]s which maintain only those functions of government necessary to safeguard natural rights, understood in terms of self-ownership or autonomy,<ref name=":3" /> while anarcho-capitalists advocate for the replacement of all state institutions with private institutions.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Geloso |first1=Vincent |last2=Leeson |first2=Peter T. |date=2020 |title=Are Anarcho-Capitalists Insane? Medieval Icelandic Conflict Institutions in Comparative Perspective |url=https://www.cairn.info/revue-d-economie-politique-2020-6-page-957.htm |journal=Revue d'économie politique |language=en |volume=130 |issue=6 |pages=957–974 |doi=10.3917/redp.306.0115 |issn=0373-2630 |quote=Anarcho-capitalism is a variety of libertarianism according to which all government institutions can and should be replaced by private ones. |s2cid=235008718|doi-access=free}}</ref> Some right-wing variants of libertarianism, such as anarcho-capitalism, have been labeled as [[Far-right politics|''far-right'']] or [[Radical right (United States)|''radical right'']] by some scholars.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Goodwin |first=Barbara |title=Using Political Ideas |publisher=John Wiley and Sons, Inc. |year=2016 |isbn=978-1118708385 |location=Hoboken, NJ |page=151 |quote=Howewer, enough has been said to show that most anarchists have nothing in common with those libertarians of the far-right, the anarcho-capitalists [...]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Liberalism: Old and New |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0521703055 |editor-last=Paul |editor-first=Ellen F. |volume=24 |page=199 |editor-last2=Miller |editor-first2=Fred D. |editor-last3=Paul |editor-first3=Jeffrey}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=The Oxford Handbook of Political Philosophy |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-0195376692 |editor-last=Estlund |editor-first=David |page=162}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Hammer |first=Espen |title=Encyclopedia of Philosophy and the Social Sciences |publisher=SAGE Publications |year=2013 |isbn=978-1506332611 |editor-last=Kaldis |editor-first=Byron |volume=1 |pages=558–560 |chapter=Libertarianism, Political}}</ref> Right-wing libertarian ideals are also prominent in far-right [[American militia movement]] associated with extremist anti-government ideas.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Oxford Handbook of Social Movements |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-0191667824 |editor-last=della Porta |editor-first=Donatella |page=527 |quote=[...] these militia organizations often revived long-since discarded state militia insignia and organization names while simultaneously aligning them with contemporary far-right libertarian politics (Crothers 2004). |editor-last2=Diani |editor-first2=Mario}}</ref>
 
Traditionally, libertarian practice has taken extraparliamentary form,{{citation needed|date=November 2023}} such as in the [[Spanish Revolution of 1936]], the [[New Left]], the [[Zapatista uprising]], the [[Tea Party movement]], and the [[Rojava Revolution]]. In 2022, student activist and self-described libertarian socialist [[Gabriel Boric]] became [[head of state]] of [[Chile]] after winning the [[2021 Chilean presidential election]] with the {{lang|es|[[Apruebo Dignidad]]|italic=no}} coalition.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |title=A new group of left-wing presidents takes over in Latin America |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2022/03/12/a-new-group-of-left-wing-presidents-takes-over-in-latin-america |access-date=2023-11-22 |issn=0013-0613}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Can a rise of leftist leaders bring real change to Latin America? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/program/the-stream/2022/3/23/can-a-rise-of-leftist-leaders-bring-real-change-to-latin-america |access-date=2023-11-22 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite news |last=Boyes |first=Roger |date=2023-11-22 |title=Biden risks losing Latin America to Beijing |newspaper=[[The Times]] |language=en |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/biden-risks-losing-latin-america-to-beijing-tcrl9c0zp |access-date=2023-11-22 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220614221555/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/biden-risks-losing-latin-america-to-beijing-tcrl9c0zp |archive-date=June 14, 2022 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref> In 2023, Argentine economist [[Javier Milei]] became the first openly right-wing libertarian head of state,<ref name="FoxMilei">{{cite web |last1=Unsworth |first1=David |title=Javier Milei crushes Argentine left, becomes world's first libertarian head of state |url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/javier-milei-crushes-argentine-left-becomes-worlds-first-libertarian-head-state |website=[[Fox News]] |access-date=25 November 2023 |date=19 November 2023}}</ref> after winning [[2023 Argentine general election|that year's general election]] with the [[La Libertad Avanza]] coalition.<ref name=":9">{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/argentina-readies-vote-likely-presidential-election-thriller-2023-11-19/|publisher=[[Reuters]]|title=Argentine libertarian Milei pledges new political era after election win|date=20 November 2023|access-date=21 November 2023}}</ref>
 
== Overview ==
=== Etymology ===
[[File:Le libertaire 25.png|thumb|upright=0.9|17 August 1860 edition of ''[[Le Libertaire, Journal du mouvement social]]'', a libertarian communist publication in New York City]]
The first recorded use of the term ''libertarian'' was in 1789, when [[William Belsham]] wrote about [[Libertarianism (metaphysics)|libertarianism]] in the context of metaphysics.<ref>{{cite book|author=William Belsham|title=Essays|publisher=C. Dilly|year=1789|postscript=Original from the University of Michigan, digitized 21 May 2007|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z6Y0AAAAMAAJ&q=William+Belsham+libertarian&pg=PA11|page=11|access-date=26 October 2020|archive-date=11 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411095920/https://books.google.com/books?id=Z6Y0AAAAMAAJ&q=William+Belsham+libertarian&pg=PA11|url-status=live}}</ref> As early as 1796, ''libertarian'' came to mean an advocate or defender of liberty, especially in the political and social spheres, when the London Packet printed on 12 February the following: "Lately marched out of the Prison at Bristol, 450 of the French Libertarians".<ref>OED November 2010 edition</ref> It was again used in a political sense in 1802 in a short piece critiquing a poem by "the author of Gebir" and has since been used with this meaning.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120802021008/http://archive.mises.org/18385/the-origin-of-libertarianism ''The British Critic'']. p. 432. "The author's Latin verses, which are rather more intelligible than his English, mark him for a furious Libertarian (if we may coin such a term) and a zealous admirer of France, and her liberty, under Bonaparte; such liberty!"</ref><ref>[[John Robert Seeley|Seeley, John Robert]] (1878). ''Life and Times of Stein: Or Germany and Prussia in the Napoleonic Age''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 3: 355.</ref><ref>[[Frederick William Maitland|Maitland, Frederick William]] (July 1901). "William Stubbs, Bishop of Oxford". ''[[English Historical Review]]''. 16[.3]: 419.</ref>
 
The use of the term ''libertarian'' to describe a new set of political positions has been traced to the French cognate ''libertaire'', coined in a letter French [[libertarian communist]] [[Joseph Déjacque]] wrote to [[Mutualism (economic theory)|mutualist]] [[Pierre-Joseph Proudhon]] in 1857.<ref>Marshall, Peter (2009). ''Demanding the Impossible: A History of Anarchism''. p. 641. "The word 'libertarian' has long been associated with anarchism, and has been used repeatedly throughout this work. The term originally denoted a person who upheld the doctrine of the freedom of the will; in this sense, Godwin was not a 'libertarian', but a 'necessitarian'. It came however to be applied to anyone who approved of liberty in general. In anarchist circles, it was first used by Joseph Déjacque as the title of his anarchist journal ''Le Libertaire, Journal du Mouvement Social'' published in New York in 1858. At the end of the last century, the anarchist Sebastien Faure took up the word, to stress the difference between anarchists and authoritarian socialists".</ref> Déjacque also used the term for his [[List of anarchist periodicals|anarchist publication]] ''[[Le Libertaire, Journal du mouvement social]]'' (''Libertarian: Journal of Social Movement'') which was printed from 9 June 1858 to 4 February 1861 in New York City.<ref>[[George Woodcock|Woodcock, George]] (1962). ''Anarchism: A History of Libertarian Ideas and Movements''. Meridian Books. p. 280. "He called himself a "social poet," and published two volumes of heavily didactic verse—Lazaréennes and Les Pyrénées Nivelées. In New York, from 1858 to 1861, he edited an anarchist paper entitled ''Le Libertaire, Journal du Mouvement Social'', in whose pages he printed as a serial his vision of the anarchist Utopia, entitled L'Humanisphére."</ref> [[Sébastien Faure]], another French libertarian communist, began publishing a new ''Le Libertaire'' in the mid-1890s while France's [[French Third Republic|Third Republic]] enacted the so-called villainous laws (''[[lois scélérates]]'') which banned anarchist publications in France. ''Libertarianism'' has frequently been used to refer to [[anarchism]] and [[libertarian socialism]] since this time.<ref name="Nettlau">{{cite book|title=A Short History of Anarchism|last=Nettlau|first=Max|author-link=Max Nettlau|year=1996|publisher=Freedom Press|isbn=978-0900384899|location=London|page=162|oclc=37529250}}</ref><ref name="Ward">Ward, Colin (2004). [https://books.google.com/books?id=kksrWshoIkYC ''Anarchism: A Very Short Introduction''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113191632/https://books.google.com/books?id=kksrWshoIkYC |date=13 January 2016 }}. Oxford: [[Oxford University Press]]. p. 62. "For a century, anarchists have used the word 'libertarian' as a synonym for 'anarchist', both as a noun and an adjective. The celebrated anarchist journal ''Le Libertaire'' was founded in 1896. However, much more recently the word has been appropriated by various American free-market philosophers [...]."</ref><ref name="Chomsky 2002">{{cite web|last=Chomsky|first=Noam|title=The Week Online Interviews Chomsky|url=http://www.znetwork.org/zspace/commentaries/1137|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130113110804/http://www.znetwork.org/zspace/commentaries/1137|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 January 2013|work=Z Magazine|publisher=[[Z Communications]]|access-date=21 November 2011|author-link=Noam Chomsky|date=23 February 2002|quote=The term libertarian as used in the US means something quite different from what it meant historically and still means in the rest of the world. Historically, the libertarian movement has been the anti-statist wing of the socialist movement. Socialist anarchism was libertarian socialism.}}</ref>
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[[File:Fauresebastien police.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|[[Sébastien Faure]], prominent French theorist of libertarian communism as well as atheist and freethought militant]]
 
The [[Revolutions of 1917–1923|revolutionary wave of 1917–1923]] saw the active participation of anarchists in Russia and Europe. Russian anarchists participated alongside the [[Bolshevik]]s in both the [[February Revolution|February]] and [[October Revolution|October]] 1917 revolutions. However, Bolsheviks in central Russia quickly began to imprison or drive underground the libertarian anarchists. Many fled to Ukraine,.<ref>{{cite book|last=Avrich|first=Paul|title=The Russian Anarchists|publisher=AK Press|location=Stirling|year=2006|isbn=1904859488|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5pqSkSgKacAC&q=The+Russian+Anarchists+libertarian&pg=PA195|pages=195, 204|access-date=26 October 2020|archive-date=23 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220323162647/https://books.google.com/books?id=5pqSkSgKacAC&q=The+Russian+Anarchists+libertarian&pg=PA195|url-status=live}}</ref> whereAfter theythe fought for theanarchist [[Makhnovshchina]] inhelped the [[Russian Civil War]]stave againstoff the [[White movement]], monarchists and other opponents of revolution and then against Bolsheviks as part ofduring the [[RevolutionaryRussian InsurgentCivil Army of Ukraine]] led by [[Nestor MakhnoWar]], who established an anarchist society in the region.Bolsheviks Theturned victory ofon the Bolsheviks damaged anarchist movements internationally as workersMakkhnovists and activistscontributed joined [[Communist party|Communist parties]]. In France andto the Unitedschism States, for example, members ofbetween the major syndicalist movements of the [[Confédération générale du travail|CGT]]anarcho-syndicalists and [[Industrial Workers of the World|IWW]] joined the [[Comintern|Communist International]]Communists.<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Drachkovitch|editor1-first=Milorad M.|first=Max|last=Nomad|author-link=Max Nomad|contribution=The Anarchist Tradition|title=The Revolutionary Internationals, 1864–1943|publisher=Stanford University Press|page=88|year=1966|isbn=0804702934}}{{verify source|datechapter-url=March 2013https://archive.org/details/revolutionaryint0000unse_y9l9/page/88/mode/2up}}</ref>
 
With the rise of [[fascism]] in Europe between the 1920s and the 1930s, anarchists began to fight fascists in Italy,<ref>Holbrow, Marnie, [http://www.socialistreview.org.uk/article.php?articlenumber=8205 "Daring but Divided"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729114710/http://www.socialistreview.org.uk/article.php?articlenumber=8205 |date=29 July 2013 }} (''Socialist Review'', November 2002).</ref> in France during the [[6 February 1934 crisis|February 1934 riots]]<ref>Berry, David. "Fascism or Revolution." ''Le Libertaire''. August 1936.</ref> and in Spain where the [[Confederación Nacional del Trabajo|CNT]] (Confederación Nacional del Trabajo) boycott of elections led to a right-wing victory and its later participation in voting in 1936 helped bring the popular front back to power. This led to a ruling class attempted coup and the [[Spanish Civil War]] (1936–1939).<ref>Antony Beevor, ''The Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939'', Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2006, p. 46, {{ISBN|978-0297848325}}.</ref> Gruppo Comunista Anarchico di Firenze held that during the early twentieth century, the terms libertarian communism and anarchist communism became synonymous within the international anarchist movement as a result of the close connection they had in Spain ([[anarchism in Spain]]), with ''libertarian communism'' becoming the prevalent term.<ref>Gruppo Comunista Anarchico di Firenze (October 1979). [http://www.fdca.it/fdcaen/historical/vault/ancom-libcom.htm "Anarchist Communism & Libertarian Communism"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018191416/http://www.fdca.it/fdcaen/historical/vault/ancom-libcom.htm |date=18 October 2017 }}. ''L'informatore di parte''. '''4'''.</ref>
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[[File:Ron Paul (6811133499).jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|right|Former Congressman [[Ron Paul]], a self-described libertarian, whose presidential campaigns in [[Ron Paul 2008 presidential campaign|2008]] and [[Ron Paul 2012 presidential campaign|2012]] garnered significant support from youth and [[libertarian Republican]]s]]
In 1971, a small group led by [[David Nolan (libertarian)|David Nolan]] formed the [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian Party]],<ref>Winter, Bill. [https://waybackbooks.archive-it.org/all/20170525185828/https://groups.yahoogoogle.com/neo/groups/cp3/conversations/topics/9701 "1971–2001: The Libertarian Party's 30th Anniversary Year: Remembering the first three decades of America's 'Party of Principle'"].{{dead link|datebooks?id=January 2018|bot1abOEAAAQBAJ&pg=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} ''LP News''.PA337</ref> which has run a presidential candidate every election year since 1972. Other libertarian organizations, such as the [[Center for Libertarian Studies]] and the Cato Institute, were also formed in the 1970s.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110716024031/http://www.isil.org/network/global/C19/ International Society for Individual Liberty Freedom Network list].</ref> Philosopher [[John Hospers]], a one-time member of Rand's inner circle, proposed a non-initiation of force principle to unite both groups, but this statement later became a required "pledge" for candidates of the Libertarian Party and Hospers became its first presidential candidate in 1972.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://71republic.com/2018/11/11/the-libertarian-party-history/|title=The Libertarian Party: A History From Hospers to Johnson|website=71 Republic|date=11 November 2018|access-date=22 March 2019|archive-date=22 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322220233/https://71republic.com/2018/11/11/the-libertarian-party-history/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
Modern libertarianism gained significant recognition in academia with the publication of Harvard University professor [[Robert Nozick]]'s ''[[Anarchy, State, and Utopia]]'' in 1974, for which he received a National Book Award in 1975.<ref>National Book Foundation. [http://www.nationalbook.org/nba1975.html "National Book Awards: 1975 – Philosophy and Religion"]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110909065656/http://www.nationalbook.org/nba1975.html|date=9 September 2011}}</ref> In response to [[John Rawls]]' ''[[A Theory of Justice]]'', Nozick's book supported a [[Night-watchman state|minimal state]] (also called a nightwatchman state by Nozick) on the grounds that the ultraminimal state arises without violating individual rights<ref>Schaefer, David Lewis (30 April 2008). [http://www.nysun.com/sports/reconsiderations-robert-nozick-and-coast-utopia "Robert Nozick and the Coast of Utopia"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821170556/http://www.nysun.com/sports/reconsiderations-robert-nozick-and-coast-utopia |date=21 August 2014 }}. ''[[The New York Sun]]''.</ref> and the transition from an ultraminimal state to a minimal state is morally obligated to occur.
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[[Chicago school of economics]] economist [[Milton Friedman]] made the distinction between being part of the American [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian Party]] and "a libertarian with a small 'l'," where he held libertarian values but belonged to the American [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]].<ref>{{cite web |title=''Friedman and Freedom'' |url=http://queensjournal.ca/article.php?point=vol129/issue37/features/lead1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060811115145/http://queensjournal.ca/article.php?point=vol129%2Fissue37%2Ffeatures%2Flead1 |archive-date=August 11, 2006 |access-date=February 20, 2008 |publisher=Queen's Journal}}, Interview with Peter Jaworski. ''The Journal'', Queen's University, March 15, 2002 – Issue 37, Volume 129</ref>
 
=== Contemporary libertarianism in the United Kingdom ===
{{Main|Libertarianism in the United Kingdom}}
 
=== Contemporary libertarianism in Argentina ===
In 2023, Argentine economist [[Javier Milei]] became the first openly libertarian head of state,{{citation<ref needed|datename=November 2023|reason=Cited source never describes him as "the firstFoxMilei".}}/> after winning [[2023 Argentine general election|that year's general election]] with the [[La Libertad Avanza]] coalition.<ref name=":9" />
 
=== Contemporary libertarianism in South Africa ===
{{Main|Libertarianism in South Africa}}
 
== Contemporary libertarian organizations ==
{{category see also|Anarchist organizations|Libertarian parties|Libertarian publications|Libertarian think tanks}}
Current international anarchist federations which identify themselves as libertarian include the [[International of Anarchist Federations]], the [[IWA–AIT|International Workers' Association]] and International Libertarian Solidarity. The largest organized anarchist movement today is in Spain, in the form of the [[Confederacion General del Trabajo de España|Confederación General del Trabajo]] (CGT) and the [[Confederación Nacional del Trabajo]] (CNT).{{citation needed|date=September 2023}} CGT membership was estimated to be around 100,000 for 2003.<ref>Carley, Mark (2004). "Trade union membership 1993–2003". International: SPIRE Associates.</ref> Other active syndicalist movements include the [[Central Organisation of the Workers of Sweden]] and the [[Swedish Anarcho-syndicalist Youth Federation]] in Sweden, the [[Unione Sindacale Italiana]] in Italy, [[Workers Solidarity Alliance]] in the United States, and [[Solidarity Federation]] in the United Kingdom. The revolutionary industrial unionist [[Industrial Workers of the World]] claiming 2,000 paying members as well as the International Workers' Association, remain active. In the United States, there exists the [[Common Struggle|Common Struggle – Libertarian Communist Federation]].{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}
 
Since the 1950s, many American libertarian organizations have adopted a free-market stance as well as supporting civil liberties and non-interventionist foreign policies. These include the [[Ludwig von Mises Institute]], [[Francisco Marroquín University]], the [[Foundation for Economic Education]], [[Center for Libertarian Studies]], the [[Cato Institute]] and [[Liberty International (organization)|Liberty International]]. The activist [[Free State Project]], formed in 2001, works to bring 20,000 libertarians to New Hampshire to influence state policy.<ref>{{cite news|title=Libertarians Pursue New Political Goal: State of Their Own|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/27/us/libertarians-pursue-new-political-goal-state-of-their-own.html|first=Pam|last=Belluck|work=The New York Times|date=27 October 2003|access-date=26 May 2011|archive-date=13 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113104541/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/27/us/libertarians-pursue-new-political-goal-state-of-their-own.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Active student organizations include [[Students for Liberty]] and [[Young Americans for Liberty]]. A number of countries have libertarian parties that run candidates for political office. In the United States, the [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian Party]] was formed in 1972 and is the third largest<ref>{{cite news|author=Elizabeth Hovde|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/hovde/index.ssf/2009/05/americans_mixed_on_obamas_big.html|title=Americans mixed on Obama's big government gamble|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=11 May 2009|access-date=6 September 2010|archive-date=21 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181021232234/https://www.oregonlive.com/hovde/index.ssf/2009/05/americans_mixed_on_obamas_big.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Gairdner|first=William D.|title=The Trouble with Canada: A Citizen Speaks Out|publisher=BPS Books|location=Toronto|year=2007|orig-date=1990|isbn=978-0978440220|pages=101–102|quote=The first, we would call "libertarianism" today. Libertarians wanted to get ''all'' government out of people's lives. This movement is still very much alive today. In fact, in the United States, it is the third largest political party, and ran 125 candidates during the U.S. election of 1988.}}</ref> American political party, with 511,277 voters (0.46% of total electorate) registered as Libertarian in the 31 states that report Libertarian registration statistics and [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ballot-access.org/2017/09/03/august-2017-ballot-access-news-print-edition/|title=August 2017 Ballot Access News Print Edition|website=ballot-access.org|date=3 September 2017 |access-date=23 March 2019|archive-date=7 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107212314/http://ballot-access.org/2017/09/03/august-2017-ballot-access-news-print-edition/|url-status=live}}</ref>