What is mutual aid in anarchist thought?

Mutual aid is the concept that cooperation and voluntary reciprocal exchange between individuals and groups is a natural human tendency and the basis for social organisation without state coercion.

How does insurrection differ from organised revolution in anarchist terminology?

Insurrection refers to spontaneous uprising or rebellion against authority, emphasising individual acts of defiance that inspire wider rejection of the state, rather than coordinated political action.

What external authorities did Stirner reject?

Stirner rejected all external authorities including the state, religion, and abstract moral principles.

Describe Stirner's concept of the Union of Egoists.

A future society based on voluntary associations of self-interested individuals who cooperate only when it serves their personal interests, embodying the principle that anarchy is order.

Edexcel A-Level Politics 9PL0

Democracy and Participation

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AnarchismNon-core

Topic overview Anarchism: core ideas and the rejection of the state Liberty, order and the anarchist economy Collectivist and individualist anarchism compared Types of collectivist anarchism Types of individualist anarchism Stirner and Proudhon Bakunin, Kropotkin and Goldman

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US CongressUSA

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Regionalism and the European UnionGlobal

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Global Comparative TheoriesGlobal

Topic overview Realism: states, anarchy and the balance of power Liberalism: morality, interdependence and global governance Divisions between realism and liberalism The anarchical society and the society of states Evaluating realism and liberalism against events since 2000

Anarchism

Stirner and Proudhon

3 things to know
Component 2

Overview

Recall questions on Stirner's egoism, the Union of Egoists and insurrection, and on Proudhon's mutualism and rejection of both property and collectivism.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

Why did Stirner advocate insurrection rather than revolution or organised political action?

Key term

Define collectivisation as understood by anarcho-communists and collectivist anarchists.

Who and when

According to Max Stirner, where does moral authority ultimately reside?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
Define collectivisation as understood by anarcho-communists and collectivist anarchists.
Model answer
Collectivisation is the abolition of private property and its replacement with collective ownership of the means of production.
2
What is mutual aid in anarchist thought?
Model answer
Mutual aid is the concept that cooperation and voluntary reciprocal exchange between individuals and groups is a natural human tendency and the basis for social organisation without state coercion.
3
How does insurrection differ from organised revolution in anarchist terminology?
Model answer
Insurrection refers to spontaneous uprising or rebellion against authority, emphasising individual acts of defiance that inspire wider rejection of the state, rather than coordinated political action.
4
According to Max Stirner, where does moral authority ultimately reside?
Model answer
The individual pursuing their own reasoned interest, who is the only authority over what counts as right.
5
What external authorities did Stirner reject?
Model answer
Stirner rejected all external authorities including the state, religion, and abstract moral principles.
6
Describe Stirner's concept of the Union of Egoists.
Model answer
A future society based on voluntary associations of self-interested individuals who cooperate only when it serves their personal interests, embodying the principle that anarchy is order.

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