Society without authorities or a governing body, against religion
For other uses, see Anarchy (disambiguation).
This article is about the state of government without authority. For the philosophy against authority, see Anarchism.
Part of the Politics series
Basic forms of government
List of forms of government
List of countries by system of government
Source of power
Democracy (rule by many)
Demarchy
Direct
Liberal
Representative
Social
Socialist
Others
Oligarchy (rule by few)
Anocracy
Aristocracy
Gerontocracy
Kleptocracy
Kritarchy
Meritocracy
Noocracy
Particracy
Plutocracy
Stratocracy
Technocracy
Theocracy
Autocracy (rule by one)
Despotism
Dictatorship
Military dictatorship
Tyranny
Anarchy (rule by none)
Anarchism
Free association
Stateless
Power ideology
Monarchy
Republic
(socio-political ideologies)
Absolute
Communist
Constitutional
Directorial
Legalist
Parliamentary
Presidential
Semi-presidential
Authoritarian
Libertarian
(socio-economic ideologies)
Anarchism
Colonialism
Communism
Despotism
Distributism
Fascism
Feudalism
Socialism
Totalitarianism
Tribalism
Religious
Secular
State religion
Secular state
State atheism
Global
Local
(geo-cultural ideologies)
City-state
Intergovernmental organisation
National government
World government
Nationalism
Internationalism
Globalism
Power structure
Unitarism
Unitary state
Empire
Principality
Client state
Associated state
Dependent territory
Dominion
Protectorate
Puppet state
Puppet monarch
Satellite state
Self-governing colony
Tributary state
Buffer state
Vassal state
Viceroyalty
Federalism
Confederation
Devolution
Federation
Superstate
Supranational union
International relations
Small power
Regional power
Middle power
Great power
Superpower
Related
Administrative division
Democracy indices
Democratic transition
Autocratization
Democratisation
Hybrid regimes
Politics portal
v
t
e
Anarchy is a form of society without rulers. As a kind of stateless society, it is commonly contrasted with states, which are centralised polities that claim a monopoly on violence over a permanent territory. Beyond a lack of government, it can more precisely refer to societies that lack any form of authority or hierarchy. While viewed positively by anarchists, the primary advocates of anarchy, it is viewed negatively by advocates of statism, who see it in terms of social disorder.
The word "anarchy" was first defined by Ancient Greek philosophy, which understood it to be a corrupted form of direct democracy, where a majority of people exclusively pursue their own interests. This use of the word made its way into Latin during the Middle Ages, before the concepts of anarchy and democracy were disconnected from each other in the wake of the Atlantic Revolutions. During the Age of Enlightenment, philosophers began to look at anarchy in terms of the "state of nature", a thought experiment used to justify various forms of hierarchical government. By the late 18th century, some philosophers began to speak in defence of anarchy, seeing it as a preferable alternative to existing forms of tyranny. This lay the foundations for the development of anarchism, which advocates for the creation of anarchy through decentralisation and federalism.
Anarchy is a form of society without rulers. As a kind of stateless society, it is commonly contrasted with states, which are centralised polities that...
Sons of Anarchy is an American action crime drama television series created by Kurt Sutter for FX. Originally aired from September 3, 2008, to December...
Sons of Anarchy, a television drama series created by Kurt Sutter, premiered on September 3, 2008 on the cable network FX in the United States. The series...
The Anarchy was a civil war in England and Normandy between 1138 and 1153, which resulted in a widespread breakdown in law and order. The conflict was...
The fourth season of the American television drama series Sons of Anarchy premiered on September 6, 2011, and concluded on December 6, 2011, after 14...
The first season of the American television drama series Sons of Anarchy premiered on September 3, 2008, and concluded on November 26, 2008, after 13...
Relationship anarchy (sometimes abbreviated RA) is the application of anarchist principles to intimate relationships. Its values include autonomy, anti-hierarchical...
In Marxist theory, anarchy of production is a characteristic feature of all commodity production based on private property, which is the primary mode...
seventh and final season of the American television drama series Sons of Anarchy premiered on September 9, 2014, and concluded on December 9, 2014, after...
The second season of the American television drama series Sons of Anarchy premiered on September 8, 2009, and concluded on December 1, 2009, after 13...
and penultimate season of the American television drama series Sons of Anarchy premiered on September 10, 2013, and concluded on December 10, 2013, after...
Culture and Anarchy: An Essay in Political and Social Criticism is a series of periodical essays by Matthew Arnold, first published in Cornhill Magazine...
The third season of the American television drama series Sons of Anarchy premiered on September 7, 2010, and concluded on November 30, 2010, after 13...
The fifth season of the American television drama series Sons of Anarchy premiered on September 11, 2012, and concluded on December 4, 2012, after 13...
Anarchy Online is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) published and developed by Norwegian video game development company Funcom...
The Masque of Anarchy (or The Mask of Anarchy) is a British political poem written in 1819 (see 1819 in poetry) by Percy Bysshe Shelley following the...
Anarchy: Music from Sons of Anarchy Seasons 1–4 Sons of Anarchy: Songs of Anarchy Vol. 2, Sons of Anarchy: Songs of Anarchy Vol. 3, Sons of Anarchy:...
Art of Anarchy is an American rock supergroup formed in 2011, which currently consists of brothers Jon and Vince Votta on guitar and drums, Tony Dickinson...
the ideological current that favours anarchy. Anarchism appears in English from 1642 as anarchisme and anarchy from 1539; early English usages emphasised...
journals adopted the name Black Flag. Howard J. Ehrlich writes in Reinventing Anarchy, Again: The black flag is the negation of all flags. It is a negation of...
Anarchy Reigns, known in Japan as Max Anarchy, is an open world beat 'em up video game developed by PlatinumGames and published by Sega. It is the spiritual...
Synchro Anarchy is the fifteenth studio album, and nineteenth release overall, by Canadian heavy metal band Voivod, released on February 11, 2022. Like...
Global Information
Politics portal