Legal Definition and Related Resources of Anarchist

An anarch; one who excites revolt or promotes disorder in a state.

What does Anarchist mean in American Law?

The definition of Anarchist in the law of the United States, as defined by the lexicographer Arthur Leff in his legal dictionary is:

An adherent of “anarchism,” i.e., a “political” system in which there is to be no coercive governmental authority, but all people are to be perfectly free to govern themselves and their relations with others on the basis of voluntary agreement. Anarchists come in a large number of varieties; there are pacifist anarchists, syndicalist anarchists, revolutionary anarchists (some essentially indistinguishable from revolutionary nihilists) and elitist anarchists (cf. libertarians). In American legal contexts, however, “anarchist” has usually not been used to refer to subtle positions of political philosophy but, especially in the 1920’s and 1930’s, as a pejorative rough equivalent of “revolutionary” or “terrorist” i.e., as one favoring the violent overthrow of the government, the assassination of public officials, indiscriminate bombing, etc.

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This definition of Anarchist Is based on the The Cyclopedic Law Dictionary . This entry needs to be proofread.

Vocabularies (Semantic Web Information)

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Grammar

This term is a noun.

Etimology of Anarchist

(You may find anarchist at the world legal encyclopedia and the etimology of more terms).

1670s, “one who denies the validity of ruling power;” see anarchy + -ist. The word got a boost during the French Revolution; in 19c. it was used both of “one who advocates absence of government as a political ideal” (philosophical or scientific anarchism) and “one who seeks to overthrow violently all forms and institutions of society and government with no intention of establishing others.”