Anarcho-capitalism and minarchism are the two distinct strains of libertarianism.^[1][2][3]

[edit] Theoretical distinctions

Anarcho-capitalism advocates simply abolishing the state so that private-sector entities will be free to promulgate, enforce and adjudicate legal codes. Minarchism calls for a "minimal" or Night watchman state.^[3] In a minarchy, the only justifiable government institutions are armies, police, courts and legislatures, for the purposes of protecting citizens from external attack, from local crime, to determine innocence or guilt, and to determine the proper application of property rights in new areas.^[3] In an anarcho-capitalist society, these functions would be provided by competing private firms.^[3][4]

[edit] In the history of the 20th century

In the late 20th century, the two doctrines of libertarianism were in tension, a cause of much debate in institutions such as the Libertarian Party of the United States, the International Society of Individual Liberty, the Ludwig von Mises Institute, the Cato Institute, as well as in magazines such as Liberty and Reason.^[5] The debate was also pursued in academic philosophy and economics, with academics such as Walter Block, Bryan Caplan and Roderick Long defending anarchist libertarianism against minarchists such as Robert Nozick, whose 1974 work Anarchy, State, and Utopia, which advocated a minimal state rather than a state of anarchy, was one of the classics of 20th century analytic political philosophy.^[5][6][4][7]

[edit] U.S. Libertarian Party

The U.S. Libertarian Party sought to be a "big tent" by welcoming both factions into its midst. The party's 1972 platform included such declarations as "the sole function of government is the protection of the rights of each individual," which displeased anarcho-capitalists. The 1974 Libertarian National Convention adopted the Dallas Accord, which made the platform of the Libertarian Party purposefully ambiguous on the desirability of the state's existence.^[8] This involved using such phrases as "where governments exist, they must not violate the rights of any individual…" Full adherence to this compromise lasted for decades, ending in Portland, Oregon in 2006 with the inclusion of the following language: "Government exists to protect the rights of every individual including life, liberty and property."^[9] This alteration was mostly the result of the efforts of the Libertarian Reform Caucus, an organization which also cut the length of the platform down to one-eighth the length it was in 2004 and nominated former Republican Bob Barr as the party's 2008 presidential candidate.^[9]

[edit] Related topics

• Anarchism and anarcho-capitalism
• Anarchism and Marxism
• Libertarianism and Objectivism

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

• Caplan, Bryan. "The minarchists' attack on anarcho-capitalism", Anarchist Theory FAQ, Version 5.2.
• Long and Machan (eds.): Anarchism/Minarchism: Is a Government Part of a Free Country?. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2008. ISBN 0754660664.
• Tibor R. Machan, "Anarchism and Minarchism. A Rapprochement", Journal des Economists et des Estudes Humaines, Vol. 14, No.4 (December 2002), pages 569–88.

[edit] External links

• ""Anarchism and the Minimal State" section of the Libertarianism" article in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
• "Anarcho-Capitalism" section of the "Libertarianism" entry in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

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