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Anight-watchman state, also referred to as aminimal state orminarchy, whose proponents are known asminarchists, is a model of astate that is limited and minimal, whose functions depend onlibertarian theory.Right-libertarians support it only as an enforcer of thenon-aggression principle by providing citizens with the military, the police, and courts, thereby protecting them fromaggression, theft,breach of contract, fraud, and enforcingproperty laws.[1][2][3]
In theUnited States, thisform of government is mainly associated withlibertarian andobjectivist political philosophy. In other countries, minarchism is also advocated by some non-anarchistlibertarian socialists and otherleft-libertarians.[4][5] A night-watchman state has also been popularized byRobert Nozick inAnarchy, State, and Utopia (1974).[6] TheUnited Kingdom in the 19th century has been described by historianCharles Townshend as a standard-bearer for this form of government.[7]
As a term,night-watchman state (German:Nachtwächterstaat) was coined by GermansocialistFerdinand Lassalle in an 1862 speech in Berlin wherein he criticized thebourgeois-liberallimited government state, comparing it to anightwatchman. The phrase quickly caught on as a description ofcapitalist government, even as liberalism began to mean a more involved state, or a state with a larger sphere of responsibility.[8]Ludwig von Mises later opined that Lassalle tried to make limited government look ridiculous though it was no more ridiculous than governments that concerned themselves with "the preparation of sauerkraut, with the manufacture of trouser buttons, or with the publication of newspapers".[9]
Proponents of the night-watchman state areminarchists, a portmanteau ofminimum and-archy.Arche (/ˈɑːrki/;Ancient Greek:ἀρχή) is a Greek word which came to mean "first place, power", "method of government", "empire, realm", "authorities" (in plural:ἀρχαί), or "command".[10] The termminarchist was coined bySamuel Edward Konkin III in 1980.[11]
 | This sectionis missing information about the minarchic objections of thepolycentric law (such as the non-recognition of legal orders among different providers) and the concept of the "ultra-minimal state." Additionally, the distinction between pro-voluntary funding minarchists, such asAyn Rand andRobert Nozick, and pro-tax minarchists is not explicitly illustrated. Please expand the section to include this information. Further details may exist on thetalk page.(August 2024) |
Right-libertarian minarchists generally justify the state as a logical consequence of thenon-aggression principle.[1][2][3] They argue thatanarcho-capitalism is impractical because it is not sufficient to enforce the non-aggression principle, as the enforcement of laws under anarchy would be open to competition.[12] Another common objection to anarchism is that private defense and court firms would tend to represent the interests of those who pay them enough.[13]
Left-libertarian minarchists justify the state as a temporary measure on the grounds thatsocial safety net benefits the working class. Some anarchists, such asNoam Chomsky, are in agreement withsocial democrats on the importance of welfare measures, but prefer using non-state methods.[14] Left-libertarians such asPeter Hain aredecentralists who do not advocate abolishing the state,[4] but do wish to limit and devolve state power,[5] stipulating that any measures favoring the wealthy be prioritized for repeal before those which benefit the poor.[15]
Some minarchists argue that a state is inevitable because anarchy is futile.[16]Robert Nozick, who publicized the idea of a minimal state inAnarchy, State, and Utopia (1974), argued that a night-watchman state provides a framework that allows for any political system that respects fundamentalindividual rights and therefore morally justifies the existence of a state.[6][17]
Britain, however, with its strong tradition of minimal government – the 'night-watchman state' – vividly illustrated the speed of the shift [during World War I] from normalcy to drastic and all-embracing wartime powers like those contained in the Defence of the Realm Act.
Anarchists propose other measures to deal with these problems, without recourse to state authority. ... Social democrats and anarchists always agreed, fairly generally, on so-called 'welfare state measures'.
