author
Paul Eltzbacher
1868–1928
A German legal scholar who became widely known for a clear, influential study of anarchist thinkers, he wrote at the crossroads of law, politics, and ideology. His work remains a useful window into the intense debates that shaped Europe in the early twentieth century.
1 Audiobook
Anarchism
by Paul Eltzbacher
About the author
Born in Cologne on February 18, 1868, Paul Eltzbacher was a German jurist, professor, and writer. He studied law at several universities, worked in the courts early in his career, and later taught law, building a reputation as a serious legal scholar.
He is best remembered for Anarchism (Der Anarchismus), a study that introduced readers to major anarchist thinkers by setting out their ideas in a systematic way. That book helped make a complicated political movement easier to understand and gave Eltzbacher a lasting place in the history of political thought.
After World War I, his political writing moved in a different direction, and he became associated with nationalist and radical debates in Germany. He died in Berlin on October 25, 1928, leaving behind a body of work that shows how closely law, politics, and intellectual history could overlap in his era.