Why did Pierre-Joseph Proudhon write that property is theft?

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon’s famous declaration that "property is theft" in his 1840 work What Is Property? was a provocative rhetorical device intended to capture attention rather than a blanket condemnation of all forms of ownership.1

Proudhon did not attack the concept of property in its entirety. Instead, he specifically targeted property that allowed one person to exploit the labor of another, such as that held by absentee landlords or capitalists. He believed that true liberty required individuals—such as peasant farmers or small craftsmen—to possess the land and tools they personally used to make a living.12

His ideal society was based on mutualism, where individuals and cooperatives would control their own means of production and exchange goods through fair, voluntary contracts without the coercive interference of the state. Proudhon’s criticism was directed at systems that stripped individuals of control over their work, which he viewed as a fundamental threat to human freedom.12