# M. Blanqui — What Is Property? character guide

> M. Blanqui in What Is Property? by Pierre-Joseph Proudhon.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Blanqui, M. Blanqui Paris, the audacious M. Blanqui

**First appearance:** 0002-what-is-property

## Snapshot

The audacious economist to whom Proudhon addresses his second memoir, a sparring partner in the great debate over labor, capital, and ownership.

## Who they are

Blanqui is the addressee of Proudhon's second memoir, which makes him a direct interlocutor rather than a distant authority. As an economist, he embodies the discipline that Proudhon both uses and attacks, and the exchange between them dramatizes the collision of moral outrage with statistical reasoning. His role in the early-middle arc is to keep the argument honest — forcing Proudhon to prove, not merely proclaim, that property is theft.

## Relationships

### [Pierre Joseph Proudhon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/characters/pierre_joseph_proudhon)

_rivalry_

M. Blanqui and Proudhon were ideological opponents, with Blanqui representing conservative economic views that Proudhon attacked.

## In the story

### [P. J. Proudhon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/p-j-proudhon)

Mentioned as viewing Proudhon as a philosopher and savant during his acquittal.

### [Fifth Proposition](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/fifth-proposition)

Cited as lamenting capitalists' blind ignorance; Proudhon uses him to illustrate economic misunderstanding.

### [Second Memoir: A Letter to M. Blanqui](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/second-memoir-a-letter-to-m-blanqui)

Addressee of the letter; Proudhon responds to criticisms from him and others.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/characters/m_blanqui
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/characters