Editing Night-watchman state (section)

== Origin ==
As a term, ''night-watchman state'' ({{langx|de|link=no|Nachtwächterstaat}}) was coined by German [[socialist]] [[Ferdinand Lassalle]] in an 1862 speech in Berlin wherein he criticized the [[bourgeois]]-liberal [[limited government]] state, comparing it to a [[Watchman (law enforcement)|nightwatchman]]. The phrase quickly caught on as a description of [[capitalist]] government, even as liberalism began to mean a more involved state, or a state with a larger sphere of responsibility.<ref>Sawer, Marian (2003). ''The Ethical State?: Social Liberalism in Australia''. Melbourne University Publishing. [https://books.google.com/books?id=3TvKQ9TkiroC&dq=night+watchman+state+Ferdinand+Lassalle&pg=PA87 p. 87] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421162436/https://books.google.com/books?id=3TvKQ9TkiroC&dq=night+watchman+state+Ferdinand+Lassalle&pg=PA87 |date=April 21, 2023 }}. {{ISBN|978-0522850826}}.</ref> [[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".<ref>Von Mises, Ludwig (1927) [1922]. ''[[Liberalism (book)|Liberalism]]''. [https://books.google.com/books?id=TMkSpFYc_SEC&dq=night+watchman+state+Liberalism+mises&pg=PA37 p. 37] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421162436/https://books.google.com/books?id=TMkSpFYc_SEC&dq=night+watchman+state+Liberalism+mises&pg=PA37 |date=April 21, 2023 }}.</ref>

Proponents of the night-watchman state are ''minarchists'', a portmanteau of ''minimum'' and ''-archy''. ''[[Arche]]'' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɑr|k|i}}; {{langx|grc|[[:wikt:ἀρχή|ἀρχή]]}}) is a Greek word which came to mean "first place, power", "method of government", "empire, realm", "authorities" (in plural: {{lang|grc|ἀρχαί}}), or "command".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aalphabetic+letter%3D*a%3Aentry+group%3D318%3Aentry%3Da%29rxh%2F|title=Ἀρχή|script-title=el: Archy|trans-title=Archy|work=[[A Greek-English Lexicon]]|access-date=January 2, 2020|archive-date=September 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927220300/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aalphabetic+letter%3D*a%3Aentry+group%3D318%3Aentry%3Da%29rxh%2F|url-status=live}}</ref> The term ''minarchist'' was coined by [[Samuel Edward Konkin III]] in 1980.<ref>Konkin III, Samuel Edward (1980). ''[[New Libertarian Manifesto]]''. p. 9.</ref>