Selected Writings from Mikhail Bakunin

by Mikhail Bakunin

A collection of writings from the champion of Anarchism, Mikhail Bakunin. Includes "God and the State", "Marxism, Freedom and the State", "The Policy of the International", and "The Paris Commune and the Idea of the State". Preface gives a brief biography.

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy, Politics

149 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Russian anarchist and political theorist Mikhail Aleksandrovich Bakunin, imprisoned and later exiled to Siberia for his considered revolutionary activities, escaped to London in 1861, opposed Communism of Karl Marx.

People often called Mikhail Alexandrovich Bakunin (Russian: Михаи́л Алекса́ндрович Баку́нин), a philosopher, the father of collectivism.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail...

Reviews

[PouDa Sabry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of writings from Mikhail Bakunin. Includes "God and the State", "Marxism, Freedom and the State", "The Policy of the International", and "The Paris Commune and the Idea of the State". Preface gives a brief biography.
“The urge to destroy is also a creative urge.”
― Mikhail Bakunin

[Duarte Martins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bakunin makes a half baked rant against religion and the concept of god, followed by a comparison with and scathing critique of Marxist doctrine. The arguments for secularism sadly aren’t very developed and read more like something a high school philosophy student would write. Some of the arguments for anarchism tend to have more merit but also quickly fall into hyperbole, e.g. “There is not, there cannot be, a State without religion.”. His best argument is that Marxian Socialism inevitably leads to a repressive authoritarian state much like the kind it aims to remove, which has been historically validated.

"After a brief moment of liberty or revolutionary orgy, citizens of a new State, they will awake to find themselves slaves, playthings and victims of new power-lusters. One can understand how and why clever politicians should attach themselves with great passion to a programme which opens such a wide horizon to their ambition; but that serious workers, who bear in the hearts like a living flame the sentiment of solidarity with their companions in slavery and wretchedness the whole world over, and who desire to emancipate themselves not to the detriment of all but by the emancipation of all, to be free themselves with all and not to become tyrants in their turn; that sincere toilers could become enamoured of such a programme, that is much more difficult to understand."

[Nexusjio · Rating 3 out of 5]

first time reading Bakunin, guy is a controversial figure but also important in anarchist theory. He admits himself he isn't a professional writer and it shows in how accessible his writing style is. Yet at the same time he goes on so many tangents its hard to keep up with what he is trying to argue. out of the four essays I'd rank them as
1. Marxism, Freedom and The State
2. God and The State
3. The Paris Commune
4. The Policy of the International

[Nawasandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alhamdulillah, saya menemukan edisi pertamanya yg diterbitkan di India, oleh penerbit Arya Bhavan. Sangat langka.

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A grand collection of the most important writings of Bakunin.