Mikhail Bakunin
Also known as Mikhail Alexandrovich Bakunin
Russian revolutionary anarchist and political philosopher (1814–1876); Marx's rival in the First International.
At a glance
Main ideas
Communes from below, Power corrupts, Liberty and socialism …
See all 5Books to start with
God and the State, Statism and Anarchy, The Knouto-Germanic Empire and the Social Revolution
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Karl Marx, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon and 2 others
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Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Bakunin was a Russian revolutionary anarchist born into a noble family on the Priamukhino estate.
- After taking part in the 1848 Prague and 1849 Dresden uprisings he was imprisoned, sentenced to death and extradited several times.
- Exiled to Siberia in 1857, he escaped via Japan and the United States to London.
- He joined the First International in 1868 and clashed with Karl Marx, who had him expelled at the 1872 Hague Congress.
- He died in Bern in 1876.
Why it matters
- He is among the most influential figures of anarchism, and is remembered for warning that Marxist states would become one-party dictatorships ruling over the proletariat.
Key facts
- Born
- 30 May 1814 (O.S. 18 May), Priamukhino estate, Tver Governorate1
- Died
- 1 Jul 1876, Bern, Switzerland1
- Studies
- Moscow from 1840, then Berlin1
- Kolokol
- Worked with Alexander Herzen on the journal in London1
- First International
- Joined in 1868; expelled at the 1872 Hague Congress; founded the Anti-Authoritarian International the same year1
- Lyon
- Proclaimed the Lyon Commune in 1870; the uprising was quickly suppressed2
- Called himself an anarchist
- From 18671
Main ideas
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Communes from below1
Replace the state with freely federated communes and producers' associations organised "from below upward".
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Power corrupts1
Anarchists are "enemies of all power", because power corrupts both those who hold it and those who submit.
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Liberty and socialism1
"Liberty without socialism is privilege and injustice, and socialism without liberty is slavery and brutality."
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Against rule by experts1
Defer freely to the bootmaker on boots, but never let any expert impose their authority.
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Freedom needs others1
Humanity can only be free if everyone is free, with equal rights for women.
Books to start with
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Connections
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