Bakunin: Statism and Anarchy

This book is a complete and authoritative English rendition of the last work of the great Russian anarchist Michael Bakunin.

Michael Bakunin (Author), Marshall Shatz (Edited by)

9780521369732, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 30 November 1990

300 pages
21.4 x 13.7 x 2 cm, 0.42 kg

Statism and Anarchy is a complete English translation of the last work by the great Russian anarchist Michael Bakunin, written in 1873. Then he assails the Marxist alternative, predicting that a 'dictatorship of the proletariat' will in fact be a dictatorship over the proletariat, and will produce a new class of socialist rulers. Instead, he outlines his vision of an anarchist society and identifies the social forces he believes will achieve an anarchist revolution. Statism and Anarchy had an immediate influence on the 'to the people' movement of Russian populism, and Bakunin's ideas inspired significant anarchist movements in Spain, Italy, Russia and elsewhere. In a lucid introduction Marshall Shatz locates Bakunin in his immediate historical and intellectual context, and assesses the impact of his ideas on the wider development of European radical thought. A guide to further reading and chronology of events are also appended as aids to students encountering Bakunin's thought for the first time.

Editor's note
Introduction
Principal events in Bakunin's life
Biographical note
Note on the translation
Statism and Anarchy, Part I-Part VII
Appendices
Biographical and other notes on the text
Index.

Subject Areas: History of ideas [JFCX]