MIKHAIL BAKUNIN Flashcards
Who was bakunin
A revolutionary activist and thinker
What was Bakunin’s key work
God and the state (1882)
Was his key work finished
IT WAS UNFINISHED
What did bakunin reject
The individualism of liberalism, arguing that true freedom is only possible when economic and social equality exists
What did bakunin think about freedom
It was not a product of being isolated but rather is realised through connections with others
Bakunin rejected all forms of what
Authority, hierarchy and the state as they all assume that the masses are incapable of governing themselves
Bakunin also opposed what
The church and religion
By returning power to the collective what did bakunin say would happen
Can freedom exist
Why did bakunin oppose capitalist states
“the organised authority, domination and power of the possessing classes over the masses”
What did bakunin think about the socialist state
Would simply replace one oppressive master with another
Why did bakunin oppose capitalism as a whole
Saw labour as “sort of voluntary and sort of forceful” and private property as the right to live “by exploiting the work of someone else”
What did bakunin believe in the power of
In the power of the masses to rise up and overthrow the state
What did bakunin see as necessary
Revolution, probably initially having to use violence to create conditions for the new society.
What would be a key method for bakunin for revolution
The general strike
Bakunin’s view of human nature
We are fundamentally social animals and productive work characterises our humanity
