Michail Bakunin

The Profile

Mikhail (Michail) Bakunin (1814–1876) was a Russian revolutionary anarchist and political philosopher known for his critiques of the state and for influential anarchist writings such as Statism and Anarchy and God and the State.

Bakunin was a leading 19th-century anarchist thinker and activist. He argued against the State and for the emancipation of the individual from institutionalized authority, and he participated in revolutionary movements across Europe. His key writings include Statism and Anarchy and God and the State.

De Lorenzo's review of Stato e anarchia reads as a sustained critique of Bakunin's anarchism. The reviewer describes Bakunin's proposals as utopian and lacking historical perspective. The review argues that abolition of the state would lead to fragmentation of force and social ruin. The piece closes with a personal anecdote that underlines the reviewer's disfavour.