Contrasting classical anarchism with anarchism after 1945.
An incomplete take on the historical development of anarchism as a separate political theory.
Ever since Pierre Proudhon's 'Dialogue With a Philistine' in ‘What is Property’, in which he became the first political philosopher to declare himself, '(in the full force of the term) an anarchist', anarchism has flourished into a self-aware ideology and political movement that has had a profound influence on the broader workers' movement and the class struggles of the last two centuries.
Bakunin and the United States - Paul Avrich
Biographic essay on Bakunin by anarchist historian Paul Avrich
Anarchism and Anti-Intellectualism in Russia - Paul Avrich
Excellent article by historian Paul Avrich on anti-Intellectual tendencies in Russian anarchism
The Legacy of Bakunin - Paul Avrich
Submitted by subprole on Mar 27 2011 15:36
Essay by anarchist historian Paul Avrich on Bakunin.
The Bakunin-Marx split in the 1st International - Franz Mehring
Excerpts from Mehring's Karl Marx - The Story of His Life (1918) on the conflict between Bakunin and Marx in the 1st International (International Working Men's Association). Mehring gives a very evenhanded account of the famous split that was to initially define the historical relationship between the statist and anti-statist wings of the working class movement. Unlike most other Marxists up to the present - and whilst maintaining his political disagreements with Bakunin's anarchism and criticising his faults and weaknesses - Mehring without bias also points out the slanders, intrigues and trickeries of Marx and his supporters in this episode.
The full text of Mehring's book is available at: http://www.marxists.org/archive/mehring/1918/marx/
[The International Working Men’s Association had been founded at a large meeting in St. Martin’s Hall, London, on the 28th of September, 1864. By 1868 its membership and influence had begun to spread across Europe.]
Marx, Bakunin, and the Question of Authoritarianism
David Adam casts doubt on the traditional narrative regarding the question of authoritarianism in the Marx-Bakunin conflict.
Historically, Bakunin’s criticism of Marx’s “authoritarian” aims has tended to overshadow Marx’s critique of Bakunin’s “authoritarian” aims. This is in large part due to the fact that mainstream anarchism and Marxism have been polarized over a myth—that of Marx’s authoritarian statism—which they both share.
The Russian Anarchists - Paul Avrich
Submitted by Boris Badenov on Apr 17 2010 23:48
Paul Avrich's classic, and impeccably researched, study of the history of anarchism in Russia.
Notes on Bakunin's book 'Statehood and Anarchy' - Karl Marx
Submitted by Red Marriott on Jun 13 2007 20:53
Marx responds to Bakunin's criticisms of Marx and Marxism. Marx's comments were written at the end of 1874 as he read Bakunin's book as part of his efforts to learn Russian and to study Russian society.
Marx's late writings on the Russian 'mir' (peasant commune) were influenced by Bakunin's description and analysis of communal peasant society in 'Statehood and Anarchy'.
From Volume 24 of 'Marx & Engels - Collected Works'; Lawrence & Wishart, London, 1989.
The philosophical roots of the Marx-Bakunin conflict - Ann Robertson
Article about political differences between Bakunin and Marx, which correlated to the anarchist-Marxist split in the First International.
The author is biased in favour of Marx's views, but fails to give credit for Bakunin's influence on Marx (such as forcing him to clarify his views on the state) or those instances where Bakunin had more insight than Marx (such as on the evolution and counter-revolutionary nature of Social Democracy).
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