Mikhail Bakunin

By J. M. W. Three of the most notable types of the revolutionistic innovators of this century are Mazzini (1808-1872), rou!hon (180"--18#$), an! %a&unin (181'--187#)( )ll three *ere essentially +men of '8(+ The culmination of their teachin, *as then first attempte! to be put in practice( %ut they *ere so much in a!vance of their time, that it may still be ,enerations ere the see! they so*e! shall ripen into fruit( The three *ere ali&e in restless !arin,, an! noble aspiration( %ut the -talian *as the refine! an! passionate i!ealist, the .renchman the intrepi! thin&er, an! the /ussian the stur!y man of action( -t is *ith %a&unin, as the least &no*n in 0n,lan!, that - propose at present to briefly !eal( %a&unin, the foun!er of /ussian 1ihilism, *as born at Torsho&, in the !epartment of Tver, in 181'( 2e came of an aristocratic family an! *as e!ucate! for military service at 3t( etersbur,( 0ven in these early years he seems to have seen that sol!iers *ere serfs bribe! by pay an! !ecorations to &eep !o*n their fello* serfs( The artillery branch, in *hich he *as, in common *ith the most favore! aristocracy, ha! ,reater free!om, of thou,ht an! research than any other branch of the service, an! the po*erful min! of %a&unin *as stimulate! to*ar!s philosophy( 2e,alianism *as then risin, in vo,ue, an! he obtaine! permission to stu!y in 4ermany( 2e visite! %erlin, 5res!en an! 6eipsic, masterin, the 2e,elian philosophy, *hich he after*ar!s characterise! as the +)l,ebra of /evolution,+ but alrea!y inclinin, to the hetero!o7 school *hich pro!uce! men li&e 6u!*i, .reuerbach an! 5avi! .rie!rich 3trauss( %a&unin himself put for*ar! several notable philosophical essays un!er the nom !e ,uerre of +8ules 0lisar!(+ -n 18'9 he visite! aris an! became ac:uainte! *ith ierre 8oseph rou!hon, *ho in that year publishe! his profoun! *or& on The ;reation of <r!er in 2umanity( The /ussian became, a !isciple of the .rench )narchist, an! the ne7t fe* years of his life *ere !evote! to ma&in, the 3ocial 5emocratic movement also anarchist an! international( 2is permission to resi!e abroa!, *hich ha! only brou,ht on him the suspicion of bein, a /ussian spy, *as recin!e! by the /ussian 4overnment( -nstea! of obeyin, the or!er to return to /ussia he issue! an a!!ress to oles an! /ussians to unite in a an-3lavonic revolutionary confe!eration( Ten thousan! roubles *ere offere! for his arrest, an! the .rench ,overnment e7pelle! him( %ut the revolution of .ebruary 18'8 brou,ht him bac& to aris, *hence he rushe! as a torch of revolution to ra,ue to stir up the ;on,ress of 3lavs( 3oon after *e fin! him in 3a7ony, *here be became a member of the insurrectionsry ,overnment( .orce! to fly from 5res!en he *as capture!, sent to prison, an! con!emne! to !eath in May 18$0( 2is sentence *as commute! to imprisonment for life( 2e contrive! to escape into )ustria, *as a,ain capture! an! sentence! to !eath, but eventually *as surren!ere! to /ussia( 2e *as &ept for several years in a !un,eon in the fortress of 1eva, an! at len,th *as !eporte! to 3iberia( 2e spent many years ami! the horrors of penal servitu!e, but his spirit *as unvan:uishe!( 2e finally succee!e! in escapin, an! *al&in, east*ar! over a thousan! miles, un!er e7treme har!ship, an! at last reache! the sea an! obtaine! passa,e to 8apan( .rom there he saile! to ;alifornia, thence to 1e* =or&, an! in 18#0 appeare! in 6on!on( 2e ha! suffere! innumerable har!ships an! a!ventures, ha! mi7e! *ith all sorts an! con!itions of men, from the rulers of 0urope to the *il! hairy )inus, an! ha! every*here foun! that ,overnment *as tyranny( 2e thre* himself into revolutionary schemes *ith re!ouble! enthusiasm( >ith 2ertzen he publishe! the ?olo&ol, or Tocsin of /evolution( 2is !eman! for the abolition of the 3tate !re* him more an! more into conflict *ith the Mar7ian *in, of the revolutionary 3ocialist party, an! in 1872 he *as e7pelle! from the ;on,ress of the -nternational )ssociation, carryin, ho*ever, thirty !ele,ates *ith him( Mean*hile he ha! helpe! to buil! up the 1ihilist party in /ussia on the basis of un!oin,, present in@ustice *ithout see&in, to hamper, or even to ,ui!e, the natural evolution of the future( 3*itzerlan! *as his only safe centre of operations, an! here, *ith han!s, heart an! brain full of revolutionary schemes, he !ie! on 8uly 1st,

187#( ;arlo ;afiero an! 0lisA /eclus, in their preface to %a&uninBs 4o! an! the 3tate, sayC +-n /ussia amon, the stu!ents, in 4ermany amon, the insur,ents of 5res!en, in 3iberia amon, his brothers in e7ile, in )merica, in 0n,lan!, in .rance, in 3*itzerlan!, in -ta-y amon, all earnest men, his !irect influence has been consi!erable( The ori,inality of his i!eas, the ima,ery an! vehemence of his elo:uence, his untirin, zeal in propa,an!ism, helpe! too by the natural ma@esty of his person an! by a po*erful vitality, ,ave %a&unin access to all the socialistic revolutionary ,roups, an! his efforts left !eep traces every*here, even upon those *ho, after havin, *elcome! him, thrust him out because of a !ifference of ob@ect or metho!(+ %a&unin, it is evi!ent, *as rather the stimulator than the or,aniser( 2e *rote *on!erful letters, arousin, the torpi! an! nervin, the timi!( .ertile in su,,estion, his *ritin,s *ere of the nature of fra,ments cast off re!-hot from the fiery furnace of his min!( +My life,+ he use! to say, +is but a fra,ment(+ Most notable of the aforesai! fra,ments is his boo&let on 4o! an! the 3tate, in *hich those t*in instruments of oppression are attac&e! *ith e:ual vehemence an! vi,or( -t is on the pretence of !ivine authority that human authority is foun!e!, an! %a&unin, +apostle of !estruction+ as he *as calle! by the %el,ian economist 6avaleye, loo&e! for*ar! to the time *hen +human @ustice *ill be substitute! for !ivine @ustice(+ %a&unin sho*s that the superstitions an! stupi!ities of reli,ious belief are the natural outcome of i,norance an! oppression, *ith only the !ram- shop an! the church, !ebauchery of the bo!y an! !ebauchery of the min!, as the relief to a life of serf!om( %ut the *or& is accessible to all, an! to those *ho li&e to come into contact *ith a vi,orous min! - sayC--+/ea! itD an! if you !o not li&e it, /ea! it a,ain(+