God and the State

In this incendiary philosophical pamphlet, Bakunin unleashes a sweeping attack on the twin pillars of human oppression: God and the State. Written from his prison cell in 1870-71, the work argues that the divine right of kings and the divine right of God are not merely parallel systems of control but fundamentally the same psychological and political crime against human freedom. Bakunin contends that as long as humanity accepts the idea of an external authority, whether celestial or terrestrial, it will remain in chains. The State, he argues, is merely religion transmuted into politics: it demands the same blind faith, the same submission, the same sacrifice of individual will to a higher power. This is not mere atheism; it is a profound meditation on what it means to be free, and why freedom requires the total rejection of all hierarchical authority. Bakunin's prose burns with conviction, making the philosophical feel urgent and personal. For anyone interested in political philosophy, the history of radical thought, or the roots of modern anarchist thought, this text remains essential.