Марксизм и Анархизм: Философские корни конфликта Маркса и Бакунина (2006)

Marxism and Anarchism: The Philosophical Roots of the Marx-Bakunin Conflict

"Again, I'm not enough of a Marx scholar to pretend to an authoritative judgement. My impression, for what it is worth, is that the early Marx was very much a figure of the late Enlightenment, and the later Marx was a highly authoritarian activist, and a critical analyst of capitalism, who had little to say about socialist alternatives. But those are impressions."

Noam Chomsky

The tempestuous relation between Marx and Bakunin is a well-known legacy of the history of western socialism. As co-members of the International Working Men's Association, they seem to have devoted as much energy battling one another as their common enemy, the capitalist system, culminating in Marx's successful campaign to expel Bakunin from the organization. While at times engaging in cordial relations, they nevertheless harbored uncomplimentary mutual assessments. According to Marx, Bakunin was "a man devoid of all theoretical knowledge" and was "in his element as an intriguer", while Bakunin believed that "... the instinct of liberty is lacking in him [Marx]; he remains from head to foot, an authoritarian".

For some, the intensity of the conflict has been puzzling, given that the two authors seem to be struggling for identical goals. Convinced that capitalism is predicated on the exploitation of workers by capitalists, they were equally dedicated to fighting for a socialist society where economic classes would be abolished and all individuals would have the opportunity to develop all of their creative capacities. Hence, both envisioned socialism as eliminating the division of labor, especially between mental and manual work, and between men and women. In other words, the work process was to be transformed so that all workers would take an active role in the organization, design and implementation of it. Moreover, both argued that the oppressed must liberate themselves - one should not expect any benevolent impulses from members of the ruling, capitalist class; and to ensure success, the revolution must assume an international scope. Finally, they agreed that the State was an instrument of class oppression, not some neutral organ that equitably represented everyone's interests, and in the final analysis must be abolished. The 1871 Paris Commune offered, in their opinion, a model to be emulated.