To what extent are Anarchists united in their views on the State? (24)

Disagree on how to abolish the state

• Although agree on need to abolish state, anarchists strongly disagree how to do this

• Collectivist advocate for mass revolution to dismantle state and capitalism, replacing them with stateless societies. Bakunin supported violent, collective revolution, believing state would never relinquish power voluntarily. Anarcho-syndicalists - Georges Sorel emphasised role of organised labour & general strike in inspiring collective revolt

• Individualists focus on egoistic self-liberation, seeing collective action as threat to individual liberty. Stirner argued for personal insurrection, with individuals withdrawing from state structures, allowing state to collapse without being replaced by another coercive system

• Demonstrates anarchists’ unity in opposing state masks deep divisions over strategy, shaped by contrasting views on collectives & individual autonomy.

Agree the state should be rejected

• Anarchists united in rejecting state as inherently oppressive institution that denies liberty & equality

• Collectivists rejected state as inseparable from capitalism & hierarchy. Bakunin argued even a “benevolent” state would reproduce domination, while Proudhon viewed it as tool protecting priv property & exploitation

• Individualist anarchists rejected state as it restricts autonomy. Stirner declared “I am free in no state” & Goldman argued “if voting changed anything, they’d make it illegal”, highlighting even democracy disguises oppression

• Both strands agree that state is ultimate barrier to freedom & equality, making its rejection defining principle of all anarchists thought

Agree that direct action is key to the removal of the state

• Individualist & collectivist anarchists support direct action over reform

• Anarchists reject reformist tactics like voting or lobbying, arguing these merely legitimise state’s authority. Instead, advocate civil disobedience to inspire mass resistance. Bakunin described “propaganda by the deed”, believing acts of insurrection would awaken revolutionary consciousness among workers & peasants

• Collectivists like Bakunin emphasised mass revolutionary struggle through collective uprisings, and individualist anarchists such as Goldman and Stirner viewed direct action as a form of personal liberation

• Both strands unite in believing direct action is the only effective means of destroying the state’s oppressive power and realising genuine freedom.

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