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: GOVERNIVIENT IS VIOLENCE
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THEFIRSTCOLLECTIONOFTOLSTOY'S ESSAYS n
ON ANARCHISM ANDNON-VIOLENTREVOLUTION a
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GOVERNMENT IS
VIOLENCE
GOVERNMENTIS VIOLENCE
TOLSTOY
GOVERNMENTISVIOLENCE
essays on anarchism and pacifism
Edited and introduced by
David Stephens
Phoenix Press
London
1 9 9 0
Leo Tolstoy
GOVERNMENTISVIOLENCE
essays on anarchism and pacifism
ISBN: 0 948984 15 5
Published byPhoenixPress
POBox 824
London
N19DL
Typeset byKaw-djerandleVieux Foudre
ArtworkbyPennyRimbaud
Printedandboundby BPCC Wheatons,Exeter
C0verphoto:Tolstoy in 1908
CONTENTS
On this book
Thenon~violent anarchism ofLeoTolstoy
The EndoftheAge 21
AnAppealtoSocialReformers 53
OnAnarchy 67
ThouShaltNotKill 71
PatriotismandGovernment 77
TheKingdomofGodisWithinYou
TheSlaveryofOurTime 111
OnSocialism,StateandChristian 157
Sources 168
FurtherReadingonTolstoy 170
Notes I74
ON THIS BOOK
Thisbookhasbeendesignedtocomplementthe 1987republication
by New SocietyofTolstoy’s Writingson CivilDisobedience andNon-
violence, which contains many of Tolstoy's Christian pacifist essays.
However,theNew Society collectiondoesnot includetheclassic anar-
chist texts that Tolstoy wrote around the tum of the century, which,
althoughoftenrepublished,remainscatteredinpamphletsandmagazines
longout-ofsprintandhardtofind.Theaim,therefore,ofthiscollectionis
to present in one volume the most important ofTolstoy’s writings on
anarchism andrevolution, some of which (0n Anarchy, 0nSocialism,
State and Christian) have not, to my knowledge, been republished in
EnglishsinceTolstoy’sdeathin 1910.OneessaythatappearsintheNew
Societycollection,ThouShaltNotKill,isalsoreproducedhere,asitsdis-
cussion ofanarchistterrorism iscentral to thethemeofthisbook. Both
collectionsincludeextactsfromTheKingdomofGodisWithinYou;they
are,however,fromdifferentchapters and do notoverlap.
Tolstoyoftencoveredthesamegroundinseveralessayswithslightly
differentemphasis;whilstalloftheeightessaysrepublishedheredealwith
the State and revolution, they have been arranged to give a rough
progression from an evaluation of anarchist theories and tactics to a
criticism of militarism, capitalism and Marxism. The essays appear
essentially in theiroriginal form with a minimum ofeditingto remove
superfluousreferencestocontemporarycircumstance;someofthetrans-
lators’ moreobsoleteEnglishexpressions have,however,beenupdated
wherenecessary. Detailsoftheeditingand sourcesare indicatedatthe
backofthe book, asare suggestions for furtherreading on Tolstoy and
anarcho~pacifism.Besidesgivingdetailsofeventsorpersonsmentioned
byTolstoy,thefootnotesalsorefertomodernillustrationsofpointsraised
intheessays.Foreaseofconsultation,theyhavebeengroupedattheend
ofthebook,ratherthan appearingattheendofeachessay.
My thanks must go to Michael Holman of Leeds University for
academicadviceandresearch,andtoallthepeopleoverthelastfiveyears
whohavekepttheideaofthebookgoing:Pen,BronandGofCrass,Albert
andChrisoftheWarResisters’International/PeaceNews,Kaw-djerwho
hadtheunenviabletaskoftypingitalland,aboveall,Mowhowasthefirst
5
to hearofitandtheonewhofinallybroughtitintobeing.Thisbookisfor
Rachel,asitalwayswas.
David Stephens
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THE NON-
VIOLENT
ANARCHISM OF
LEO TOLSTOY
EightyyearshavenowelapsedsinceLeoTolstoy’sdeathin1910,and
yetthemanyessayswhichTolstoywroteinthelasttwentyyearsofhislife
toexpoundhisinnovativebrandofnon~violentanarchismraiseissuesthat
arestillofimportance today. Thetwentieth century has seen increasing
convergence(andexpansion)ofanarchistandpacifistideas:theanarchist
movementhasseen thevastescalation ofmilitarism andtheseemingly
invincibleannouryofrepressionasperhaps thegreatestthreatposedby
theState;thepacifistmovementhasgonebeyondasimplisticrejectionof
violenceonapersonalleveltoconsidertheroleoftheStateinmilitarism,
and has embraced direct action as a means of combatting it. Both
anarchism and pacifism have as their common enemy the State as the
‘organofviolence’,andyetsomeanarchistsrefusetorecognizethiscom-
munityofinterest- theOctober 1986issueofBlackFlag comments:
‘Manypacifistshavecometothinkofthemselvesasanarchiss.But
their “anarchism” remained militant liberalism “non-violent anar-
chism”isnotavariantofanarchism: itisanattackon it’.
Thisuncompromisingstandisnotechoedinothercountries;indeed,
in Germany, where anarchism is much more alive than in Britain, the
numericallystrongestandmostactiveanarchistgroupistheFederationof
Non—violentActionGroupswiththeirmagazineGrqssroots Revolution
Thereisnoreasonfor theantipathythatexistsbetweendifferentcurrents
ofanarchistthought;ithaslongbeenanunfortunatefeatureofanarchists
thattheytendtoemphasizethedifferencesbetweenthemselvesratherthan
recognizethesimilarities.Thishaspreventedanarchistsfrommeetingthe
needforareappraisaloftheirrevolutionaryhistory; whilstauthoritarian
ideologies have each had their day, anarchism has never succeeded in
consolidatingalarge-scaleanddurablelibertariansocietybeyondthetem-
Dorary and partial achievements born of civil war. Anarcho-pacifists
wouldarguethatthisisbecauseoftheuniquemodelofsocietyanarchism
represents;inbeingaloneinrejecting the Stateandcoercion, anarchists
mustdevelopa non-coercivestrategy forrevolution differentfrom that
Proposedbyauthoritarianideologies. Inordertodothis,anarchistsmust
7
beprepared to listen to onean other insteadofeach fighting from their
comer,(0listentoototheexamplesfromthepastofanarchistrevolution-
aries like Kropotkin, Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman who,
having espousedviolence, cametobe disillusionedby itas a means of
struggle.Tolstoy’sargumentsontheincompatibilitybetweenanarchism
and violence and his proposed strategy ofnon-violent revolution are a
usefulstarting-pointfordiscussion,butthedebateisnotmadeanyeasier
ifsuchideasarerejectedoutofhandbysomeanarchists.AlbertMeltzer,
forexample,writinginhisAnarchism,ArgumentsForandAgainst,even
seekstodenythehistoricalandideologicallinksbetweenTolstoyandthe
anarchistmovement:
‘The “Pacifist-Anarchist”approachdiffersradically from revolu-
tionary anarchism. It is too readily conceded that “this is, after all,
anarchism” popular opinion made such figures as Tolstoy into an
anarchist-hewasnot; neither was hein the normal senseofthe worda
Christianorapacifist,asp0pularlysupposed'.
Thehistoryoftheanarchistmovementand theessayscontainedin
thisbookshowotherwise.Tolstoy’spoliticalwritingsexpressanuncom-
promisingrejectionofAuthorityandallitstrappings,ascathingcriticism
ofChurchandState,capitalismandMarxism,militarismandpatriotism.
Historically,Tolstoy‘sconversionfromadissoluteandprivilegedsociety
author to thenon-violentand spiritualanarchistofhis latter days was
broughtaboutbytwotripsaroundEuropein 1857and 1860-61. Atthat
time,stifledbythepoliticalandliteraryrepressionofTsaristRussia,many
Russian nobles left to taste the winds ofchange then blowing through
WesternEurope;otherRussianaristocratsradicalizedby theirtravelsin
WesternEurope wereKropotkin,BakuninandHerzen. During hisfirst
visittoEurope,Tolstoyhadatraumaticexperiencewhichwastomarkthe
beginningofhisevolution;afterwitnessingapublicexecutioninParis,he
wrotetohisfriend V. P. Botkin onApril6, 1857:
"IhetruthisthattheStateisaconspiracydesignednotonlytoexploit,
but aboveall tocorrupt its citizens I understand moral andreligious
laws,notcompulsoryforeveryone,butleadingforwardandpromisinga
more harmonious future; I feel the laws of art, which always bring
happiness. Butpolitical lawsseem tomesuch prodigiouslies, thatIfail
toseehowoneamongthemcanbebctterorworsethananyoftheothers
HenceforthI shallneverserveany governmentanywhere'.
However,itwasduringhissecondtriptoEuropethatTolstoymetthe
manwhowastoshapehispolitical transformation. In 1S60-6l.Tolstoy
visited Britain,France, Italy, Germany and Belgium (NOTE No 1) to
8
gatherideasoneducation, ideaswhich wouldleadhim tosetupseveral
libertarianschoolsnearhishomeofYasnayaPolyana. Duringhisvisitto
Brussels in March 1861, armed with a letter ofrecommendation from
AlexanderHerzen,Tolstoycalledonamathematicsteacherbythename
ofEmileDurfort,inrealitytheFrenchanarchistPierre-JosephProudhon,
thenlivinginexileafterthepublicationofhisOnJusticeintheRevolution
and in the Church in 1858. Tolstoy later chronicled his meeting with
Proudhonin hiseducational notebooks:
‘Lastyear,IhadthechancetospeaktoMr. ProudhonaboutRussia.
At that time, he was engaged in writing a book on the laws ofwar. I
describedtohimthelatestnewsfromRussia-thefreeingoftheserfs-and
Itoldhimthatamongstthegoverningclassestherewasastrongdesireto
developp0pulareducation,andalsothatsometimesthisdesiretookona
somewhatcomicform andbecameakindoffashion.“Isthatreallyso?”
heremarked. I replied that,asfaras Icouldjudge,Russian society was
beginningtounderstand that,withoutp0pulareducation,noStatestruc»
turecanbestable.Proudhonstoodupandbeganpacingaroundtheroom.
“Ifthisistrue”,hesaidinanalmostenvioustone,“thenthefuturebelongs
toyou,theRussians”.If1recountthisconversationwithProudhon,itisto
showthat, in mypersonalexperience,hewastheonly man whounder-
stood the significance of education and of the printing press in our
time'(NOTENo2).
Tolstoy’sviewsonpropertywerealsodecplyinfluencedbyProudhon,
inparticularbyProudhon’s Whatispr0perty?,published in 1840,which
TolstoyhadreadsometimebeforehismeetingwithProudhon.Criticiz-
ingtheconstitutionalmovesinRussiawhichhademancipatedtheserfsbut
deliveredthemintothepowerofthelandowners,Tolstoynotedinhisdiary
forAugust18, 1865:
‘ThemissionofRussiainworldhistoryconsistsinbringingintothe
worldtheideaofa socializedorganizationoflandownership.“Property
istheft”willremainagreatertruth thanthetruthoftheEnglishconstitu-
tion,aslongasmankindexists Thisideahasfuture.TheRussianrevo-
lutioncanbefoundedonlyonthisidea.Therevolutionwillnotbeagainst
theTsaranddespotism, butagainstprivateproperty in land’.
Besidesdiscussingeducation and property, Tolstoy andProudhon
alsotalkedofProudhon’sforthcomingbookonwar,stilloneoftheFrench
author’smostcontroversial works. The book, published a few months
afterTolstoy'svisit,wasentitled0nWarandPeace;threeyearslater,in
1864,theyearwhichsawthepublicationofProudhon’sbookinRussian,
Tolstoy used thesame title when he began writing his greatest literary
9
