Anyone who makes plans for after the revolution is a reactionary

Anyone who makes plans for after the revolution is a reactionary

Mikhail Bakunin, a prominent Russian anarchist and revolutionary thinker, is often credited with the quote, "Anyone who makes plans for after the revolution is a reactionary." This statement encapsulates Bakunin's belief in the spontaneous and decentralized nature of revolution, as well as his rejection of centralized authority and hierarchical structures.

Bakunin was a staunch critic of both capitalism and the state, viewing them as oppressive systems that perpetuated inequality and exploitation. He believed that true liberation could only be achieved through the abolition of these systems and the establishment of a society based on principles of mutual aid, solidarity, and freedom.

For Bakunin, the idea of making plans for after the revolution was inherently reactionary because it implied a top-down approach to social change, in which a small group of individuals would dictate the terms of the new society. Bakunin argued that this approach would only serve to reproduce the same oppressive structures that existed before the revolution, albeit under a different guise.

Instead, Bakunin advocated for a bottom-up approach to revolution, in which the working class and oppressed peoples would rise up collectively to overthrow the existing order and create a new society based on principles of equality and freedom. He believed that the revolution should be a spontaneous and decentralized process, guided by the self-organization of the masses rather than the dictates of a vanguard party or revolutionary elite.