Primary sourceBook1893 (published 1894)
The Kingdom of God Is Within You
Leo Tolstoy · 1893 (published 1894)
Tolstoy's banned treatise on Christian nonviolence and the illegitimacy of state violence, later a major influence on Gandhi.
Tolstoy's treatise on nonviolence, a work that profoundly influenced Gandhi's philosophy of resistance.
About this source
What it is
The Kingdom of God Is Within You is a non-fiction treatise by Leo Tolstoy, first published in Germany in 1894 after being banned in Russia. It lays out a Christian anarchist philosophy based on nonviolence and universal love, drawing on thinkers like Adin Ballou and William Lloyd Garrison.
Why it matters
The book is a key text of the Tolstoyan nonviolence movement and argues that true Christianity requires rejecting all violence, including by the state. Mohandas Gandhi said the book overwhelmed him and named it among the most important influences on his life, linking Tolstoy directly to the Indian independence movement.
Look closer
- Why was this book banned in Tolstoy's own country?
- How does Tolstoy's idea of 'turning the other cheek' go further than common interpretations?
- Why might this book have influenced a political activist like Gandhi decades later?
This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Leo Tolstoy on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
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