Anti-Dictator: the Discours sur la servitude volontaire of Étienne de La Boétie

This famous essay asserts that tyrants have power because the people give it to them. La Boetie linked together obedience and domination, a relationship which would be later elaborated by anarchist thinkers. By advocating a solution of simply refusing to support the tyrant, he became one of the earliest advocates of civil disobedience and nonviolent resistance. "To him, the great mystery of politics was obedience to rulers. Why in the world do people agree to be looted and otherwise oppress...