Pyotr Kropotkin

Important writings by the leading theorist of anarchism, including the brief but moving "Spirit of Revolt," "Law and Authority," an argument for social control through custom and education, and other documents. An invaluable addition to the libraries of instructors, students, and anyone interested in history, government, and anarchist thought.

'Everywhere you will find that the wealth of the wealthy springs from the poverty of the poor'Fuelled by anger at injustice and optimism about humankind's ability to make a better, truly communal society, the anarchist writings of Peter Kropotkin have influenced radicals the world over, from nineteenth-century workers to today's activists.One of twenty new books in the bestselling Penguin Great Ideas series. This new selection showcases a diverse list of thinkers who have helped shape our world today, from anarchists to stoics, feminists to prophets, satirists to Zen Buddhists.

"The enemy on whom we declare war is capital, and it is against capital that we will direct all our efforts, taking care not to become distracted from our goal by the phony campaigns and arguments of the political parties. The great struggle that we are preparing for is essentially economic, and so it is on the economic terrain that we should focus our activities." —Peter Kropotkin Peter Kropotkin is by far anarchism’s most influential theorist, and Direct Struggle Against Capital is the most extensive collection of his writings available in English. Over half the selections have been translated for the first time or recovered from long-out-of-print pamphlets and newspapers. The result is a volume that provides an introduction to classic texts, while showing new facets of a familiar and canonical figure. Direct Struggle Against Capital paints a detailed portrait of Kropotkin the revolutionary, the man Emma Goldman described as someone for whom anarchism “was not an ideal for the select few. It was a constructive social theory, destined to usher in a new world for all of mankind.” Fully annotated and featuring a lengthy historical introduction, biographical sketch, glossary, bibliography, and index. Peter Kropotkin (1842—1921) was one of anarchism's most famous thinkers. His classic works include Conquest of Bread ; Fields, Factories and Workshops ; Memoirs of a Revolutionist ; and Mutual A Factor of Evolution . Iain McKay is author of An Anarchist FAQ (volumes 1 & 2) and Property Is A Pierre-Joseph Proudhon Anthology .

Après Stirner, Proudhon et Bakounine, Pierre Kropotkine poursuit le grand rêve libertaire : ce prince russe devenu géographe de renom se fait le généalogiste d'une morale anarchiste qui dénonce les fausses morales imposées depuis des lustres par " le prêtre, le juge, le gouvernant ". Avec La Morale anarchiste (1889), livre virulent et raisonné, il montre que seul l'instinct d'entraide est le dépositaire des valeurs humaines à construire.

Mieux que la compétition et la lutte pour la survie, un modèle a fait la preuve de son efficacité depuis que les sociétés animales et humaines existent : l’entraide. Cette notion est au cœur de la pensée anarchiste de Kropotkine. Pendant près de quarante ans, depuis ses premières expéditions comme anthropologue en Sibérie, il ne cessa de réfléchir à la réciprocité dans les relations sociales, utilisant la théorie de l’évolution tout en rejetant le darwinisme social. Ses idées aboutirent à un ouvrage monumental, L’Entraide, un facteur de l’évolution, dont on lira ici les pages consacrées à la persistance des réseaux de solidarité face à la violence d’État. Ces textes sont suivis d’une adresse aux jeunes les appelant à questionner le sens et l’utilité pratique des études, et à se révolter contre l’injustice sociale.

In this cornerstone of modern liberal social theory, Peter Kropotkin states that the most effective human and animal communities are essentially cooperative, rather than competitive. Kropotkin based this classic on his observations of natural phenomena and history, forming a work of stunning and well-reasoned scholarship. Essential to the understanding of human evolution as well as social organization, it offers a powerful counterpoint to the tenets of Social Darwinism. It also cites persuasive evidence of human nature's innate compatibility with anarchist society."Kropotkin's basic argument is correct," noted evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould. "Struggle does occur in many modes, and some lead to cooperation among members of a species as the best pathway to advantage for individuals." Anthropologist Ashley Montagu declared that "Mutual Aid will never be any more out of date than will the Declaration of Independence. New facts may increasingly become available, but we can already see that they will serve largely to support Kropotkin's conclusion that 'in the ethical progress of man, mutual support—not mutual struggle—has had the leading part.'" Physician and author Alex Comfort asserted that "Kropotkin profoundly influenced human biology by his theory of Mutual Aid. . . . He was one of the first systematic students of animal communities, and may be regarded as the founder of modern social ecology."

Obra marcante do célebre anarquista russo, O Apoio Mútuo (1902) é um dos primeiros estudos sistemáticos da entre-ajuda em comunidades humanas e animais. Respondendo aos defensores do darwinismo social — para quem o progresso resulta da feroz competição entre indivíduos e da sobrevivência dos mais aptos —, Kropotkine propõe, baseado em registos históricos e detalhadas observações, que a cooperação é o verdadeiro factor da evolução. Ao mostrar que as pessoas tendem espontaneamente para a ajuda mútua, e que é o Estado, com a sua ânsia de regular colectividades e defender privilégios privados, que corrompe esta inclinação natural, Kropotkine constrói a defesa do anarquismo e apresenta uma base científica para a organização da vida em sociedade. Texto essencial para compreender os fundamentos anarquistas, combinando a erudição de um cientista experiente com o discurso poderoso de um libertário, O Apoio Mútuo não só conserva a sua actualidade, como encerra a clarividência e o optimismo de que precisamos nos nossos dias.

Peter Kropotkin was born a Russian prince whose father owned 1,200 serfs. As he aged, he came to hate the inequality in his society, and renounced his royal title. He was imprisoned and spent decades in exile for his views, which he has laid out in this book. He points out the flaws inherent in feudalism and capitalism, and how our current economic system creates poverty and scarcity even though there are enough resources for everybody, and outlines a better system based on people working together as a society.

The fourth in AK Press’ Working Classics series, The Conquest of Bread is Peter Kropotkin’s most extensive study of human needs and his outline of the most rational and equitable means of satisfying them. A combination of detailed historical analysis and far-reaching Utopian vision, this is a step-by-step guide to social revolution: the concrete means of achieving it, and the world that humanity’s “constructive genius” is capable of creating. Includes a new introduction that historically situates and discusses the contemporary relevance of Kropotkin’s ideas.

The Great French Revolution is Peter Kropotkin's classic account of the history of the upheavels from 1789 to 1793. Although Kropotkin is best known as the chief theorist for the political theory of anarchism, he was also a highly educated man (a member of the Russian nobility), a skilled historian, and a compelling and powerful writer. This sweeping account is written not from the point of view of great leaders, politicians or speechmakers, but from the great mass of ordinary French people, who began the Revolution on their own and who, at every crucial stage, took to the streets on their own initiative to carry the Revolution forward, to end autocracy and introduce democracy.