 1892 Print Cover | |
| Author | Peter Kropotkin |
|---|---|
| Language | French |
| Genre | Political theory |
| Publisher | Tresse et Stock |
Publication date | 1892 |
| Publication place | France |
Published in English | 1907 |
| 335.83 | |
| LC Class | HX632 .K7613 |
Original text | The Conquest of Bread at French Wikisource |
| Translation | The Conquest of Bread at Wikisource |
| Part of a series on |
| Anarchist communism |
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The Conquest of Bread (French: La Conquête du Pain; Russian: Хлѣбъ и воля, romanized: Khleb i volja, 'Bread and Freedom'; Хлеб и воля in contemporary spelling) is an 1892 book by the Russian anarchist communist Peter Kropotkin. Originally written in French, it first appeared as a series of articles in the anarchist journal Le Révolté. It was first published in Paris with a preface by Élisée Reclus, who also suggested the title. Between 1892 and 1894, it was serialized in part in the London journal Freedom, of which Kropotkin was a co-founder.
In the work, Kropotkin identified what he considered to be the defects of the economic systems of feudalism and capitalism, and argued that these systems thrive on and maintain poverty and scarcity. He proceeded to propose a more decentralized economic system based on mutual aid and voluntary cooperation, asserting that the tendencies for this kind of organization already exist, both in evolution and in human society.
The Conquest of Bread has become a classic of political anarchist literature. It was heavily influential on both the Spanish Civil War and the Occupy movement.[1]
- ^ Rodgers Gibson, Morgan (Fall 2013). "The Anarchism of the Occupy Movement". Australian Journal of Political Science. 48.