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The Conquest of Bread

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Peter Kropotkin was a Russian prince who lived during times of great flux in his country. He was born to nobility during the "last hurrah" of the tsarist regime. He witnessed the disintegration of that regime through the early decades of the 20th century, and before he died, he watched as the Bolsheviks consolidated their power, substituting one authoritarian system for another. It would have been easy for Kropotkin to maintain his aristocratic life, which would have brought him tremendous privileges even after the fall of tsarism, but he renounced his title and became one of anarchism's foremost theorists.

The Conquest of Bread is one of Kropotkin's contributions to anarchist theory. Kropotkin posits, like Marxists, that the concentration of wealth which is the basis of a capitalist economy is the root cause of poverty. Unlike the Marxists, however, Kropotkin does not suggest a centralized state as the solution to workers' exploitation. His solution is autonomous collectives in which produce what they can and barter for what they need and want. In essence, Kropotkin is suggesting an anarchist market economy.

This market is not profit driven, as it would be in a capitalist market, having no regard for the basic needs of the individual. Kropotkin believed, instead, that the productive system is efficient enough to produce not only the needs of the population, but also enough of the luxuries that make life pleasant. What prevents the general enjoyment of these goods is not lack of production or inability to distribute them, but the determination of production by profit motives rather than social consumption motives.

Kropotkin's divides his book thematically, looking at basic human needs and wants. He examines why despite the ability to produce enough for everyone, people live in want. He looks at the need for luxury and sees it as an understandable and necessary part of being human. And despite being written over 100 years ago, his analysis is still fresh and relevant. The same problems that limit the lives of the working class in 2008 limited them in 1905. The difference is in scale and scope.

Charles Weigl's Introduction is well-researched and gives important insight into Kropotkin's life and context for his work. For someone unfamiliar with Kropotkin, it will prove invaluable. Weigle takes the reader through the ideas and critiques of Kropotkin without the pedantic idealizing of many who write about the people they admire.

The Conquest of Bread is an important contribution to anarchist economics and anarchist theory in general. This edition by AK Press is well presented and of high quality. I highly recommend it.

Peter Kropotkin's 'Conquest of Bread' helps point the way toward a future ruled, not by greed and oppression, but by fairness, rational division of labour, and humanity. This book is an antidote for the bugbears of state socialism and 'liberal' capitalism.

The book I received was different than the one pictured. It was printed by a small press, is very small, and isn't a of good quality. Normally a different cover and size wouldn't be such a big deal but this was a gift an it didn't look very thoughtful to give such a poorly made version.

The grandeur of the natural fortitude and elegant, almost obvious simplicity that the ideology which Kropotkin presents here is surpassed only by the frustration one feels when realizing how hard it will be for the world at large to overcome its pigeon-holed views of communism and anarchism. A must-read for anyone seeking something better in the way of a system by which the world might work.

I wanted to review this work as a historical text and not in its own content, but apparently, my own opinions have overtaken me on this one.

Kropotkin was a non-violent anarchist who promoted and expanded the idea of anarcho-communism based on voluntary co-operation, which is the subject of this peculiar book.
However, Kropotkin's argument is weak and vague in my ears. His idea is Utopian, as he admits himself, and one understands the man's lack of economic knowledge when he gives such faint arguments like "no man is lazy", "technology will take over occupations that are unpopular" and so on. (the text in "" is not Kropotkin's, but the ideas presented are). Kropotkin keeps on mentioning how we could cover our necessities under his proposed system, and also enjoy some luxuries such as exotic fruits, but this condition has been achieved by capitalism in most European countries. After all, Europeans do have clothes, shoes, food, water and shelter (with of course, exceptions) which consist of our economic necessities. Of course capitalism is far from Utopian, but the rise in the standard of living under it has actually surpassed Kropotkin's ambitions of his own economic system.
Another interesting statement found in the book is that if authoritarian communists take over (or as we came to know them, the Bolsheviks), they would be overthrown in a very short period of time as people have an enormous desire to be free. Well the Soviet Union lasted for 74 years, and the Chinese dictatorship is still here, not to mention the situation in Cuba. I believe it is evident that Kropotkin had interpreted human nature quite unrealistically.
Kropotkin keeps on mentioning the upcoming revolution, as a fact that will happen inevitably. He was apparently another thinker convinced that there will be a revolution, and that this revolution would follow a specific path.
His intentions are pure and I am sympathetic with his ideas, but apparently, the world does not work in the way Kropotkin had interpreted it, and his assumptions of the future have almost completely been proven false.

The AK edition of The Conquest of Bread is a great edition of Kropotkin's work, and I would advice anyone who is interested in it to check this edition out.

If more people would read this book, the world would certainly not be in the shamble it is in today!
Kropotkine was much more the scientific made anarchist than the renegade prince he is often represented as.
With this book, he gave us a great history lesson, proved if necessary how visionary he was and provided a sustainable model for a progressive society outside the existing failed recipe of capitalism and communism.
With the "Mutual Aid", "The Conquest of Bread" is the second part of a great dyptic master piece.